Mt. Boucherie Family Estate Winery

Staff

Kal Gidda

Proprietor, Viticulturist/Farmer

Born in Kaluwal Kotla, India, Kal Gidda moved to West Kelowna at a young age where he attended elementary and high school in Westbank. He engaged in post-secondary studies in business administration and heavy duty mechanics but eventually followed the family business into wine and viticulture.

Kal's career has seen him work throughout the Okanagan Valley, growing grapes from north to south. He loves the variety and diversity that comes with farming and growing grapes; every day is different. Kal thoroughly enjoys the process of winemaking and his essential role in supporting the path of the grape from the soil to the bottle. When not out in the vineyard Kal enjoys spending time with family and friends and playing hockey.

Nirmal Gidda

Cellar and Business Operations Manager

Like his brother Kal, Nirmal was born in Kaluwal Kotla, India, moving to West Kelowna as a child where he attended elementary and high school in Westbank. Nirmal's post secondary studies at the University of Alberta focused on science, a useful subject for contributing to the family business of owning an estate winery.

Nirmal has spent some time exploring vineyards and wineries in the Napa and Sonoma valleys, which offers useful perspective and experience to apply to his role in the winery. Nirmal works with his brother Kal in the family's vineyards, but the majority of his time and his major responsibility is spent in his role overseeing the day-to-day aspects of the winery business.

His favorite aspect of the job is interacting with the winemaking team. A common thread among the Mt. Boucherie family and staff is the universal passion about the journey their family grown grapes make in becoming the winery's latest vintage.

When not out in the vineyard Nirmal likes to hit the gym and play a number of sports like squash, golf and soccer.

Jim Faulkner

Winemaker

Since 2009, Jim Faulkner has been leaving his fingerprints on the wines at Mt. Boucherie Family Estate as only a passionate winemaker can do. With an enthusiasm for his job that only comes with having complete vineyard control and freedom in the cellar, Jim has found a great fit at the West Kelowna winery.

An Okanagan native, Jim studied business at Calgary's esteemed S.A.I.T. Polytechnic, followed by enrolment in the winery assistant program at Okanagan University College. Jim has greatly enjoyed his travels to famous wine hubs, Bordeaux and Tuscany, where he gained a global perspective on great wine.

Jim is well versed in the challenges and charms of British Columbia's unique terroir, having spent more than a dozen years working vintages at wineries on Vancouver Island and in the Okanagan Valley. Crediting the experience of previous positions at BC wineries for developing and refining his growing talent as a winemaker, Jim is proud of his years at CedarCreek, Summerhill Pyramid Winery and Church & State wineries before joining the team at Mt. Boucherie.

Excited by Mt. Boucherie's status as a rediscovered gem, Jim credits the positive ownership, commitment to quality and team approach for creating great wines and a welcoming environment.

Pinki Gidda

Wine Shop Manager and Marketing

Pinki Gidda's first memory is working in the vineyard, and it's no wonder given the fact that the Mt. Boucherie vineyards have been in her family for more than forty years! Though Pinki has not spent much time exploring other global wine regions, she is completely immersed in the wine culture of the Okanagan Valley.

Pinki loves her career and is the social butterfly of the family, naming her favourite job perk as the opportunity to meet, greet and talk with people every day. In addition to making visitors feel welcome, Pinki also oversees all aspects of the wine shop and the development of marketing strategies.

Loving and understanding wine is similar to having an appreciation for art and culture so it is no surprise that Pinki's Masters of arts & literature, earned in India where she was born, supports her passion and livelihood.

Despite the seemingly endless amount of paperwork that comes with her role at the winery, Pinki makes time for other favorite activities including yoga, exercise, shopping and enjoying dinner with a great bottle of wine with family and friends.

