Knowledge is generational, as is language, culture and tradition. How about dreams, though, and passion? Can they be passed down through generations? The desire to care for land that, in turn, provides. A symbiotic relationship of nurturing and nourishment, where stunning vistas, quality produce and conservation are the key ingredients to a dream now recognized. Elephant Island Winery is precisely that - a dream passed down through generations, bringing to life a vision from the past to be enjoyed in the present.
"Creating beautiful things from the beautiful things that grow around us."
Miranda Halladay and her husband, Del, are the co-founders of Elephant Island Winery, located on the Akins Loop here in Naramata.
"We feel so blessed to have landed here, surrounded by wonderful neighbouring producers. Together, we've established Naramata's first walkable tasting room tour, the Akins Loop Winery and Cidery Cooperative."
Familial Territory
Established from a family farm in 1999, Miranda gives pause for reflection as Elephant Island's twenty-sixth vintage begins.
"The property where the winery is located was purchased by my grandmother, Catherine. Elephant Island and Naramata was always a very special place to me growing up. As my Grandmother aged, I felt strongly our connection to Elephant Island needed to remain with our family. A seed had been planted by my grandfather, who with my grandmother, had explored establishing a cottage distillery on the property in their retirement. My childhood visits were shaped helping my grandfather Paul …. experimenting with making wines and distillates. He was an engineer who had escaped from Poland during WWII. He was a hugely creative and motivated person. The 2 of them were inspired by the incredible fruit that grows in Naramata and felt more value should be added to the fruit that wasn’t making it to market. We had all of their meticulous notes, I had the experience, and we had the idea. So, Del and I moved up in 1997."
The Power of Diversity
Over the years, Miranda has witnessed the local area change quite a bit.
"The Valley was vastly different back when we moved up in the late 90’s. It was really struggling at the time. Opportunities were made, not presented. In the spirit of my grandparents, we saw there was a chance to expand on their ideas and explore opportunities around value-added wines that were different from the nascent grape wine industry. It was also born out of a recognition that there was a need for it. At that time, apple farmers were blockading Naramata Road because apple prices had plummeted. There was a feeling that local farming businesses had been cannibalized because Canada had shared home grown techniques and information with other parts of the world, while importing cheap fruit and eviscerating local market share. So Elephant Island Winery was born out of that - out of a love for Naramata and an appreciation for the outstanding quality of fruit grown here and a need to offer value added markets. We also recognized that there's power in diversity. A major pillar of our sustainability structure is to support the agricultural diversity in the area by producing beautiful things using what we grow here."
Beyond Devine
In supporting agricultural diversity in the region, Elephant Island uses more than grapes when producing their delicious wines.
"Initially, our wines were all made from fruits other than grapes. That may seem like a strange statement because grapes are fruit, but those wines were considered non-traditional. Our original portfolio consisted of wines made from fruit grown in the orchard rather than the vineyard. Dry, food-friendly wines were made from pears, cherries, and black currants. We had two dessert wines made from apricots and crabapples, and two fortified wines: framboise and cassis. Fundamental to the production of these wines and to this day was (1) the quality of the fruit (2) balance in winemaking. We set out to radicalize the impression that fruit wines were all overly sweet, one dimensional wines"
Ripe With Choice
In keeping with that focus on diversity, visitors to Elephant Island have the choice of tasting traditional or orchard wines.
"Visitors have options when they arrive in the tasting room. For traditionalists, we have premium sustainably certified Naramata-grown grape wines. For the punk rockers or adventurers in the group, our fruit wine lineup is very popular.
But ... What About the Elephants?
Looking around Elephant Island Winery, one can't help but wonder where the name came from, given the absence of its first two components.
"My grandmother, as one of Canada's first female architects, was a bit of a trailblazer. In the latter part of her career, while teaching in the School of Architecture at UBC along with my grandfather, the opportunity to take a buyout came up. She took it, wanting to put the money toward a farm here in the Okanagan. She and my grandfather came to explore up and down the valley, searching for the right spot. At one point, they were staring across the lake, and it was one of those quintessential Okanagan moments where it looked like heaven was shining down. The sun's rays were breaking through the clouds and landing directly in Naramata. So, she made an inquiry, and they found this property. Initially, my grandfather wasn't convinced this was the best move. He would say it was a white elephant and she would never see a return on this investment. But my grandmother fell in love with the site. Their last professional collaboration, was to design and build the home that lives at Elephant Island today. During that process, my Grandfather would say my Gradmother was doing everything for the eye: the aesthetic vision of the architect versus the practical reality of the engineer. And so, with the elephant plus the island in her mind, she named the farm Elephant Island. From that point forward, it was where I came every summer vacation. Back at school, when asked where I spent my summer, mentioning Elephant Island sounded exotic even though it was just five hours east of us in the Okanagan. So, no elephants and no islands, but a lot of good spirit and storytelling around how the name came to be."
Batting for Sustainability
Sustainability is at the core of what Elephant Island does. To begin, the diversity in their portfolio comes from a love of the surrounding landscape. That diversity is vital for the resiliency of birds, bees and producers alike. They've also introduced polyculture farming practices and have made efforts to better understand their soil. Pressings from the winery are composted and reintroduced on the farm to manage soil health and fertility using their own by-products. They also use rotational sheep grazing when possible for mowing reduction and fertilization, limit their water usage, support pollinators, and participate in community groups such as Naramata Slow and Dark Sky Naramata. It's safe to say that the Elephant Island team lives and breathes sustainability. However, it doesn't stop there. Miranda's love for creatures of the night has led to yet another way of going to bat for the local environment.
"We've installed bat boxes to help support natural pest and insect management. I'm infatuated with these nocturnal creatures now, and I've had the opportunity to learn a lot more about them. Bats are iconic and a keystone species here, very critical for ecosystem health in the Okanagan. And the sheer volume of pests they eat in one evening is incredible. At dusk, the sun goes down, and you get these lovely, warm breezes off the clay banks. That's when all the critters come out, and the bats go to town. They're amazing!"
The Perfect Day
Miranda's passion for Naramata shines through in her work ethic and community involvement. She isn't afraid to roll up her sleeves and would never shy away from a good chat. And, of course, there's the wine.
"I love starting the day by getting my hands dirty. Some of the projects that fill my bucket right now are working with the pollinator part of our program and trying to establish zones where we don't have to weed a whole lot. I also enjoy working in the tasting room when I can. I've had some really valuable conversations in our tasting room and I love seeing people respond to our wines. We have a wonderful community network in Naramata, so sitting down with some friends at the end of the day is tough to beat, especially with a glass of wine. Everything's better with wine."
Friendly Elephants
At Elephant Island, with a variety of tasting options, special events, and the option to build your own charcuterie board, there's plenty to fill both your day and belly. And they're friendly to special diets such as gluten-free and vegetarian, as well as …
"Bikes, dogs and kids. We're friendly."
Take it Slow
Naramata is full of wonderful people like Miranda who love where they live and want you to love it too.
"We're a small place, but there's much to enjoy. Slow down and appreciate the specialness of the area. From the landscape to the producers to what we produce, immerse yourself in the fabric of Naramata. Go with the snail pace … walking versus driving, you'll get much more out of your visit if you take your time."
Curious? Thirsty? Ready to Visit?
Of course you are. Stop in to see Miranda, Del and the team at 2730 Aikins Loop or get in touch to book a tasting today.
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