CEO channels pyramid power
One of Summerhill Pyramid Winery’s greatest successes is also it’s greatest challenge. “As Canada’s most visited winery, we welcome a lot of people, up to 1,000 a day in peak summer,” said winery CEO Ezra Cipes.
“That allows us to showcase the Okanagan, tell our organic story and sell more wine directly to consumers than any other winery in the Okanagan.”
But it can also mean crowds, something that can turn off wine lovers in search of sipping in serenity.
“We invest a lot in staff training and have a lot of staff,” said Cipes.
“We’re also expanding so there’s lots of room for visitors to get the sense they are somewhere special.”
Beside the long, original tasting bar, Summerhill has put in three more tasting rooms, a private tasting area, a gallery tasting room and a gazebo for outdoor tastings in the summer.
There’s also more parking, a new entrance room and reception hall.
And to take pressure off Sunset Organic Bistro, a new al fresco dining area will open for lunches and snacks in the spring.
The reasons for Summerhill’s popularity is many-fold.
When it opened in 1992, it was one of only a handful of wineries in Kelowna and immediately captured the public’s attention with its looming pyramid, signature sparkling wine and stunning views of vineyard and Okanagan Lake from its hillside perch.
The winery also openly courted bus tours from Asia, Europe and the U.S.
Now, less than half of its visitors come off tour buses, but the winery is still a must-see, and taste, for many locals and tourists.
Cipes’ dad, founder and proprietor Stephen, added to the cachet by being quirky, setting the winery on the road to organic status and touting the pyramid as providing special, positive energy for all those that visit.
The pyramid is also credited with making wine aged inside the structure taste better.
Wine tasted in the pyramid is supposed to be more aromatic and flavourful, too.
Growing up in the business, Cipes helped his dad right from high school, first by working in the cellar and vineyards, then sales, chief operations officer and now CEO.
While much of his learning was hands-on, he also earned a viticulture certificate at Okanagan College, studied permaculture (sustainable agriculture) and is one unit short of finishing a Wine & Spirits Education (WSET) diploma.
“When you work in a family business, everyone is involved in leadership and is a brand ambassador,” said Cipes.
“I want to continue the vision my father has to truly reflect the Okanagan terrior in our wines and be relevant and world-class.”
Producing 30,000 cases a year makes Summerhill a medium-sized winery.
It sells 55 per cent of that to the many visitors who come to the winery for tastings, shopping, sightseeing, brunch, lunch and dinner.
It also has good distribution through liquor stores.
With so many Asian, American and European tourists being introduced to Summerhill wines while touring the winery, it now has a built-in market for online sales and stores in Sweden and Switzerland.
The family’s last name has
become synonymous with Okanagan sparkling wine with the success of Cipes Brut.
“That was the wine my dad started with in 1992 and it was his founding vision to promote sparkling because it reflects the Okanagan terroir and lifestyle so well,” said Cipes. “He was way ahead of the time then.” Summerhill also makes a line-up of award-winning still wines and icewines.
Cipes is also vice-chairman of the B.C. Wine Institute, director of the Canadian Vintner’s Association and on the B.C. Wine Appellation Task Force.
He’s also an outgoing board member of Kelowna Waldorf School, where his daughter, Ruth, 11, attends Grade 5, and volunteers with the Living Things International Arts Festival, Breakout West Festival and David Suzuki Foundation.
Cipes wife, Rio Branner, is an artisan who makes handbags and jewelry from recycled materials.
Oot N’ Oots is the rock band Cipes has formed with his brothers, Gabriel, Ari and Matthew, who also work at the winery, and his daughter, Ruth.
They’re practising to play at summer festivals.