Oakville & Burlington Real Estate Blog - Dan Cooper

House prices continue to skyrocket in the local market

Dan Cooper — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:32:11 +0000

The local housing market has kept its steady pace as house prices continue to rocket skyward in Oakville and Burlington. Last week, I wrote that while there was a slow start to the first quarter of this year, we saw the average house price in Oakville increase by more than 14 percent in March over the same month last year. In dollars, the average price in March was $642,432 compared with $555,000 in March of 2011.

April sees that hot trend continue with the average price in Oakville rocketing to $698,835. That’s an increase of around 21 percent over the average price of $575,000 in April 2011 and 9 percent higher than last month’s average price.

In Burlington, the increase was similarly dramatic – rising 16.5 percent or $460,586 compared to $395,266 in April 2011. This was for all properties. Interestingly, it was the condo sector that had the largest jump, increasing a whopping 32.2 percent last month over April 2011.

Again, the warmer weather brought buyers into the market early and the low interest rates have continued to encourage consumers to get into the market – and pay a higher price for a home. Stable interest rates and a quiet confidence in the economy are fuelling this rebound in the housing market following a couple of sluggish years.

Even in a hot market, sellers are still advised to list with an experienced agent. Properly marketing your property and negotiating the best price requires the skill of a professional. The Dan Cooper Team employs leading-edge marketing strategies – we hand pick the real estate publications to market our homes, ensuring we are achieving the best results, and we use our online marketing tools effectively. The result is that we have a stellar track record for selling homes quickly and negotiating the best price. The evidence of this has been our ability to be the number one team in Canada for Royal LePage in seven of the past 13 years.

The prices in this area simply reflect the fact that Oakville and Burlington are among Canada’s best communities in which to live. A good deal of that demand is due to the quality and style of the homes here, the neighbourhoods in which they are located and the quality of the people who live here. We live in safe and picturesque communities – ideal places in which to raise a family.

We also have some of the most generous and giving citizens anywhere in Canada, and I’ve witnessed some of that generosity first hand.

I’m heavily involved in the community and sponsor or support numerous causes that help make our community stronger and a better place in which to live. A recent example is Comic Vision Oakville on April 25 at Le Dome on North Service Road. I was proud to be the venue sponsor for this hilarious evening of comedy with some of the best comics in Canada. Comic Vision is held in five cities across Canada and raises more than $700,000 annually for the Foundation Fighting Blindness, which funds vision research. This year’s show was another roaring success and I thank everyone who came out and supported this tremendous cause.

Coming up is the 12th Annual Dan Cooper Swing for Kids Sake golf tournament in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton. This year’s tournament is being held at Piper’s Heath Golf Club in Milton on May 28.

“Give where you live” is a slogan adopted by many charitable organizations across North America, but it really does sum up my own personal philanthropic objectives and is the approach of the entire Dan Cooper Team. I encourage all of you to give back to the community in any way you can; whether it is with money, time or both. Your efforts and contributions help make our community a stronger and safer place in which to raise our families.

Dan Cooper is an award-winning broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009, 2007, 2005, 2002, 2001, 2000 and 1999. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call The Dan Cooper Team.

Early spring helps to drive up house prices

andrews — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:08:58 +0000

Warm weather, tight housing inventory and low mortgage rates all contributed to driving up house prices. The average price of a home in Oakville, for example, was up by 14 percent in March over the same month last year. The average price in March was $640,000 compared to just over $560,000 in March 2011.

Oakville has been the hottest local market. Burlington, in comparison, saw its average price increase by 5.6 percent for the same period – $436,568 compared to $413,336 in March last year.

In the Hamilton area as a whole, first quarter sales of all property types were 2.4 percent higher than the first quarter of 2011 and average sale price was 7.1 percent higher than the same period last year.

The average selling price in the GTA was $501,614 in March – up by 10 percent in comparison to March 2011. “The GTA resale market has not suffered from a lack of willing buyers this year. Buyers have been spurred on by the positive affordability picture brought about by low mortgage rates,” said Toronto Real Estate Board President Richard Silver. “The challenge has been a lack of inventory. Many listings have attracted multiple interested buyers. Strong competition has led to annual rates of price growth well above the long-term average.”