Orthence Cabell

Wine Shop Assistant Manager

Wine is a way of life for Orthence Cabell whose earliest memory of the storied beverage began with a few sips of red on her 13th New Year's Eve. Born and raised in Suriname, northern South America, Orthence completed four years of teacher's college post secondary education before life took her to Amsterdam to live for a period of time. Here Orthence worked in the fashion industry, a career which eventually led her to Victoria and Vancouver, BC. Along the way, Orthence explored the wine regions of France, Italy and the USA, which further fueled her wine passion. A self-proclaimed "foodie," Orthence is driven by the possibilities of wine pairings and the delicious flavor combinations her evolving palate will discover. When not working, she loves to walk the gorgeous Okanagan Valley trails and read - frequently about wine.

Karin Vermassen

Retail, Customer Service and Marketing

Born, raised and educated in Germany and South Africa, Karin has long held an interest in wine. A true connoisseur, Karin has traveled extensively to wine regions around the world including Germany, France, Italy, South Africa, Argentina, Napa, Sonoma, Santa Cruz and Niagara, Ontario.

Karin's career has blended her marketing and entrepreneurial experience with her love of wine. She's held national marketing and advertising positions in Toronto and several winery customer service and consulting roles. She also owns a Kelowna-based business called Wine Occasions which provides customized wine appreciation experiences. Her earned knowledge and passion serve her well in her regular interaction with clients and customers, one of her favourite parts of the job. She also loves representing the winery at corporate events and occasions.

Karin keeps everything humming at Mt. Boucherie, handling administration, retail sales, customer service, accounting, website management, events and customer service. Her Jill-of-all-trades attitude and skill set have proved essential to the winery.

In her free time, Karin's vast interests keep her busy! She volunteers with the Okanagan Symphony, is an active member of both the Okanagan Chef's Association and Slow Food movement. She also loves cooking, yoga, reading, hiking, traveling and, of course, a great glass of wine.

Dan Berglund

Assistant Winemaker

As the assistant winemaker, Vancouver-born Dan Berglund is ready to jump in and do whatever needs doing in the cellar, an attitude that has served the young oenophile well on his career path.

Previous studies in neuroscience at the University of Victoria helped lay the groundwork for the required lab analysis and other technical elements of being the role. Dan was further educated in winemaking at Adelaide University in South Australia where he also took some time to explore the Barossa Valley and Mclaren Vale wine regions.

Dan has traveled to New Zealand's South Island and Oregon's Williamette Valley to work at, and explore, these renowned wine regions - at Akarua Winery and Archery Summit Estate respectively. He also enjoyed working as a harvest intern at Kelowna's CedarCreek Estate.

The idea that there's no such thing as a 'perfect' wine is one of the most compelling elements of Dan's job. "There's always something that can be improved and this keeps things fresh and exciting." He's particularly keen on helping put the wines of West Kelowna on the map.

When not hanging out in the cellar, Dan likes to get active, spending time outdoors and training for triathlons. A good bottle of wine with his wife and some friends tops his preferred method of socializing.

David Ramsay

Cellar Master

The youth and exuberance of the Okanagan Valley wine industry inspired Dave Ramsay to switch gears and begin a new career. Born in Montreal and formerly working in other trades, Dave has been an integral part of the Mt. Boucherie winemaking team for several years.

As cellar master, Dave is intimately involved with all aspects of winemaking from the moment the grapes arrive through to bottling. He is also ultimately responsible for filtration and setting up the automated bottling line.

Always interested in new challenges and learning in this diverse field, Dave's favorite part of the job is the hustle and bustle of harvest. "It's very exciting to see the grapes and experience fermentations as they develop. Red fermentations in particular offer some very interesting smells after the ferment finishes the lag phase."

Though his wine explorations have been limited to British Columbia and Ontario to date, Dave appreciates that wine provides the type of journey that never stops teaching and traveling. He can't wait to learn, see and taste; he spends his down time conducting casual global tastings with friends and colleagues. Dave also makes time to get outdoors and enjoys skiing and cycling in his spare time.