In the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Tyler Thrussell pours his energy into making wines that are alive in the glass rather than engineered to a spec. His project Neon Eon launched in 2018 and has quickly become one of the brightest names in Canadian natural wine.
Backstory
Thrussell grew up around wine: his father Rick founded Sage Hills Winery in Summerland, giving Tyler an early grounding in the rhythms of vineyard life. When he set out on his own, he pushed further toward minimal intervention, building Neon Eon on a strict no-additions, no-removals philosophy. He works out of Summerland, sourcing exclusively from organic and biodynamic growers across the Okanagan.
The Region
The Okanagan Valley occupies a rain shadow east of the Coast Mountains in southern British Columbia. The valley's high-desert climate produces a wide diurnal temperature range that preserves natural acidity even as grapes reach full physiological ripeness, a combination that suits low-intervention winemaking well. Thrussell sources from multiple Okanagan sites depending on the cuvee.
Vineyards & Farming
All Neon Eon wines come from organically or biodynamically farmed fruit. Thrussell works with a palette of varieties including Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Gruner Veltliner, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt, and Syrah, allowing the vintage and the vineyard to dictate which wines get made each year.
Winemaking
Nothing is added and nothing is removed. No yeasts, no sulfur, no enzymes, no fining agents, no filtration. Fermentation proceeds spontaneously and Thrussell bottles when he feels the wine is ready. Labels feature artwork by Vancouver artist Will Dereume, whose Eggshell Comics style gives each cuvee its own graphic identity.
The Wines
Neon Eon releases a rotating cast of cuvees named with vivid confidence: E.S.P., Horizon, Tropicalia, Ultraviolet, Sparks Pet-Nat, and Footwork among them. The style ranges from skin-contact whites to pet-nats to structured reds, united by transparency, energy, and a refusal to mask the vintage in question.
