Winemaker Selected for Elaborate and Interactive Winery

Vineyard Ceremony Marks Milestone; Winery to Generate $17 million for Vernon

Sept. 23, 2005, Vernon –The Rise (www.TheRise.ca.), a $1-billion master planned resort community with the only Fred Couples Signature Golf Course in Canada, held a vineyard ceremony yesterday to mark the completion of its first vineyard and to announce that Tilman Hainle is The Rise’s newly appointed principal winemaker and winery design consultant. The Rise’s initial six acres - made up of Riesling and Pinot Noir- were planted this summer. Leona Snider, president of The Rise, her son Jason Rannelli, who oversaw the vineyard planting and daughter Adrienne Rannelli, marked the historic milestone with a ceremonial ribbon cutting and a presentation from famed wine author and columnist, Mr. John Schreiner, on ‘How the Okanagan Valley became a World Class Wine Region’.

"The first phase of one of the most ambitious winery projects in Canada is now complete," says Leona Snider, "To mark this occasion with family and friends is fitting. Our intention for the winery and vineyard facility is interaction for all. Residents and visitors to The Rise will be able to participate in a romantic and enchanting experience that represents everything that Okanagan wine country has to offer."

Plans for the vineyard and winery at The Rise are elaborate and born from Leona Snider's long-range vision. At full build-out, there will be 40 acres of red and white grape varieties grown organically at the Vernon site and more grapes being sourced from south Okanagan. The winery is slated to be a 35,000 case, state of the art gravity-fed facility, with significant underground components. Later stages of development will include an all-encompassing winery visitor facility, complete with barrel caves, VIP tasting room, wine and cooking seminar facility, and private wine storage.

Tilman Hainle, new principal winemaker for The Rise says, "When Leona introduced me to the project and her vision for it, I was overwhelmed. In all my experience in the Canadian and international wine business, I had never seen a project that was so well laid out, and had so many facets. It fits with all of the ideals I believe in."

34 more acres will follow in the next two to three years, and will include other varieties, such as Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris. The first small crop from the Rise's own vineyards will be harvested in 2007, but Hainle will start producing wine under The Rise name starting this fall, using organic grapes from other Okanagan vineyards. Construction of the winery will begin in early 2006, with completion of the first phase planned in time for the 2007 harvest.

The Rise’s new winemaker is a long-time Okanagan winemaker and Canadian Ice wine pioneer. Tilman Hainle brings over two decades of winemaking experience to the project and a long list of qualifications, including a number of firsts in the Canadian wine world. He assisted his father, Walter Hainle, in producing North America’s first Ice wine in 1978. Hainle designed one of the first gravity-flow wineries in British Columbia with his family's Hainle Vineyards Estate Winery in 1987. In the early 1990s Hainle's vineyards and winery facility were certified organic, making possible the production of the first certified organic wine in Canada.

The Hainle Vineyards Estate Winery was sold to the Huber family in 2002, and while Hainle remained as winemaker, he expanded his range of activity to consulting for other wineries in wine regions around the world. In early 2004, he worked the vintage in the Barossa region of Australia, and in 2005 worked as vintage winemaker for Zelma Long's high-end South African project, Vilafonté. Tilman is no longer involved in day-to-day winemaking at Hainle Vineyards.

Hainle will be responsible for the overall design of the winemaking facility and for ensuring high quality production, low environmental impact, and the use of innovative and technologically elegant solutions.

The Rise winery will be a key economic contributor to Vernon and the Okanagan Valley and will attract tourists to the benefit of all people of Vernon. In a study conducted by Dave Forai, the economic development officer for the City of Vernon, it was estimated that over the next fifteen years, visitors to the winery would spend approximately $17 million.

At the ceremony, famed wine author, columnist and keynote speaker, Mr. John Schreiner, gave a presentation on ‘How the Okanagan Valley became a World Class Wine Region’. Schreiner’s most recent book, The Wines of Canada, was published in May 2005, by Mitchell Beazley Publishers of London. His articles on wine have appeared in the National Post, the Globe and Mail, and the Kelowna Daily Courier.

The Rise is taking reservations for its second selection date at the end of October. Those who are not registered may do so at www.TheRise.ca. Those who register receive notification of the reservation policy and additional release dates.