Roger Wong – Raven Ridge Cidermaker

Roger Wong is the cidermaker responsible for the delicious new Raven Ridge Cidery products, introduced by Kelowna Land & Orchard in 2003.

Roger was born and raised in the Vancouver area of BC. In 1987, he obtained a bachelor of arts from the University of British Columbia, majoring in Urban and Economic Geography.

While attending his last two years at UBC, Roger began his career for the Federal Government in the legal surveys division of the Department of Energy Mines and Resources as a cartographer, where he soon became a record manager. Technology was quickly changing the workplace and the way in which records were kept and in 1992 he became the Head of Information Systems, in charge of the digital and hard copy records for the department. The routine of nine-to-five didn’t suit his style, so in 1995, he took advantage of departmental downsizing and left the government.

Winemaking has been a passion of Roger’s since the early 1980’s and after a short time, he started driving up to the Okanagan to buy fresh grapes pursuing winemaking as a hobby. After several experiments and some careful studying, he discovered that he had a natural inclination to the process. Roger joined a wine tour group in 1992 and since then he has visited over 100 wineries in western North America.

Interest in the winemaking process led him to volunteer for the 1995 fall harvest at Tinhorn Creek Vineyards in Oliver, BC. He became a full-time employee of the winery in the Spring of 1996, where he studied all aspects of wine production, attended courses in wine-making at the University of California Davis, and became a Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) board wine taster and judge. He also gained an appreciation for the business side of the industry as a sales representative.

In August of 1998, an opportunity as an assistant winemaker at Pinot Reach Winery was presented to Roger, where he began to learn about making aromatic white and sparkling wines. In 1999, he became the Winemaker at Pinot Reach, where his wines continue to win awards including the 2000 Old Vines Riesling, which was selected from over 300 wines worldwide to win a gold medal at the 2002 World Competition in France.

In 2002, Kelowna Land & Orchard approached Pinot Reach owner and Roger Wong with an idea for a still cider made from the several varieties of apples harvested at KLO. Roger had experimented with apple juice and wine and eagerly set out to develop the first line of Raven Ridge Cidery beverages including a Fuji wine and three varieties of iced cider.

Wine tasting continues to play a large role in Roger’s life. In 2001, he was asked to judge the Northwest Summit Wine Awards in Mt. Hood, Oregon. He is a regular judge for the VQA board, tasting over 45 wines quarterly.

Roger Wong lives in East Kelowna, where he enjoys skiing, international travel volleyball, kayaking and fly-fishing.