Summerhill has been an estate winery for over 50 years; one of the oldest in the Okanagan. Proprietor Stephen Cipes has owned the winery since 1986. During that time Summerhill has accumulated many firsts: first winery to have its own pyramid for starters, one of the first and largest certified organic vineyards and the first Okanagan winery to specialize in sparkling wines (aka champagne), winning prizes for it in France.

The Summerhill story begins when Cipes, a developer and entrepreneur living in Manhattan, visited the Okanagan with his four sons. On the lookout for a lifestyle and a cleaner, healthier place to raise his kids, Cipes fell in love with the valley. He had also done some research on grape growing and found that Kelowna’s climate and soil were perfectly suited to that purpose. He bought the 65 acre vineyard on Chute Lake Rd. intending to pursue organic farming methods to grow grapes for sparkling wine, a drink of which he had become something of a connoisseur.

The organic part was simple: he didn’t want to expose his children to chemical sprays and didn’t want to contribute to water and air pollution. He also believed that the small, thin-skinned grapes used to make sparkling wine were more susceptible to taste contamination by pesticides.

After beginning the five year process to become certified organic. Cipes next step was to yank up the old, hybrid vines that had been the staple of the BC wine industry up to that time. Cipes visited France and Germany, bringing back cuttings of many of their successful vinifera varietals. The vineyard began producing grapes for other wineries. Their first vintage was produced in 1989 after Jack Davis, winemaster at Schramsberg cellars in California, approached Cipes. Davis, who had also been doing his homework, had discovered the unique properties of the Okanagan valley and believed it would be a great place to produce sparkling wine.

Under the guidance of Davis, and operating out of Cipes’ garage, Summerhill produced its first vintage called Cipes Brut, a sparkling wine which is still one of the winery’s flagship products. Since that time, Summerhill has expanded its wine portfolio considerably and built a beautiful facility, including a wineshop, restaurant and, of course, the pyramid. It is now the most visited winery in Canada, receiving up to 1,000 visitors a day at the height of summer.

Part of the attraction, besides the wine, the food and the view, must be the power of the pyramid. Since the founding of the winery, a small wooden pyramid sat behind Cipes’ garage. It was there for research purposes as some wines were aged in it and some were not. Over the years ongoing taste tests confirmed that wine aged in the pyramid tasted better. These results were enough to convince Cipes to build a larger pyramid as a cellar; a uniquely Summerhillian version of the Champagne caves of France.

Modelled on the Egyptian pyramids of Giza, the Summerhill pyramid was build using the concepts of “sacred geometry,” building methods and ideals of proportion based on mathematical ideas well known in the ancient world. The building seems to have a clarifying effect on liquids. Wine aged in the pyramid is said to be smoother, with enhanced flavours. All Summerhill wines now spend at least one month in the pyramid, some stay there for up to a year. The pyramid has become an integral part of their identity and their winemaking process. And the tourists like it too. Visit the winery and see it for yourself.