Photo Gallery

 Winemaker and owner Gary Gougér began his winemaking journey following a successful career as a pharmacist and optometrist. What started as a hobby with a friend—and an international gold medal in amateur winemaking—quickly turned into a passion.

Inspired to deepen his knowledge, Gary earned a degree in Enology (winemaking) from the University of Adelaide in Australia in 2005. He opened Gougér Cellars Winery in downtown Vancouver in 2009 and relocated to the historic Ridgefield Firehouse in 2012, where the winery continues to thrive.

Since then, Gary has been doing what he loves most: crafting bold, expressive red wines for others to enjoy.

Over the years, we've had the honor of earning recognition in some of the most respected national and international wine competitions. While we're proud of the many awards our wines have received, what matters most to us is creating wines that our customers truly enjoy.

Gary's' credentials as an enologist  with a background in pharmacy and optometry has given him a strong foundation in science—a key ingredient in his ability to consistently craft high-quality, balanced wines. His attention to detail and passion for the process are at the heart of everything we produce.

At the end of the day, while medals are a wonderful acknowledgment, the greatest reward is sharing great wine with great people.

We’ve been talking about retirement since 2024, and after almost two years of saying “someday,” it looks like someday may finally be here!

While nothing is final quite yet, we’re optimistic that the winery building may be sold soon. 

As we move through what may be our final months at the winery, we’ll continue opening on select weekends while we work on finding good homes for the wine still in our cellar. We’re also taking some time to look back and celebrate the journey with our new Gouger Cellars Farewell Series.

Because things could change fairly quickly, be sure to check our Events page for the latest open dates and special happenings.

We’ll keep you posted—and in the meantime, we hope to see you at the winery for a glass, a case (or ten 😉), and a few more good stories before this adventure comes to an end.