Lakeside Cellars
Perched on the eastern shores of Lake Osoyoos, Lakeside Cellars is the culmination of a lifelong commitment to farming.
“It was a beautiful morning and again were the tree dotted hillsides reflected in the still waters of the lake in all their beauty and as I strolled around the old Haynes estate I was so impressed with the situation that I thought that any man in possession of such a place could surely not want for anything more.” The Author waking up on his first morning: The Story of Osoyoos, Geo J. Fraser, 1953.
Lakeside Cellars is now a 14-acre parcel of what was originally a vast cattle and agriculture enterprise. In 2016, Harbans and Harkesh Dhaliwal purchased the historical landmark and resting place of the old Haynes Homestead built in 1882.
Unfortunately, the foundation of the Haynes home was no match for recent flooding and exposure. The decision was made in 2016, that the historic home could not be saved as a whole. The home was deconstructed and any pieces of lumber that had not succumbed to rot were salvaged for construction in the new tasting room building; ensuring that some of the original structure would remain on the historic site.
“In the entire length of the Okanogan valley, from the Columbia river to the head of Okanogan lake, it would be difficult to find more favorably located land for fruit culture, or soil and climate better adapted to the growth of trees and maturity of fruit. Of course, in time this large body of land will be cut up into small holdings and will be a link in the chain of orchards that will eventually encompass Osoyoos lake. However, it will always be what it is today, one of the show places of the valley, which is pointed out with pride by the [locals] whenever strangers come here to look over the country.” Oroville Weekly Gazette, August 11, 1911.
Lakeside Cellars now also rests on the site of the first commercial orchard, owned and planted by Leslie Hill. The Hill Ranch stretched 1100 acres on the eastern slope round Lake Osoyoos. Orchards of cherries, apricots, nectarine, plums, prunes, peaches, pears and apples, were the first planted in the Okanagan north of the border.
Upon purchasing the lakeshore property in 2015, the Dhaliwals inherited old-vine plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc, planted in 1998. Their mission was to continue the tradition of agriculture on the property and guide its rich history towards the current Okanagan lifestyle.
