O'Rourke Winery in BC: Bill? John S?

[Jenise]

I haven't heard of this place before. Are the wines any good?

https://www.foodandwine.com/o-rourke-fa ... x949vyz7pw

I have seen some OK reviews of their wines, that’s all. But reading this article makes me want nothing to do with this owner and his wines. The last paragraph suggests he is more interested in building things than making wine. Yet another rich white guy decided to have fun creating a winery because he can! Sorry for the rant but the article really rubbed me the wrong way.

[Jenise]

My reaction to the article as well, John. Which is why I called it "this place" and denied it the respect of being called a winery. Clearly that's not his primary focus. I was just surprised that I hadn't heard of it before, even derogatorily, given the size of his ambitions.

Never seen their wines nor tasted them, but I have to agree that it looks like a rich guy wanting to look like 'Napa North'. Grape juice with a shot of attitude perhaps?

[Jenise]

Summing it up: "tourist trap"?

Never seen their wines nor tasted them, but I have to agree that it looks like a rich guy wanting to look like 'Napa North'. Grape juice with a shot of attitude perhaps?

Just one of the more egregious examples of wine tourism. Prince Edward County, Ontario, is full of them–– wineries that exist solely for the tourist trade. PEC is a large Island in Lake Ontario (a.k.a. Lake America) within easy driving distance of metro Toronto. Hordes of visitors arrive throughout the summer for winery tours. On weekends modest rooms sell out at $400 - $500 a night. The climate is moderate and the soil is limestone but the wines I’ve tasted were universally awful. Admittedly I gave up after four or five, so that may not be a fair assessment. No matter the quality, business is booming at the cellar door.

[Jenise]

Just one of the more egregious examples of wine tourism. Prince Edward County, Ontario, is full of them–– wineries that exist solely for the tourist trade. PEC is a large Island in Lake Ontario (a.k.a. Lake America) within easy driving distance of metro Toronto. Hordes of visitors arrive throughout the summer for winery tours. On weekends modest rooms sell out at $400 - $500 a night. The climate is moderate and the soil is limestone but the wines I’ve tasted were universally awful. Admittedly I gave up after four or five, so that may not be a fair assessment. No matter the quality, business is booming at the cellar door.

All winery areas want to attract tourism. But typically they make a choice about who they want as customers that you can see from the curb. What this place is trying to be is exactly what I'd drive right past. Also to be avoided: castle architecture, petting zoos, and any with tourist bus parking just to name a few. A friend of mine recently went to the Santa Barbara area on a wine-tasting mission. He has a good palate but was inexperienced about tasting in person and caved when his friend (a local winery rep of good repute) strangely insisted on visiting Fess Parker's old winery. And I was like, "Mark, didn't you see the bus parking? They're looking for blue hairs, not guys like you!" He'll never miss that cue again.

I wouldn’t say PEC is a region that has extreme wine tourism. It gets busy in the summer yes, but the wineries are not Napa-like at all. Hotels in many places charge crazy prices on summer weekends.