Our Winemaker's story

Andrea Lee, the winemaker and creator of OnZi Wines. 

The phonetic pronunciation of her Chinese name “On = peace; Zi = as is” 

OnZi resounds her philosophy in life of finding peace in the present.  Om.  This resonates in her winemaking pursuit of amity between mother nature and craftsmanship. 

Blessed by her courageous parents to immigrate from a metropolis city of Hong Kong to a small town Summerland, B.C Canada, she grew up with the liberty of choice in a vast world of endless possibilities.  The success of an immigrant dream came with grit and adaptation.  It has been the evolving theme of her journey into wine-making.  Every wine Andrea has produced is through trial and tribulation.  With her ingenuity she matches the wines style based on the varying seasonal and fruit condition of each harvest.  

Andrea carved out a fulfilling and exciting career path for herself with global winemaking experience in Adelaide, Hunter Valley & Tasmania in Australia; Marlborough, New Zealand; United Kingdom and France.  With a Master of Oenology degree, she dedicated more than a decade as head winemaker in reputable wineries from the Fraser Valley and the Okanagan Valley.  She fine tuned her cool climate winemaking style in Canada where she now calls her home again.

From her diverse background and mingling with like-minded eccentric vinophiles, the evolution of her wines is an expression of her dynamic life at different stages of development. Without the limitation of a fixed style, OnZi Wines portfolio is fluid and constantly evolving.  Expect consistent top quality and savour each vintage of her wine as she will not reproduce another the same.

“YOLO! You Only Live Once!” By embracing each moment with appreciation and grace, Andrea’s wines connect her divine universe with her passion to craft from vines to wine and soil to sales.  In grape growing and winemaking alike; passion leads the heart and fills the soul.  

Cheers with OnZi: a sense of peace in an ever-changing life!