Public peeks in wine vault

The new Naramata Wine Vault opened its doors to the public for the first time Thursday evening. 

The vault has repurposed an old B.C. Tree Fruits packinghouse which has long been left empty. 

"It started as a discussion about how this building has been derelict for 10 years, and it really is the village centre in Naramata," said one of the partners in the business, David Enns. "So I've been driving by it for 10 years and I finally said, 'that's enough.'"

He and three partners revamped the property into a co-op style wine cellar facility, with wineries from around the region using it for storage. 

"Since 1980, this was storing apples and fruits that were farmed around the village here, and now it's used for storing fruits that are farmed around the village only this time it's grapes, and wines, and glass and barrels," Enns said. 

Former resident Lesley Chapman came out to the open house, and remembers what the facility used to be like.

"I remember when it was really busy with the forklifts running around, and then when I moved away and every time I came back it was just empty, it was so sad," Chapman said. "To hear that it was rejuvenated as a wine vault, it's such a great idea, and it's nice that they kept as much of the original parts as they could."

Enns said that in the future they hope to include a regional tasting room on the premises, though that could be a few years off. He hopes the venture will be part of a larger rejuvenation of the core area of Naramata.