Harry McWatters and his partners have sold the Sundial Vineyard and a partially built winery on Black Sage Road in Oliver to off shore buyers

Sundial is the front half of a 110-acre property better known as Black Sage Vineyards. Planted in 1993, this was at the time the single largest block of Bordeaux red varieties in Canada. This was the block that established the ability of the Black Sage Bench to produce premium wines.

The new owner of Sundial, Bai Family Estates, plans to complete the 25,000-square-foot winery already under construction there. Superstar California winemaker Anne Vawter will make the wine. She has already been the consulting winemaker for One Faith Vineyards, making wine since the 2012 vintage with grapes from Sundial.

A sign indicates that Ledcor has been engaged to complete the TIME winery building.

The name of the owner of Bai Family Estates was not disclosed in the April 1 announcement from Encore Vineyards, the Harry McWatters company. However, the owner is believed to be a mining executive from China.

McWatters is not out of the wine business, however. Encore Vineyards produces wines under the labels Time, McWatters Collection and Evolve. McWatters is moving the Encore production to the PenMar Theatre location in Penticton.

with thanks to John Schreiner