Poplar Grove Winery

Founded in 1993 by Ian and Gitta Sutherland, Poplar Grove Winery was one of the first five wineries established on the Naramata Bench. The Sutherlands began with a small apple orchard that they converted into a vineyard, planting Cabernet Franc and Merlot in 1992 and releasing their first vintage in 1995. Their early success helped establish the Naramata area as a viable region for premium viticulture. In 2007, the estate was purchased by Tony and Barb Holler, who brought a long-term vision to expand the winery into a family-run enterprise. Today, the operation involves the entire Holler family, including their four sons, Chris, Andrew, Matthew, and Eric, who manage different aspects of vineyard operations, viticulture, and business leadership.

The estate manages more than 160 acres of vineyards distributed across the southern Okanagan Valley, with primary sites located on the Naramata Bench and the Osoyoos East Bench. This geographic diversity allows the viticulture team to match specific varieties to varied microclimates and soil types, ranging from the temperate slopes near Penticton to the hot, sandy desert conditions found further south in Osoyoos. Under the direction of executive winemaker Stefan Arnason, who joined the winery in 2008, the winemaking philosophy focuses on traditional principles and sustainable farming. A notable technical characteristic of their production is that all wines are vinified to be bone dry, with many finishing with less than one gram per liter of residual sugar.

Poplar Grove is recognized for its flagship red blend, The Legacy, a Bordeaux-style wine first produced in 2003 that has earned high scores in competitions like the Decanter World Wine Awards. The winery has also established a reputation as a leading producer of Cabernet Franc and Pinot Gris in British Columbia. While the portfolio was historically focused on robust reds and crisp whites, the estate recently expanded its offerings to include Pinot Noir, sourced from the 13-acre Hudson Vineyard near the winery site. The winery remains a central fixture of the Naramata Bench wine scene, defined by its contemporary production facility and a history of steady growth that has made it one of the larger artisanal producers in the province.