Attention all wine lovers with $17 million to spend.
The iconic 40-acre vineyard estate at the corner of Lakeshore, Chute Lake and Barnaby roads that grows grapes for award-winning Gray Monk Winery in Lake Country is for sale.
"This property is available for the first time in three generations," said listing realtor Richard Deacon of Engel & Volkers.
"We're looking for a very particular, well-heeled buyer, so we're marketing the property internationally. It could be an existing winery or conglomerate that wants to start a new winery there or it could be a successful family that wants the lifestyle and will contract out the vineyard operation and continue to sell the grapes to Gray Monk."
Deacon is Engel & Volkers Kelowna's 'luxury and unique property specialist.'
And K&V Vineyard certainly qualifies as one-of-a-kind extravagance.
It's located across the road from Summerhill Pyramid, Canada's most visited winery, and close to CedarCreek, Canada's reigning 'winery of the year.'
"The view from the property is maybe too good for grapes," said Deacon with a laugh in reference to the sweeping vistas of Okanagan Lake from the vineyard.
"So, at $17 million for 40 acres maybe value per acre isn't there. If you just want a vineyard, you can buy cheaper per acre on the flats somewhere without a view of the lake. That's why it will appeal to a buyer who wants to have a winery there and an agri-tourism operation or a family that wants to live on a vineyard."
Besides the 25 acres of vineyard on the 40-acre property, there is a 7,000-square-foot Tudor-style home that was built in 1981, a 4,000-square-foot modern home, a one-bedroom log cabin, red barn from the 1920s and a picker's shack.
The possibilities are virtually endless, according to Deacon.
The new owners could live in one of the homes .
One or both of the homes could become the tasting room, shop and boutique hotel for a winery.
Or the buildings could be torn down to make way for more vineyards and-or a winery facility.
Deacon recently held a special event at K&V Vineyard and invited potential buyers and media up for a wine tasting and tour.
The wines were poured by none other than Gray Monk winemaker Jen Oishi and were the Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer and Odyssey white sparkling made from grapes grown at K&V Vineyards.
Deacon is marketing this unique property in unique ways.
"Of course, it's on MLS (multiple listing service) so anyone in the world can look it up," he said.
"But, we've also done some cheeky marketing with what has to be Kelowna's largest for sale sign on the property asking: Kelowna's next iconic winery? I've also shared the information with Engel & Volkers offices around the world, especially the ones in California and Europe that specialize in vineyard and winery sales."
By the way, K&V stands for Kurt and Verna Schlieth, the German couple who emigrated to Canada in 1954.
Kurt worked in forestry and owned and operated Downie Street Sawmill in Revelstoke, which he sold in 1978 in order to move to Kelowna for a lifestyle change and buy the vineyard in 1979.
The couple's sons, Ervin, a pilot, and Dan, a logger who became the grapegrower, live on the property.
But, their children aren't interested in the family business, so it's time to sell -- for $17 million.
