‘Live your passion’: Summerland wine mogul named in 500 most influential leaders in B.C.

Christa-Lee McWatters is the vice-president of Adega on 45th and oversees Gate 22 winery

‘Live your passion’: Summerland wine mogul named in 500 most influential leaders in B.C. Published 11:18 am Tuesday, July 14, 2026 Christa-Lee McWatters, a wine mogul in the Okanagan, has been named one of Business in Vancouver’s 500 most influential leaders in the Province. McWatters has held deep ties to the wine industry through childhood, being the daughter of Harry McWatters, who she said was a trailblazer in the industry and the founder of Sumac Ridge winery.

She shared how she has spent almost 40 years in the industry and has been following in her father’s footsteps, understanding the essential need for collaboration in wine. “In that same passion, is that I believe that we will only be as strong as our neighbours as well and that we need to work together. My competitor is not the winery down the street.

It’s other countries and other other regions, but we’re too small of an industry to look at each other as competitors,” she said. McWatters is the vice-president of Adega on 45th Estate Winery in Osoyoos and also sees day-to-day operations for Gate 22 Winery in Surrey. She keeps quality at the forefront of her priorities when it comes to the wine they produce and follows the British Columbia Vintners Quality Alliance (BC VQA) standard.

“I believe that as an industry we need to continue to push the envelope on quality. We are a small region, but we are making some fantastic wines. I believe in the our BC VQA program, which is your only assurance that those ones were 100 per centBritish Columbian, growing and made.”

Another goal of hers is sustainability. “When we talk about sustainability, it’s not just our environment and what’s happening in the vineyard, but it’s basically for the forward thinking of the business as well. That means looking after our team and making sure that it’s economically sustainable as well so that we are here as an industry for years to come in the next generation.”

She shared how her passion for the industry keeps her driven. “The biggest thing is you need to live your passion. I can’t imagine doing anything else than the wine industry, absolutely love everything about it.

From the actual product and the landscape to the making of the wine to getting to share our stories with, whether it be visitors or locals or just anybody that gets to enjoy these British Columbia wines.”