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Event Hosts
Dr. Ritchie A.L. Younger, MedRes’84
Dr. Ritchie A. L. Younger is one of the leading facial plastic surgeons in Canada. He is well known for his high ethical standards and professional skills in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery.
Dr. Younger graduated from the University of Alberta’s Medical School with 1st class standing in 1979. Subsequently, he interned at the Holy Cross Hospital in Calgary and underwent general surgery training in Edmonton, followed by a head and neck surgery residency in Vancouver at the University of British Columbia.
Medicine isn’t Dr. Younger’s only passion. He is a wine enthusiast, and currently sits on the Executive Committee for the UBC Wine Research Centre. Dr. Younger was the Cellerier of the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, an exclusive bacchanalian fraternity of Burgundy wine enthusiasts, from 2001 – 2011. He was also a member of the Commanderie du Bordeux Vancouver from 2006 – 2012, and was appointed the Grand Sénéchal of the Vancouver Sous Commanderie Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, from 2011 – 2016.
Dr. Anthony Holler, MD’79
Dr. Tony Holler received his Medical Degree from the University of British Columbia and worked at the University Hospital for 11 years as an Emergency Room Physician. In late 1993, he and others founded ID Biomedical Corporation. In 1999 he was asked to become CEO of the company which, at the time, had a market cap of $20 million. In late 2005 GlaxoSmithKline acquired IDB for $1.7 billion, plus assumed $300 million in debt. BLG provided legal services to IDB from the company’s inception.
Dr. Holler is an avid wine drinker and collector. Over the years, Tony acquired approximately 5000 bottles from wineries all over the world. His interest in Okanagan wines started in the early 2000s when he starting tasting wines from some of the top producers in the valley. This lead Tony to believe that the Okanagan is capable of producing world class wines and led to the purchase of Poplar Grove Winery.
Tony’s has completely immersed himself in the BC wine industry. In addition to being president of Poplar Grove Winery, he is single-handedly tending to a 1.5 acre Chardonnay vineyard located at his home on Okanagan Lake.
Dr. Holler developed a business plan with the goal to establish a sustainable and profitable business. In 2014, Poplar Grove’s production hit the goal of 25 000 cases from 4 000 cases in 2007. The winery’s singular focus is making quality wines requiring large investments in land, vineyards and state of the art facilities. Additionally, the winery defers cash flow by releasing its red wines after 3 – 5 years which translates into more approachable and better quality wines. Dr. Holler expects a return on capital in 2017. The ultimate goal is for the winery to become a multigenerational business.
The easiest way to access Poplar Grove wines is to join our Wine Club. The wines are shipped direct to consumers across Canada.
Tony’s deep respect for the endless potential that lies within the land in the Okanagan allows him to spend hours in his vineyard maintaining the grapes by hand. Dedicated to producing world class wines, Tony believes that getting the best from the land starts with hard work, courage, and patience from vineyard to the bottle.
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