Kelowna Winery to Be Featured on International Airline

An Okanagan wine will be featured on an international airline, making it a first for a Canadian winery.

Kelowna’s St. Hubertus Estate Winery will see its Pinot Blanc served on Cathay Pacific Airways flights. The announcement comes on the heels of the winery’s recent gold medal success. St. Hubertus won the medal at the InterVin International Wine Awards. Mattawa Enterprises, the winery’s Asian market distributor, worked diligently with Cathay Pacific after receiving an invitation to compete in the airline’s wine procurement program in 2012, alongside distinguished vintners from around the world.

Photo Credit: St Hubertus Estate Winery

“St. Hubertus and Oak Bay Estate Winery are happy to be supplying our St. Hubertus Vineyard 2013 Pinot Blancs to Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s flag carrier airline, for their in-flight services,” said Andy Gebert, one of St. Hubertus Estate Winery and Oak Bay Estate Winery’s proprietors. “This is the first international and Asian carrier to be serving Canadian wine to their passengers.”

As the first Canadian liquor product to be offered on an international airline, this marks both a major milestone for the B.C. wine industry and Canadian trade abroad.

“St. Hubertus’ accomplishment has been a major breakthrough for our industry,” said Miles Prodan, president and CEO of the British Columbia Wine Institute. “It is great to see wines of British Columbia emerging on the international stage of wine from around the world.”

While Okanagan Valley wine has been celebrated across the province and the country for years, now thousands of international passengers onboard the Hong Kong-based airline will be offered the opportunity to taste some of the region’s quality wine.