Image: City of Kelowna
A Kelowna winery is looking to significantly raise its profile, with the 463-square-metre tasting room and tapas bar it wants to build on the Agricultural Land Reserve.
Paul Bernard Lee, the owner of Burnt Timber Estate Winery, submitted the application to the City of Kelowna earlier this month, outlining his vision for an ambitious addition to his winery that will allow it to market directly to consumers for the first time.
Burnt Timber Estates Winery sits at 178-180 Swick Rd, a stone’s throw away from the area swallowed by the massive Okanagan Mountain Park Fire in 2003.
During its height, the 250-square-kilometre fire destroyed many homes, but “by some miracle” ran out of life virtually at Lee’s doorstep.
Burnt Timber has been producing wine since 2012, with its first vintage giving a nod to the fires the winery was born out of. The Bordeaux-style blend is called Bomberos, which is the Spanish word for firefighters.
Lee plans to take inspiration from the “transformation” that happened in the wake of the fire in the design of Burnt Timber’s new addition.
“The concept behind the design plays on the resilient and regenerative nature of the environment … to pay homage to the power of fire on natural materials,” Lee writes in a letter to the city.
Lee says that the expansion wouldn’t just create several management, food and beverage and other positions, it would also allow him to offer more jobs in Burnt Timber’s vineyards and on-site production facility.
He believes the wine shop will be well visited, because Burnt Timber site on the Lakeshore Wine Route, along Lakeshore Road.
His proposal will come before council in the coming months.
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