About Us
For us wine is a lifestyle, a passion and the result of a year round creative process that never ceases to amaze us as winemakers and grape growers. Wine for us is an object of beauty and sophistication which has been central to the cultivation of joy and inspiration in people’s lives for millennia. We also see it as something very regional, very local and very much part of a sense of place. A sense which is created by the people, the geography, the weather, the soil and everything else that can only be found where the wine is grown, made and first enjoyed. There are other things besides food and wine which have this sense of place. Things like local artists, local craftsmanship and local festivals.New Paragraph
That’s why we took the name Marionette. It’s because many years ago a family of artists and performers lived on the property where we built our winery. They traveled in beautifully painted, horse drawn caravans to perform shows which featured handmade marionettes. Although they moved on long before we got here we felt when we heard their story that it was something special. It was unique to this place and its history. It felt like there was a magical thread, an invitation – a story that we could pick up and start to work on again. So, that’s we intend to do. We intend to build something beautiful that could only be from here and from us. Something magical.
Features
Cases Produced per Year: 5,000
Vineyard
Our goal is to be a low-input and sustainable producer. We want to work towards balancing the vineyard ecosystem, adapting to and above all respecting the natural processes at work around us
Varieties
In our vineyards we have planted a carefully selected array of varietals that are traditional to European regions. Our varietals were selected from research in which we compared the growing requirements (Growing Degree Days, number of frost-free days) to the growing season of Salmon Arm (and in particular, our vineyard site). We were excited to find that some of our favourite traditional and noble varieties were capable of ripening on our site
Terroir
We see the Salmon Arm area and in particular the North Broadview bench as an exceptional mesoclimate for growing high quality cool climate wine grapes. Salmon Arm has warm summers but is not so dry that you need to irrigate. The complex soils and warm aspect of the Marionette vineyard site is what led us to start a winery here
Our philosophy
For us wine is a lifestyle, a passion and the result of a year round creative process that never ceases to amaze us as winemakers and grape growers. Wine for us is an object of beauty and sophistication which has been central to the cultivation of joy and inspiration in people’s lives for millennia
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“I have tried other wine clubs that worked OK, but this one is definitely the best of them all. It delivers wines that are actually amazing!”
Caitlin C, Vancouver
“If you are looking for high quality wines from the Okanagan, I highly recommend this one. It is amazing to see the faces of my friends when they taste these wines”
Sydney A, Delta
“I try to go to the Okanagan once a year, as I love their wines. Having little ones is making it increasingly difficult. I must admit I was hesitant to buy wines online at first, but after 6 months I was so happy I decided to upgrade my membership”
Pablo C, Ottawa
Vineyard
We are passionate about sustainable viticulture and are delighted that we have such a wealth of wildlife at our doorstep. One of the things we were most excited about when we came here was the amount of biodiversity on the Marionette site. With its wealth of old cherry and plum trees surrounding the vineyards the health of the ecosystem is sure to be excellent. This of course means that we will be able to tend to our vineyards without relying on a pesticide treadmill. Our goal is to be a low-input and sustainable producer. We want to work towards balancing the vineyard ecosystem, adapting to and above all respecting the natural processes at work around us.
Visit Us
Every Saturday from 12-9PM Live Music, Pizza and Wine