BACKGROUND
Robin Ridge started in 1996 when Tim & Caroline Cottrill fell in love with the beauty of the Similkameen Valley. A 10 acre parcel of rocks, weeds and potential was purchased on Middle Bench Road outside Keremeos and a small vineyard was planted, initially just for Tim to produce wine for the family. The plan was to eventually grow and sell grapes (well at least that is what Caroline thought) but Tim always secretly aspired to take the next step and open a winery. Eventually, with the 2006 vintage, Tim’s dream prevailed and Robin Ridge became a reality.

After that small start in 1996, the rest of the 10 acre parcel was planted in the following two years. The varietal mix is focused on the classics and is made up of Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer and the flagship varietal for Robin Ridge, Gamay. For the initial years, Tim & Caroline sold their grapes, allowing the vines to mature and with each year of age produce more intensely flavoured fruit. Even during these early years the potential of the site showed with Tim and Caroline’s grapes contributing to award winning wines from La Frenz, Herder and Stag’s Hollow. The first commercial crush at Robin Ridge didn’t take place until 2006 with production of just 800 cases.

THE VINEYARD
The Robin Ridge vineyard is now well over 10 years old and the Cottrill’s have developed a good understanding of how to extract the most flavour from their piece of terroir. The winemaking begins in the vineyard, with regular trips through the vines to thin the fruit and reduce yields to produce intensely flavoured grapes. Tim, trained in Viticulture through Okanagan College, has chosen to grow his vines on a Geneva Double Curtain trellis. This system is incredibly labour intensive but the downward growing canopy perfectly exposes the fruit to the warm Similkameen sunshine achieving optimum ripeness and flavour.

WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY
Tim and Caroline are convinced that good winemaking is about expressing the flavours of wonderful grapes, the winemaker’s role to merely tweak and emphasize what was achieved through hard labour in the vineyard. When the time came for Tim to focus on winemaking, he chose to work with the well-known Lawrence Herder to perfect his skills in the cellar. His winemaking style is based on quality rather than quantity. The low yielding fruit produces perfectly ripe grapes and Tim’s job is then to preserve those flavours through to the bottle. Good winemaking is not messing up the good work done in the vineyard.

WHERE TO FIND US
Robin Ridge wines are increasingly finding a home in a number of top restaurants and retail outlets throughout BC. With such small quantities produced, though, the best place to try Robin Ridge wines is at the winery. Being a small family business, you will also likely be tasting with the owners. Tim and Caroline are truly hands on – working the dirt, the wine and the corkscrew. The winery is a perfect stop on the way from Vancouver to the Okanagan or a short 30 minute drive from both Penticton and Osoyoos.

THE SIMILKAMEEN TERROIR
Tim and Caroline are excited to be making wine in the burgeoning region of the Similkameen Valley. This once little known area has a dry, hot climate roughly the same as that of Oliver and Osoyoos but perhaps an even more interesting story in its terroir. Millennia of advancing glaciers as well as stunning rocky hills and mountains have contributed to the complex, stony soils of the valley. It is these soils, the intense summer sun and the drying, refreshing wind that brings about such distinctive wines.