A recent Royal LePage House Price Survey showed the average price of a home in Canada increased between 2.2 and 5.0 percent in the first quarter of 2012, compared to the previous year. According to that survey, market activity in the first quarter of 2012 was unusually high resulting in tight inventories and strong price appreciation in most major cities including Oakville. Buyers were attracted into the market by historically low mortgage rates and sellers brought listing inventory to market earlier than normal, encouraged by unseasonably warm weather.

“Our housing market is being pulled in opposite directions by opposing economic forces,” said Phil Soper, President and Chief Executive of Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd. “On one hand, there is the rapidly strengthening U.S. economy, increasing Canadian consumer confidence and what can only be called a national mortgage sale encouraging activity and bidding up home prices. On the other, we have signs of over-shooting values and strained affordability in our largest cities. We are likely to see much more modest price appreciation as the year unfolds.”

Price appreciation and strong unit sales reflect Canadians taking advantage of borrowing rates that for the first time fell below 3.0 percent for a five year fixed mortgage and a banking environment that the Royal Bank of Canada has referred to as “hyper-competitive.”

Across the country, consumers sought to buy into what they believe is a good investment market. The Conference Board of Canada’s consumer confidence index continued to rise in March, gaining 4.3 points to stand at 79.5, its third consecutive month of gains, and attitudes towards major purchases, such as real estate, were particularly strong.

Whether you are looking to invest, buy or sell, The Dan Cooper Team has the experience and expertise to handle all your real estate needs and the stellar track record to back up their claims of being able to sell your home for top dollar – fast.

Dan Cooper is an award-winning Broker with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage – the Number 1 Royal LePage Team for Canada in 2009, 2007, 2005, 2002, 2001, 2000 and 1999. He can be reached at 905.338.3737, direct line at 905.849.3303 or through his innovative and interactive website at DanCooper.com. Be sure to catch the Dan Cooper Real Estate Series on DailyWebTV.com. For his free booklet How To Sell Your House For Top Dollar – Fast! or his Guide to Oakville Real Estate, please call The Dan Cooper Team.

Golf tournament helps to make life better for local youth

Dan Cooper — Fri, 04 May 2012 16:07:31 +0000

Featured in the photo is Dan Cooper with Barbara Ferrone, Executive Director of BBBSH

I am immensely proud to once again be host to the 12th Annual Dan Cooper Swing for Kids Sake tournament in support of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton. This year’s tournament moves to a great course – Piper’s Heath Golf Club in Milton. The day is May 28 and golfers are treated to one of the best golf courses in the area, lunch, gourmet dinner and prizes.

More importantly, your participation goes to a very worthwhile cause. There are numerous charity golf tournaments through the season, but I can tell you that grassroots charities such as the BBBSH are preventative in focus, helping children in the early stages by providing mentorship that has a positive impact that lasts a lifetime with these kids of all ages. Our young people are our future leaders and it is critical that we provide all the support we can to ensure they develop into good citizens, business people and community leaders. Few of us may be aware that there are hundreds of youth at-risk here in our own community. Often, our comfortable and insular lives shield us from some very hard truths in our back yard. This reality, however, is only too clear to the great people and volunteers at BBBSH.

“Give where you live” is a slogan adopted by many charitable organizations across North America, but it really does sum up my own personal philanthropic objectives and the approach of The Dan Cooper Team when it comes to donations and giving back to the community.

“Dan Cooper is a champion for the children in Halton. His support helps us to improve the lives of children through positive mentorship programs,” says Barbara Ferrone, executive director of BBBSH. “I want to thank Dan for his continuous support; it’s the largest fundraiser for BBBSH and will allow the organization to thrive in the year going ahead. Investing in our youth is a good investment in our future.”

I encourage all of you to give back to the community in any way you can; whether it is with money or time or both. Your efforts and contributions help make our community stronger and a better place in which to live.

Lighting up the sky to remember a loved one

Dan Cooper — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:50:25 +0000

Featured in the photo is Dan Cooper with Nikki Ide

One small step can become a major movement that captures the imagination of a country, and that’s the hope of one mother who wants to inspire a nation to come together to remember the loss of a loved one.

I wrote about Nikki Ide just a few weeks ago. Nikki lost her daughter Gabrielle due to complications related to a congenital heart disease. She was only 5. In that article I encouraged everyone to take part in Gabrielle’s Ride on July 22, Oakville’s first and largest family cycling event. I’m proud to be the presenting sponsor for this important ride, which is raising funds for Cardiac Kids and the Pediatric Stroke Fund at The Sick Kids Foundation.

