Deep Roots Winery on Four Generations on Aikins Loop, and their success in the 2023 National Canadian Wine Awards

Nestled in Naramata upon the clay bluffs of Aikins Loop and Tillar Rd. is Deep Roots Winery. The land on which the winery building sits has been farmed by the Hardman family for four generations, and owned by their family for three. 

When wine tasting at Deep Roots, you are more than likely to get to interact with a member of the Hardman family. On the odd day, if you’re lucky it may be Deb or Bryan Hardman, Owners of Deep Roots. In early August 2023, Deb and Bryan celebrated 49 years of marriage. Their August wedding was a nod to Bryan's farming life - they wedded between the harvest of peaches and apples. A testament to his commitment to both the quality of his harvests and Deb.

Let us share their story and how they attained significant recognition at this year's 2023 National Canadian Awards.

Four Generations on Naramata’s Aikins Loop and Tillar Road

Will's great-grandfather, William, came from the prairies to the valley, heeding the call to serve as a tractor operator. Back then, the expanse that now encompasses Aikin’s Loop and Tillar Rd. was just farmland. William farmed a mixed orchard, leaving the first generation of dedication and hard work on the land that is now Deep Roots Winery and Hardman Vineyard.

Rooted in Naramata's soil, William’s son purchased and farmed the very orchard that now flourishes as the Hardman Vineyard in the late 1950s. His sudden passing in 1973 left William's dreams in the hands of Bryan, his 20-year-old son. Reluctant yet driven, Bryan took on the farm, a role he learned to cherish. A risk-taker with big ambitions, Bryan set out leasing and purchasing farms along the Naramata Bench. In the late '90s, Bryan began planting vines and selling his grapes to wineries around the Okanagan. 

In 2003, at the age of 20, Will, Bryan’s first son and the Owner and Winemaker at Deep Roots, joined his father in farming. He enjoyed it but wanted to challenge himself further and pursued wine studies with a dream of opening a winery of his own. With Will’s dream to accomplish, a bold transformation was underway on the family’s Hardman and Rayner properties —year by year, they replaced acres of apple trees with vines until the replanting was complete in 2008.

With the replanting complete, opening a winery was in their foreseeable future. To further his study of wine, Will flew to New Zealand to work at a large winery as the only Canadian on a team of over 80. He then started work in a small winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa. As part of his harvest gig in Stellenbosch, Will received accommodations on the property, access to a winery truck, and 800 South African Rand per week. This translated to slightly over a dollar an hour, considering his 70-hour work weeks. South Africa is where Will fell in love with winemaking. 

The Hardman family initiated the construction of Deep Roots shortly after Will's return from South Africa in 2012. This year also marked their inaugural vintage.

An Expensive First Date

In 2017, Will met Heather, now the GM of Deep Roots, at the Naramata Pub due to his commitment to flip barrels later that night. After a few beers, they started to talk about wine. Heather asked why Will produced unoaked chardonnay instead of oaked chardonnay. Will explained the costliness of crafting oaked chardonnay and the declining popularity of the variety among BC consumers. It was then that Heather revealed her love for oaked chardonnay.

To make a long story short, the first vintage of Deep Roots' oaked chardonnay, the Reserve Chardonnay, launched in 2017.  It was this Reserve Chardonnay, coupled with Will's winemaking philosophy that the quality of the fruit comes first, that led to their success at this year's National Wine Awards of Canada.

The 2023 National Wine Awards of Canada

The largest and most esteemed Canadian wine competition, The WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada is a respected event within the Canadian wine community. Founded by David Lawrason and Anthony Gismondi, the winners' selection is solely based on wine performance, determined by the top 5 scored wines. With nearly every producer of note in the country competing, making it to the top ten of any category list is special.

This year, Deep Roots achieved a remarkable feat as the sole recipient of a platinum award for chardonnay in British Columbia for their first date Reserve Chardonnay. Anthony Gismondi called it the wine of the competition. They also garnered recognition as the top-performing winery in BC and as Canada's Best Performing Small Winery.

This achievement holds immense significance to the Hardmans and their MVP assistant winemaker Paul Rhodenizer as it comes from individuals highly regarded in the industry, whose opinions Deep Roots respects wholeheartedly. They also found themselves in the top ten among some of their highly respected friends in the industry.

While operating as a small-scale winery with an output of roughly 4400 cases, Deep Roots is on a mission to bring back a relaxed and enjoyable approach to wine, all the while upholding the highest standards in winemaking. In an industry that's sometimes a bit uptight, they're out to capture their true spirit—a nod to their four-generation-strong heritage.

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