Silkscarf Winemaker Roie Manoff

It’s understandable that Roie Manoff would compare the complexity of making wine to the complexity of flying an airplane — the owner-proprietor of the Summerland-based Silkscarf Winery spent 26 years in the Israeli Air Force. Following that, he migrated into the high-tech industry, making use of the computing science degree he earned during his military service by starting his own software company. But, all along, he dreamed of a day when he and his wife, Ruth, could leave behind the bits and bytes for the world of wines and vines.

After a decade in high-tech, Manoff decided he was officially “fed up,” and that the time had come to make the dream of owning a family-run vineyard and winery come true. He prepared himself for the next step by taking courses from the respected Israeli physicist-turned vintner Asaf Margalit.

The question, then, was where? Manoff was born and spent his early childhood in Argentina, so that was a serious consideration. Australia was also tossed around as a possibility.

“We looked all around the globe,” he says. “Just by coincidence, we found out that there is a wine industry in Canada. At the beginning, I thought it was only in the east, in Ontario, but later on, I found out there is a young industry going on here in B.C.”

They arranged a visit to the Okanagan Valley in 2002. “From that visit, the decision was made,” he says. “It was so easy.”

In 2004, the Manoffs acquired the apple orchard that would eventually become Silkscarf’s vineyard and within 24 hours of arriving, they were hard at work, pulling out apple trees and planting grapes. From that day forward, the family dream (son Idan is also involved as co-winemaker) came to life, and Silkscarf joined the local winemaking community, which Manoff describes as welcoming and supportive. “I cannot speak for others, but for us, from the first visit to the Okanagan we found people so friendly and so open and ready to help,” he says. “For me, there were many factors that caused the decision that this was to be the place. Definitely, it’s so beautiful here. It’s almost heavenly. We decided and we never looked back.”

Roie Manoff’s Canada Day Wine Pick

Silkscarf Viognier (any vintage)

The Okanagan, says Manoff, is becoming known for its reputable viognier. “It’s easy to drink; it goes with a wide range of dishes; even red-wine drinkers who rarely drink white wines definitely appreciate a viognier,” he says. “It is an excellent summer wine.”

For more profiles of winemakers in Canada, check out our Oh! Canada feature from the June/July 2011 issue.