Phantom Creek Estate Winery strives to bring world-class flavours and talent to the South Okanagan

“Behind the Wine” is a summer series taking you behind the scenes of the South Okanagan’s iconic wine industry. Watch for it every Sunday.

Located on the stunning Black Sage Bench, Phantom Creek’s team works hard to create some of the best Bordeaux-style reds and Alsatian whites in the Okanagan, Canada and worldwide.

When the owner of Phantom Creek Estates, Richter Bai, decided to pursue his dream to build a winery, his search took him far and wide internationally, before deciding on a property just southeast of Oliver, to not only be closer to his daughters in Vancouver, but in a location that could create the Bordeaux style wines he had fallen in love with.

He employed viticulturists, scientists and brought in the top people in their fields to help create his vision.

“Bai originally purchased Phantom Creek Vineyard,” says Anahita Pouget, director of sales and marketing for Phantom Creek Estates.

“It is seven acres, but is basically the most acclaimed seven acres of fruit in the Valley. Wine from this vineyard has won 85 national awards and three times won the best red wine in Canada."

The property was originally Richard Cleave’s home vineyard, the man responsible for planting almost half of the vineyards in the Okanagan Valley.

With the purchase of the unique and coveted Phantom Creek Vineyard, Bai sought out to find a location for the winery and found the perfect spot on the Black Sage Bench. The winery was built around and specifically equipped to produce the best Alsatian whites and Bordeaux style reds possible.

To produce the whites, the team sought out a parcel of land and converted it into a vineyard for Pinot Gris and Riesling.

An important aspect of the winery is their strong environmental focus. Each property is fully certified organic and is also in the process of becoming biodynamic certified.

“At Phantom Creek we focus on WHY you do, and not WHAT you do. To us this means caring for the earth and the environment. We have 200 acres and although the business matters, our main goal is to give back to the land. When I joined the team, it was really important to me to ensure that Phantom Creek was organic and that our environmental values matched, and I’m proud to say they do and that we really care,” says Pouget.

Pouget has been on the team for a year and brings a rich background and skill set that she contributes to the winery.

“Construction of the winery began in 2016 and opened to the public in June 2020 and I have been with them since then,” explains Pouget.

Originally from India, Pouget moved to France for her education, a Masters degree in hospitality and tourism management.

“One of my first and most shocking introductions to the world of wine were at my school in France. We had a cafeteria with a separate area for students and teachers. The only difference was that the teachers would all drink wine with lunch. They would enjoy a nice big glass of red, right in the middle of the day,” Pouget says, laughing.

After finishing school, Pouget then worked for hotels in Paris and met her husband in Alsace, France.

"I was always drawn to the wine region and wanted to be immersed in wine. I was working right in downtown Paris, but I was drawn to the countryside. I decided to take a break after my husband and I had applied to come to Canada, so in the meantime we moved to wine country and I worked a harvest in Alsace,” says Pouget.

By the time harvest was done, Pouget knew she wanted to work in the wine industry.

“We visited Kelowna, and while we were there I applied and got a job at Cedar Creek Estates and began the transition into wine! Since then I have been working in sales and marketing in the wine industry. I worked at CedarCreek for five years before transitioning to Mission Hill for five years, which I really enjoyed. Under the Mission Hill umbrella were more casual wineries but also some of the most high end wineries in Canada,” Pouget says.

Pouget now uses her array of experience in all facets of Phantom Creek business.

“There is so much talent in the company and I feel that I look at myself as someone who can bring on more than just selling wine. Working with Phantom Creek has been a huge opportunity to apply everything I've learned. I am the person behind the wine here, I am building target markets, working with the people, creating labels, pricing, marketing, and social media. It is very hands-on and diverse,” explains Pouget.

With many tourists and visitors visiting the Okanagan yearly, Phantom Creek offers an opportunity for them to see a completely different wine region than the North Okanagan, now creating that anchor winery experience in the South Okanagan.

“We want to welcome people, tourists and visitors and help them build a connection to both the land, and the wine. Coming from Europe, the perception of wine is different. Wine is something that is generally associated with rejoicing and celebrating, so it’s nice to work in an industry where people can leave happy and with a smile,” says Pouget.

"We have all kinds of diversity on our team, which is also great for the South Okanagan. We have staff that are German, Chilean, Chinese, Indian, French, European and Canadian. Our executive chef is Canadian but was working in New York. She came here because of COVID and got a job at Phantom Creek, planning to go back to New York but has stayed!” says Pouget.

Their new soon-to-be-named winemaker will also be relocating to Canada from California shortly.

For a nice summer treat, Pouget recommends their Riesling.

“I really like fresh and crisp whites, my favourite is the Riesling, but it is summer right now. In the fall you’d get a different answer,” Pouget says with a chuckle.

Enjoy some of their amazing wine that aims to stand alongside the international wine community. Never sacrificing quality, their focused aim is to show the world what the Okanagan has to offer.

“We want to stand amongst the best in the world, we work towards that every day,” says Pouget.

Phantom Creek Estates offers three different daily experiences to sample wine. They do walk-ins for bar service tastings, sit down tastings, and a tour and a tasting where reservations are required.

Their restaurant also offers lunch service Thursday to Monday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.