I continue to urge you to get out, spend a day with the family, get some exercise and help raise money for a great cause. But there is more to this story. Nikki’s hope is to have May 10 declared Canada’s National Grief Awareness Day. This day happens to be Gabrielle’s birthday – she would have been 7 this year – and while Nikki will be remembering her daughter, she asks that others join her on that day to make this a national day of remembering a loved one.

I have been so touched by this story that I am going beyond sponsoring Gabrielle’s Ride and will be presenting the Gabrielle’s Ride Exclusive Sponsorship Dinner at Gairloch Gardens Cottage on May 10. Guests will enjoy a gourmet dinner prepared by the renowned Kerr Street Cafe, enjoy beer by Cameron Breweries, wine with dinner, vodka by Tag Vodka, limousine service to and from the event, music supplied by DJ George Chaker and door prizes that will include an inclusive trip for four and a Bulova watch.

In addition, each guest will be provided with a unique paper floating lantern for the Remember Our Love Day celebration following dinner.

At that time, others are invited to join us and Nikki at Gairloch Garden’s at 8 p.m. when some special words will be shared and we will all let our lanterns float into the dark sky at 8:30 p.m. Lanterns will be available at a nominal cost for anyone who wants to participate. Proceeds will go to The Lighthouse for Grieving Children. If you would like to join Nikki for the ceremonial part at 8 p.m. or for more information, you can email her directly at nikki@gabriellesride.com. Nikki’s campaign to make this a national day of remembrance is being done in partnership with The Lighthouse for Grieving Children.

“Remember our Love Day is one of those creative ways for us to stay connected to Gabrielle and I wanted to share the experience with our community,” Nikki says. “The Lighthouse for Grieving Children and Dan Cooper loved the concept so much and have helped me to bring it all together and make it happen. The Lighthouse will be selling the floating lanterns and everyone in attendance will have an opportunity to connect with their loved ones by sending a lantern into the darkening sky and watch them illuminate as they lift into the night. My family has been using floating lanterns to express our love for Gabrielle since her death and it has been such a beautiful and meaningful experience. I can’t wait to share it with the community and watch the sky light up with love!”

Building a stronger community means supporting great causes like Gabrielle’s Ride and being engaged with worthy events such as Remember Our Love. The heart and soul of the community is due to the generosity, the caring and the giving of its residents. We enjoy one of the best communities in Canada – due to people like Nikki who remind us that there is more to living than having possessions. Our spiritual nurturing and charitable endeavours are what make us a stronger and better place in which to live.

I encourage all of you to give back to the community in any way you can; whether it is with money, time or both. And on May 10, float a paper lantern for a loved one and join me and my team for a day of family fun on July 22.

For more information about Remember Our Love Day and Gabrielle’s Ride visit www.gabriellesride.com.

Appleby College celebrates 100 years of excellence with Centennial Gala

Dan Cooper — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:12:46 +0000

On Saturday May 12, Appleby College will welcome more than 600 of Oakville, Burlington and Mississauga’s most influential business and community leaders to its 12th biennial gala auction.

I’m pleased to be an auction sponsor for this special fundraising event in celebration of the College’s 100-year history, supporting the ongoing enhancement of Appleby College student life.

Fascinating minds since 1911, Oakville’s Appleby College has established a global reputation as an innovative leader in the development of teaching and learning methodologies.

Founded by John S. H. Guest, Appleby opened its doors on September 14, 1911. That day, the school welcomed its first students, 29 boys who arrived from as far away as Chicago and Winnipeg.

“What started as an all-boys’ school in one building on 32 acres of land is today a 725-student strong community on a 60-acre campus, welcoming young men and women from more than 30 countries around the world,” said Guy McLean, Appleby College’s Principal.

Rich in history with an impressive legacy, Appleby has achieved a number of significant milestones and developments which have propelled the day and boarding school continuously forward in the area of academics, arts, athletics and service.

Appleby College’s curriculum offers an exceptionally diverse education that combines rigorous academics with dynamic arts, athletics and community service. As a not-for-profit, 100% of tuition fees paid to Appleby College are directed towards its educational program. Capital building projects that improve student and community life are funded by donations from the Appleby and greater Oakville communities. For more information, visit www.appleby.on.ca.

Spring signals a fresh start for many of us, but none more so than the many worthy charitable organizations around us. My team and I support a number of youth organizations, everything from minor sports teams to major campaigns that will have a significant impact on the quality of life we enjoy here in the Oakville and Burlington areas.

