ON OUR
TERMS
Stories of women working in BC wine
By Nikki Bayley
I
f you’ve ever wondered if there’s a place for you in the
love of wine, and the determination needed to strike out
wine industry – even if you don’t come from a winery-
in a new direction to follow their passion.
owning family or long line of grape growers – take inspiration from these five women who’ve succeeded
on their own terms in the world of B.C. wine. They have diverse backgrounds, and their previous careers range from the oil industry to tourism, but what they share is a
Packed with excellent advice for wannabe winemakers, viticulturalists, winery owners, managers, and marketers, now could be the time to start on the journey to make that dream a reality.
KAREN GILLIS Vineyard Operations Manager Andrew Peller Ltd., Oliver, Okanagan Valley Originally, I wanted to go into the culinary world. I had a couple of uncles who were chefs and I loved how food brought everyone together, however, my Chinese family wanted me to choose something academic so, I studied food tech at BCIT as I find sensory science fascinating. My career in wine began as I had a friend who was a lab manager at Andrés, (now Andrew Peller), and they needed harvest help. When I was given the opportunity to learn about viticulture in the Okanagan Valley, I took it. I’ve worked in the labs and as a winemaker, but two years ago I became head viticulturist looking after the 500 acres we own and another 500 that we contract. This position bridges the gap between winemaking and the vineyard, working as a team to make the best bottle of wine. I grew up in a company that was very accepting of diversity, and it was never an issue for me. I think B.C. is probably the easiest place to establish yourself as a woman in wine, but you’ve got to work hard because there is a lot of competition. My advice is to network and be humble; if you think you’ll be a winemaker in a year, you’re sadly mistaken. There’s value in wine education courses because you meet people with similar passions. Discover what part of the industry you’re interested in. If your dream is to be a winemaker, you’d better start drinking wine. Love farming? Go dig in the dirt and figure out what’s special about it.
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