Winemakers
Randy Picton
Winemaker, Nk'Mip Cellars
Randy Picton Randy Picton joined Nk'Mip Cellars as winemaker in 2002 in time for the new state-of-the art winery's first harvest.
Picton, who left a successful established Okanagan winery to take on the challenge of working in an at-the-time brand new winery, is a talented, innovative winemaker. Working closely with Nk'Mip Vineyard's manager Sam Baptiste and his staff, Randy's dedication to the craft of winemaking starts in the field where careful consideration is given to cropping levels, fruit exposure, monitoring of the irrigation and timing of the harvest.
"My winemaking philosophy is to pay attention to detail in the vineyard to produce the best possible grapes, and then carry this practice to the winery," says Picton. "This ensures that the expression of the vineyard is displayed in the bottle."
Under Randy Picton's direction (our award winning winemaker) Nk’Mip Cellars has introduced a series of reserve wines labelled Qwam Qwmt that have been met with critical acclaim. Numerous “Best of Class”, Platinum, Double Gold and Gold awards from various international competitions have been awarded to the portfolio of Nk’Mip wines.
Picton is currently mentoring two young members of the OIB and the Stolo Band in the art of winemaking. His goal is to one day have them take over the winemaking duties at Nk’Mip.
Justin Hall
Assistant Winemaker, Nk'Mip Cellars
Justin Hall Having recently graduated from New Zealand’s Lincoln University’s post-graduate diploma program in Enology and Viticulture, Justin was rewarded with the Assistant Winemaker title in March 2010.
A proud member of the Osoyoos Indian band, Justin Hall works under the guidance of winemaker Randy Picton to craft the award wining wines of Nk'Mip Cellars.
Though some members of Hall's family work at the local Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate winery, Hall was not a wine drinker before he began his work at Nk'Mip Cellars.
Having grown up in Oliver, BC and Montreal QC, Hall finished off his high school years at South Okanagan Secondary School in Oliver, while working a part time job at the Nk'Mip Desert Canyon Golf Course. After graduating high school Hall stayed on with the golf course and in the winter months when the course all but closed, a new job was in order.
During his job search, Hall thought he'd like to work at the winery and in his words, Hall "bugged Randy once a week" for three months until Picton finally told Hall there was a job for him. And so, in January 2004 Hall joined Nk'Mip, and was rewarded for his persistence with the glamorous tasks of cleaning equipment and hoses. It didn't matter - within a month, Hall was hooked, and knew this was the job for him. He loves the atmosphere of working as a team in the cellar, and he is now a bona fide wine lover.
While working full time at the winery, Hall went on to grow his position and formalize his expertise with night classes at the Okanagan University College, eventually earning his certificates for the winery assistant and viticulture programs.
To further his learning, of how a larger winery operation works and the many roles and responsibilities that go into the process, in 2005 Hall visited Australia to work the crush at Goundrey in West Australia.
Back at Nk'Mip, Hall does his best for Nk'Mip Cellars. One of the proudest moments to date is the winery's 2007 win of Best in Show at the Vancouver magazine Wine Awards for the winemaking team's 2005 Pinot Noir.
"This is the job I was born to do," says Hall. "I love it!" One day Hall hopes to further his learning on cool climate viticulture & oenology in New Zealand, and dreams to become a chief winemaker one day.
When he is not working, Hall enjoys tasting wines from different areas and tries to golf as often as possible.
Aaron Crey
Cellar Supervisor, Nk'Mip Cellars
Aaron Crey In 2004, to maximize his skill, Crey completed the winery assistant program at Okanagan University College. He has since completed the viticulture certificate program at the College and is currently oversees enrolled in a graduate diploma program in New Zealand.
Crey has also travelled to view other wine regions such as Bordeaux and various regions in Italy.
As cellar supervisor at Nk'Mip Cellars, Aaron Crey is responsible for assisting with the winemaking and maintaining the cellar under the direction of winemaker Randy Picton.
A member of the Cheam Indian Band, Crey grew up in Maple Ridge, BC and graduated from high school in 2000. After high school he spent a couple of years working on salmon rehabilitation projects for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and then when he wanted to try something different he moved to Osoyoos in 2002 for a change.
Crey worked for the next year and a half at the Nk'Mip Resort doing desk work. While not working, Crey noticed at parties and social events that everyone was drinking wine. And while Crey had tasted wine on rare occasions such as Thanksgiving with his parents, he other wise did not have a lot of exposure and he wanted to know more.
Even with no formal training Crey thought he'd like to work in a wine cellar, so he approached Nk'Mip Cellars winemaker Randy Picton. After some time the opportunity came and Crey started at Nk'Mip Cellars in September of 2003, just in time for harvest.
In 2004, to increase his skills, Crey completed the winery assistant program at Okanagan University College. Also to learn more, Crey travelled to see some other wine regions: Bordeaux and Saint-Emilion in France and various regions in Italy. Crey hopes to participate in an international winemaker exchange one day, and in January 2008 he is scheduled to take the viticulture program at the Okanagan University College.
Crey's favourite parts about his job are both in the cellar and out. "I am really happy working here," he says. "We all work very well together making the wines. What I really like as well," he continues, "is when I see people enjoying the wines. Sometimes in the summer I like to help pour wines in the wine shop so I can hear the feedback and learn where consumer tastes are going, without visitors necessarily realizing I make the wines. It makes me feel good when I hear how much people love our wines."
When not working, Crey enjoys listening to music, reading, and going to the gym.