I have chosen a number of outstanding organizations in which to make significant contributions, most of which will have visible campaigns beginning very soon – Appleby College is just one of the many organizations we support.

Gabrielle’s Ride raises money for Sick Kids

Dan Cooper — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:54:56 +0000

Featured in the photo is Dan Cooper with Nikki Ide

There are stories in our community that touch your heart – especially those that involve children. One such story is about a young girl named Gabrielle Ide Cinanni who died far too young from complications related to congenital heart disease. She was only 5.

On July 22, Gabrielle’s Ride will be Oakville’s first and largest family cycling event and I’m proud to be the presenting sponsor for this worthwhile cause.

Money raised will go to support Cardiac Kids and the Pediatric Stroke Fund at The Sick Kids Foundation. Fundraising dollars will be used for life saving research, the development of social programs and the support of families affected by congenital heart disease and pediatric stroke. Gabrielle’s Ride will share her story of passion and hope through our commitment to the children who share her challenges every day.

When she was two months old, Gabrielle was diagnosed with congenital heart disease. She had a unique form of coarctation of her aorta with no known treatment or cure and she struggled with the symptoms of heart failure. Just an infant, Gabrielle was already fighting for her life.
Before her first birthday, she had undergone numerous invasive tests, hospital stays, frequent clinic appointments with several different specialists, therapy and three angioplasties that the family hoped would save her life.

Within weeks of being diagnosed with heart disease, an MRI of her brain showed that Gabrielle had also suffered a stroke. She was too young to know exactly how this stroke would impact her life but it was clear that Gabrielle’s body was vulnerable and her future was uncertain. Surrounded by love and support and with her own will to live, Gabrielle’s health improved. For five and a half years, her passion for life and her gigantic laugh filled the family’s home with joy and inspired everyone’s hearts.

She was a special little girl and her story has an effect on everyone I talk to about the Ride. I have to admire her mother, Nikki, and the whole family for being such an inspiration and keeping Gabrielle’s story alive so that she can continue to bring awareness to the challenges of other children at Sick Kids.

“My beliefs,” Nikki says, “combined with Gabrielle’s passion for life have inspired the creation of Gabrielle’s Ride – a way for me to actively include Gabrielle and her wisdom in my everyday life and a way for her community to remember her too.”

“Dan Cooper has been a great friend to Gabrielle’s Ride since its inception in 2011. He is a philanthropic pillar of the Oakville community and has graciously shared his experience with our team over these months of preparation,” Nikki says.

Building a stronger community means supporting great causes such as Gabrielle’s Ride. My team and I support a number of organizations, everything from minor sports teams to major campaigns that will have a significant impact on the quality of life we enjoy here in the Oakville and Burlington areas.

A giving and caring spirit makes our community stronger – a place in which we can all be proud to live and raise a family. How we treat those in need, how we support charities and organizations that are making a difference, shape our community’s character and reputation. Today we enjoy one of the most desirable locations in Canada in which to live – because we have built a safe and caring community.

There are different levels of participation in Gabrielle’s Ride on July 22 – 100km, 50km, 15km family adventure and 2km tyke ride. Start and finish is Appleby College.

The Dan Cooper Team and I will be out in full force. Call us if you would like to join our team. Or organize your own team. Just make sure to be part of this outstanding fundraiser. It is Oakville’s first and largest family cycling event, it promises to be a great time for the whole family and the money goes to a great cause. For more information, to register or to pledge a donation visit www.gabriellesride.com.

Come train with us at Quad West on Speers Road and visit us at Gears Oakville grand opening on April 14 on Trafalgar Road.

Comic Vision Oakville raising money for a serious cause

Dan Cooper — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:54:11 +0000

There are so many worthwhile causes in this world that it is often difficult to decide which charity or organization to support. The bottom line, however, is to get behind at least one cause and make that your mission. A helping hand to those in need makes us a stronger community.

I’m proud to be able to give my time and money to a number of local organizations as well as some national causes such as Comic Vision, which does some serious fundraising for the Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB), an organization that is helping people with serious eye diseases. Many of us take our sight for granted, but the prospect of losing it can be terrifying for any of us.

And so, again this year I am immensely proud, along with Royal LePage, to be the venue sponsor for Comic Vision Oakville on April 25th. We selected Le Dome on North Service Road East in 2010 to be the venue for this show, and according to Comic Vision Oakville, Le Dome has been an outstanding location that has been highly successful as a fundraiser.

