Kelowna winemaker Sidhu earns new award

The B.C. Grape Growers’ Association has presented its inaugural Viticulturalist of the Year award to Karnail Singh Sidhu, owner, managing director and viticulturist of Kalala Organic Estate Winery in West Kelowna.

The award recognizes hard work and success with a $2,000 bursary to be used to attend a viticulture education event. Judging criteria includes vineyard management, environmental stewardship, equipment, human resources, innovation and peer perception.

Sidhu comes from a farming family, and after watching his father farm chemical-free, organic farming came naturally to him. He spent 10 years at Summerhill Winery expanding his knowledge of viticulture before planting his vineyard and opening Kalala winery in 2008.

Today Sidhu farms 20 acres of grapes on the home estate, as well as 20 acres in various locations in Oliver and Osoyoos. Kalala is a family venture; his wife Narinder is the controller and his two daughters are regularly involved in both grape and wine production. Congratulations to all the family on this impressive achievement.

Grand Crew is a new collective of small Okanagan wineries: Black Market Wine, Nagging Doubt, Niche Wine Co., Tender Hope Winery, and Cut Winemakers.

Although mostly focused on supporting each other in sustainable farming, small-lot winemaking, grape sourcing, and equipment sharing, the Grand Crew has launched a collaborative box of handcrafted, limited-edition wines that express the diversity of the Okanagan Valley available online at store.publicliquor.com