It was 2004 when proprietor Eric Savics first visited this vineyard site and tasted the Rieslings being made at the time. He quickly fell in love with the wines and the quiet ravine and forest that anchor this unique piece of land.

The following year the first vintage of Tantalus was released, and since then we have grown from a focused Riesling house to crafting quality Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and fine sparkling now, too. Wines that Eric and our team are proud to share each year with family, friends and of course, our loyal customers.

Born in Latvia but raised in Western Canada, Eric's successful investment career spanned years in Toronto and Vancouver and coexisted with a passion for mountaineering in Canada, Europe, and the Chinese Himalayas. (Thus, the affinity for B.C.'s Tantalus mountain range.)

Before diving into B.C.'s wine world, Eric had a first foray into the hospitality business as partner in Toronto's Palmerston Restaurant with celebrated Chef Jamie Kennedy. Fond days with a great and now close friend.

Fast forward to a return to the west coast and it was his time on the Vancouver Art Gallery board that connected him to Dempsey Bob and, as we've shared before, this friendship became the inspiration for our labels.

Splitting his time now between Vancouver (where he is Honorary Consul to Latvia), Kelowna and travels abroad, it's Eric's passion for art and wine that remain the foundation for winemaker David Paterson and our team to grow and craft expressive and distinctive wines here in the Okanagan.

It takes steadfastness and great vision to move forward in a business so defined by the risks of farming (good wine helps, too!) and we couldn’t ask for a more supportive guide.

David Paterson fills the shoes of Tantalus’ General Manager and Winemaker. David is a Kiwi with a Canadian connection, having been born in Vancouver but raised in New Zealand. He received his winemaking degree from Lincoln University in Christchurch, NZ and following time spent working in the local NZ industry (Neudorf Vineyards) he travelled the wine world gaining experience at premium wineries.

While honing his skills over a handful of international vintages, he was fortunate to work with some incredible mentors along the way including Anna Matzinger at Oregon’s Archery Summit, Blair Pethel at Burgundy's Domaine Dublère, and Stephen Henschke and Paul Hampton at South Australia’s Henschke Cellars.

Following this invaluable experience, David landed at Tantalus in 2009 to jump into the role of winemaker.
After several successful vintages under his belt, he also took on the role of GM in 2016.

Originally from Victoria, Scott’s academic studies took him
to Montreal in 2008 to study Environmental Sciences. Discovering a passion for wine, he then relocated to Niagara in 2013 to continue his education in the Viticulture and Oenology program at Brock University.  

He joins the Tantalus team after nearly a decade in the industry,
learning his trade in the cellar and vineyard from several well-regarded Niagara wineries such as Malivoire, Tawse, Henry of Pelham, Leaning Post Wines and Angel’s Gate. He complemented these experiences with overseas vintages at Terindah Estate in Australia in 2017 and 2018. Passionate about wine, and especially Riesling, Tantalus offered the opportunity he had been seeking to expand his horizon westward, back to beautiful BC.

Sam joined the Tantalus team at the start of the 2022 growing season as harvest intern, kicking off the growing season with the vineyard team and then following the fruit for harvest into the cellar. Shortly thereafter she took the reigns as our Cellar Lead. In the summer of 2023, recognizing Sam's incredible hard work, she was promoted to our Assistant Winemaker.

Her wine career began in Vancouver working as sommelier with the esteemed crew at L’Abattoir restaurant. In early 2020 Sam made the move to New Zealand to pursue an interest in vineyard and winery work, including at famed Felton Road in Central Otago. It was there that she first caught the winemaking bug and she is delighted to now be in this dynamic role at Tantalus where she can continue to hone her winemaking skills while also getting some valuable time in the vineyard.

Maya arrived at Tantalus in 2010 as a harvest volunteer.  After only one week she decided she was completely in love with the winery life and made the move to the Okanagan a few months later. Over the course of her time with us, Maya has woven her way through various departments at Tantalus, landing as our Sales Manager.  Maya oversees our wine sales, including coordinating with our various sales representatives both in BC and across Canada.

Vancouver born and raised, Stephanie Mosley landed at Tantalus in 2010 via work and travels through many of the world’s great wine regions. Equipped with a background in journalism and desktop publishing, Stephanie combines her communications and media expertise in managing the Tantalus brand. Day-to-day, Stephanie handles our marketing and design needs, as well as our packaging, advertising, website and social media.

Heidy is the self-proclaimed ‘bean’ or actually the ‘bottle’ counter at Tantalus. Her responsibilities include payables, receivables, payroll, costing & tracking inventory, and providing financial and management reports. After receiving a diploma in ‘administrative management’ from BCIT, she went on to complete the courses required for a CGA designation in 1986. "I love the opportunity to come to work every day and work with the wonderful group at Tantalus and being able to be involved in all aspects of the operations including picking, bottling to pouring at wine events".

Growing up in Kelowna, surrounded by vineyards and wineries, Michael developed a deep appreciation for the wines and wineries of the Okanagan region. He began his hospitality journey honing his culinary skills with stops in fine dining kitchens, eventually moving on to run large multiple scale restaurants. His love of food and wine was the driving force behind his years of restaurant management, which includes stops in Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, Australia and a cameo pouring B.C. wines at the iconic James Beard House in New York City.

Michael joined Tantalus in 2021 looking to extend his hospitality experience and delve deeper into the world of wine. When not overseeing on-site events, he can be found most days in our tasting room, guiding visitors through tastings, promoting B.C. wines and creating truly memorable guest experiences. In the off-season he embraces his days supporting the cellar team through harvest and the cool winter days tending to the vines of our storied estate.

Born and raised in Kelowna, Ben joined Tantalus in 2019 after a brief career in Calgary’s corporate jungle. New to the world of wine, Ben quickly fell in love with helping visitors in the Tasting Room and learning about viticulture and oenology from our passionate team. What began as a temporary position has blossomed into an integral role with various responsibilities both front and back of house. On any given day, you can find Ben wearing several hats here at Tantalus, from pouring wine for customers and coordinating our private orders to handling our HR needs and on-site safety protocols.