Gray Monk Estate Winery | Buy Wines Online in Canada

A true expression of BC wine. Built upon tradition and generations of commitment, Gray Monk stands proudly overlooking Okanagan Lake, with stunning panoramic views of mountains and vineyards, it offers a true taste of Okanagan living. They offer one-of-a-kind, award-winning BC VQA wines - including their number one selling Pinot Gris.

Gray Monk was established in 1972 by George and Trudy Heiss. Today, they have over fifty acres of lush vineyards overlooking Lake Okanagan, which produce some of the world's finest wines.

License #173071

Proudly Canadian

1055 Camp Road, Lake Country, BC

1-888-414-2354 wineshop@graymonk.com

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The story behind Gray Monk

Gray Monk is one of the wineries that helped start the modern BC industry. George and Trudy Heiss planted their Okanagan Centre vineyard in 1972 and made their first wine, about 125 cases, in a garage on the property in 1982.

The family also helped build the province's VQA system. What began in that garage now makes well over a hundred thousand cases a year, still above Okanagan Lake in Lake Country.

The winery that brought Pinot Gris to Canada

The name says it all: Gray Monk is the English form of Grauer Monch, the Austrian name for Pinot Gris. The Heiss family imported the vines from Alsace in 1976 and is credited with pioneering the grape in Canada.

Pinot Gris is still the signature, alongside the aromatic Ehrenfelser and other cool-climate whites. The estate is now part of the Andrew Peller family of wineries, with the Heiss name still attached.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gray Monk known for?

Gray Monk is one of British Columbia's pioneering family wineries and is credited with bringing Pinot Gris to Canada. Pinot Gris and the aromatic Ehrenfelser are its signature wines, made in Lake Country in the north Okanagan.

What does the name Gray Monk mean?

It is the English version of Grauer Monch, the Austrian name for the Pinot Gris grape. The Heiss family, who founded the winery, brought Pinot Gris vines over from Alsace in 1976, so the name and the grape go together.

Where is Gray Monk?

In Okanagan Centre, in Lake Country at the north end of BC's Okanagan Valley, on a slope above Okanagan Lake. It has been making wine on the site since the early 1980s.