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| The Winemaker
 Wade Stark was born and raised in Guelph, Ontario. He first became interested in winemaking while studying Food Engineering at the University of Guelph. His class visited several wineries in the Niagara region where he became fascinated by the process and drawn to the idea of becoming a winemaker. After earning his Bachelor of Science, Wade first worked as a lab technician at a brewery in Barrie, Ontario. This position gave him an excellent foundation in microbiology, chemistry and brewing as well as an understanding of cellar equipment, technology and practises.
Wade’s calling however, was to become a winemaker, so in 1998 he moved to Kelowna, British Columbia. He knew that many quality wines were consistently coming out of the Okanagan Valley and combined with his excitement of becoming a great winemaker, he was drawn to this Canadian wine region. He studied under John Simes, the Winemaker for Mission Hill Family Estate, learning the art and magic of crafting fine wine. In 2006, Wade accepted the position of Winemaker at the Okanagan’s young Ganton & Larsen Prospect Winery.
With the winery’s first releases on the market in 2007, Prospect Winery gained much attention and was quickly listed as one of the top 20 wineries in Canada by Wine Access magazine. Prospect Winery has become known for offering wines that over-deliver on quality for an affordable price. Wade takes pride in crafting Prospect wines that celebrate the uniqueness of his adopted home: the wines are a tribute to the people, history and geography of the Okanagan Valley. Since its launch in 2007, Prospect Winery continues to win prestigious awards, a strong reflection of the dedication and skill of its winemaker and of the Valley’s unique terroir where the grapes are grown.
When Wade is not at the winery, he and his family take advantage of almost every outdoor recreational activity for which British Columbia is known. He enjoys hiking, mountain biking, swimming, canoeing, windsurfing, downhill and cross country skiing, golfing, and playing hockey. He also plays guitar and piano, and composes and performs original songs. Wade has been a longstanding member on the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) panel at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Center (PARC), helping to ensure that BC wines are continually held to the highest standard.
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