The Wick Is Lit for This Fraser Valley Winery

Many great ideas are born from necessity. For others, determination is the fuel to manifest dreams into reality. For Andi and Justin Manuel, the launching point to become winery owners was when they purchased 20 acres in the Fraser Valley. The next question they had: now what? Let’s build a winery, Justin remarked. And that’s how Cannon Estate Winery got its start.

Before answering the lingering question about why that name for the winery, let’s jump to the most immediate one: why a winery in the Fraser Valley and not B.C.’s Okanagan interior where the Manuels spent their summers? The answer can be found in a single word: microclimate.

Temperatures in the shadow of the Monashee Mountains have warmed since the turn of the century, improving the conditions for grape growing. Equally as important as the weather to growing grapes is the quality of soil, the choice of varietal grape selected, and of course the cultivation and care of the crop.

The Manuels found the ideal partner in viticulturalist Patrick Blandin, a French winemaker with over 30 years of experience. Blandin came onboard Cannon Winery in 2017 and began formulating a layered strategy, while Andi and Justin gathered information from Okaganan winery owners to better understand what it takes to build a world-class winery.

“Our main mission is to prove that the Fraser Valley can be an exceptional place to make wine,” remarks co-founder Andi Manuel. “We have a couple secret varietals that no one else is growing that thrive in this special climate.”

Cannon Winery’s tasting room is now open and the Manuels are expanding their menu for food and drinks and overseeing construction on a lounge slated to open in summer 2023.

Back to Cannon Winery’s name, it came from the couple’s philosophy to commit fully to their ventures, be it personal or professional. “Our winery’s tagline is ‘the wick is lit’. It comes from the idea of pulling the trigger, once that fuse is lit it’s too late to stop what comes next,” explains Andi. “When my husband gets a business venture in mind, he goes all the way. We’re here to show people that you can grow and make amazing wine in the Fraser Valley.”

Learn more | cannonwinery.ca

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CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT:

Cannon Winery is giving away a prize package worth $400. Win an exclusive wine tasting for yourself and three friends with Cannon Winery’s winemaker Patrick Blandin and learn about how this world-class sommelier creates the memorable blends for his winery. Enter today!