In a recent article in the Vernon Morning Star, Chris Herbert visited the award-winning Hester Creek Estate Winery — and came away as impressed with AromaLoc as the winery’s winemaker.
“The AromaLoc is one of the best tools we have come across for retaining aromatics on white and rose wine. Every year we do side by side comparisons, same fruit, same yeast, same temperature, one with Aroma Loc and one without. The difference is very obvious.”
— Mark Hopley Winemaker, Hester Creek
Here is an excerpt from Herbert’s article:
Subsequent to “THE FREEZE” of a few winters ago many B.C. VQA white wines went missing in action. While not all were wiped out, too many were, while others needed time for the vines to recover. Among them were some of my favourites. But many of them are back! Over the next weeks I plan to introduce or reintroduce you to some of them.
These four wines from Hester Creek will launch our reintroduction. They benefited from an outstanding 2025 harvest plus winemaker Mark Hopleys’ use of the AromaLoc system, a groundbreaking British Columbia innovation. www.aromaloc.com.
“The AromaLoc is one of the best tools we have come across for retaining aromatics on white and rose wine. Every year we do side by side comparisons, same fruit, same yeast, same temperature, one with Aroma Loc and one without. The difference is very obvious,” said Mark Hopley Winemaker Hester Creek.
While stainless steel tanks may not be as sexy as oak or clay amphoras, each of these B.C. VQA wines were cool fermented and aged in stainless steel which along with the Aroma Loc process helps to preserve the crisp flavours and aromas.
A first for Hester Creek, their single varietal 2025 Sauvignon Blanc was gently pressed prior to being cold settled for two days. This is where Aroma Loc shows its stuff, preserving the sumptuous aromas and flavours of pear and lime, citrus fruit and apple. This Sauvignon Blanc is mouth-watering alongside pan cooked fresh halibut with herbs and garden-fresh veggies….