This is Canada’s most successful night of stand-up comedy and fundraising for FFB. The cross-country tour of high profile, stand-up comedy always promises to provide a memorable night of entertainment and this year’s show will not disappoint.

Comic Vision is held each year in five cities across Canada, including London, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. The tour raises hundreds of thousands of dollars each year with all proceeds going directly to the Foundation Fighting Blindness, which funds vision research at hospitals and universities across Canada. The FFB has played a pivotal role in bringing researchers closer than ever to potential treatments and cures that can one day reverse genetic forms of blindness.
This year’s show in Oakville includes Steve Patterson, Frank Spadone, Meg Soper and Pete Zedlacher.

For our part, The Dan Cooper Team and Royal LePage are proud to provide ongoing support for local organizations, services and programs. It is our commitment to give back to the community in which we work and live. We are not simply in the business of selling properties and helping buyers find homes. We are an integral part of this terrific community. We are your neighbour, our children go to school here and we shop in the same grocery stores. This is our community and The Dan Cooper Team is proud to play a part in shaping its character and its success.

For more information about the Foundation Fighting Blindness, please visit www.ffb.ca or to purchase tickets for this year’s event visit www.comicvision.ca/events/oakville.html

Five winning ideas to get your home ready for sale

Dan Cooper — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:58:24 +0000

Spring is officially here, signaling the beginning of house hunting season. If you have decided to sell your home, the last thing you want is for it to sit on the market for a long time. Taking some home improvement steps before listing can make your house more attractive to potential buyers and put you in a better position to sell quickly.

So what do you need to do to ensure that listing your house floods our office with showing requests?

1. Spruce up the entranceway

Every interested buyer will enter through your front door. Have you looked at your entranceway with a critical eye lately? Consider replacing old or sagging screens. If your front door is dirty or scratched, clean it up or add a fresh coat of paint. Sweep away dirt and grime and set out a new entrance mat. Oil any squeaky hinges. If you have plants or shrubbery leading up to your home, make sure that they are trimmed appropriately. A manicured landscape leading up to a welcoming front door will portray the positive experience of living there. An ugly or dirty entranceway can turn away buyers before they enter your house, meaning even if your home has the most amazing interior, their minds may already be made up.

2. Create an outdoor oasis by detailing your deck

Today’s buyer isn’t just interested in the inside of a home, but the outdoor space as well. Taking your deck or patio from drab to fab may only require adding a couple of stylistic extras. Start by adding beautiful deck and fence post caps to create a polished, upscale look for your outdoor space. Next, add unique decorative fascia corners that stylishly adorn deck skirting and cover unsightly corner joints. These decorative fascia corners often install quickly with screws.

3. Add outdoor extras for safety and style

Additions that are both beautiful and useful get noticed by potential buyers. Railings can add style to your deck, porch, patio or stairs, plus they add a safety element to your home. Another addition to consider is LED lighting that makes a home stand out at dusk and provides just the right amount of light so outdoor space can safely be enjoyed any time of day.

4. Add modern colours to interior walls

Cracked paint or dated wall colours are sure to turn off buyers. For a small price, you can purchase plaster and several cans of paint to refresh dated looking rooms for a clean, modern feel. Not sure what paint coloursare on-trend? Visit your local paint or hardware store for insight. Remember, it’s best to avoid anything too bold, so even if you love fire truck red, pick a shade a little more demure so you attract the most potential buyers.

5. Reduce clutter for clean, minimalist rooms

If you’ve ever visited a house that’s been staged, you know that it helps buyers envision what they might do with the room. To follow this example, you’ll want to make sure that you eliminate all clutter, clean up drawers and closets, stow away extra items like pillows and blankets and reduce the amount of personal photography you display. Remember, you want buyers to visualize themselves in your home, not see your last family portrait and feel out of place. We offer free staging advice and have a professional stager on our Team who can provide winning advice.

Always keep in mind that you want to paint a picture for buyers of the wonderful life they can have if they purchase your home. If they have a good first impression and can envision their family enjoying each room in the house, they are going to want to submit a bid fast.

Increase the value of your home with a small-scale renovation

Dan Cooper — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:38:00 +0000

Whether you are selling your home or staying put, a renovation, even on a small scale, can improve the value of your home.

When it comes to home renovations, it is important to be smart about how you spend your money. If you are planning to sell your home in the near future, a large-scale home improvement may not have the desired payback in the short term.

And when you choose to remodel, pay attention to some of the trends taking place in new home construction, which signal what the competition will look like down the road. Choose the right improvements today, and you may be better positioned to sell your home when the economy picks up.

Keep the following tips in mind if you’re thinking of investing in an addition or a significant remodel:

Choose your remodeler with care: Select a professional contractor with experience, knowledge of local codes and a good reputation for quality work.

Focus on tried-and-true performance: Remodel to your needs, of course. But before you finalize your decisions, research the improvements that will likely bring you the highest return on your investment. A minor kitchen remodel should return more than 70 percent according to recent reports. Adding a bathroom pays back more than 53 percent.

Practicality makes perfect: During the latest housing boom, remodels were all about big and bold. Now there is less emphasis on luxury and appearances-for-appearances-sake. Take advantage of that trend with a focus on practicality in your remodeling project. You’ll make your home more competitive at resale, and your dollars will stretch a lot further.

Multi-function = broader appeal: For today’s busy families, efficiency is essential. Can you repurpose an existing room to make life easier? Add a laundry room to save going downstairs? Increase the size of your kitchen, so you can convert the dining room to a guest suite? If you’re thinking of creating a family room in the basement, complete the project with a convenient bathroom addition.

Never enough baths: If you’ve ever waited in frustration for your turn in the bathroom, you know that just about every home could use a spare bath. Even in rooms where there is no easy plumbing solution, a macerating toilet system might be the answer. Macerating, or up-flush, plumbing gives you unlimited flexibility, because there is no need to break through the floors to install drainage piping, which adds substantial cost to the project.

For more ideas on how to prepare your home for sale, call The Dan Cooper Team. We have the professionals and complimentary staging advice to help you get the most for your investment.

Napa Valley’s youngest winemaker makes a visit to Oakville

Dan Cooper — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:03:20 +0000

Featured in the photo: Dan Cooper and Ryan Waugh of Napa Valley Crush Co-op

One of the best aspects of my career is meeting some fascinating and talented people who live in Oakville or visit our great community. Just last month, I had the pleasure of tipping a glass of wine with an extraordinary young man – the youngest winemaker in Napa Valley, California.

Ryan Waugh was in Oakville as the feature guest at an exclusive wine tasting at Budd’s BMW dealership.

Ryan, who has his own Waugh Cellars, has been chosen to be the director of winemaking for Napa Valley Crush Co-op, the first wine consumption co-operative to be formed in Canada. We featured this very unique venture in the fall issue of Lakeshore Living, the magazine I publish that celebrates fabulous homes, interesting people and unique stories such as the Napa Valley proposition.

Just to recap what we featured in Lakeshore Living, this co-operative is quite different from a “wine club.” Unlike a wine club, the wine co-op has its own winemaker – Ryan – and actually produces the wine that is made available to its members. The wine will be crafted in a new cave winery now being constructed called the Caves of Soda Canyon. The creation of this facility is an amazing story in itself. It is the only custom crush winery in the Napa Valley that is wholly contained within underground caves. When completed later this year, the winery will be housed in 20,000 square feet of caves that have been excavated into a mountainside, 900 feet above the floor of the Napa Valley.

The purpose of Ryan’s Oakville visit last month was to talk to interested wine lovers about the co-operative, how it works and how it can provide significant savings to the co-op members. What makes the co-op so attractive is that members have access to premium Napa Valley wines at “winery cost,” with savings of up to 90 percent over the retail price of comparable Napa wines.

If you love Napa wines, you will appreciate that the co-op plans to use only the highest quality grapes sourced from some of the finest vineyards in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Best of all, these wines will be available exclusively for members of the wine co-op. They will not be available to the public in any retail outlet either in the United States or Canada.

Of course, we have some excellent wines made right here in Ontario, and there are local wine merchants who are accessing some excellent wines from around the world. But any respectable wine cellar will have some varietals from Napa Valley – especially when you can get your hands on some premium wines at significant savings.
The Napa Valley Crush Co-op is making available a limited number of co-op memberships that, for a one-time payment, provides five cases of exclusive Napa wine each year for 25 years. You can learn more about this offer at www.napawinecoop.com.

I’m not advocating for the co-op – I just find this an interesting story; the chance to save on Napa wine is intriguing; and Ryan Waugh is one of those fascinating people I have the pleasure of getting to know on a regular basis.