Vancouverscape, a Vancouver based blog covering travel, tech, and lifestyle

Prominent Okanagan Valley wine producer JoieFarm Winery has officially announced the sale of the winery from Co-Founder & Executive Winemaker Heidi Noble to Vancouver restaurateur and accoladed sommelier Alistair Veen and partners. 

Over the years, JoieFarm has become a benchmark BC wine producer, creating popular wines such as A Noble Blend, a flagship product that helped shape the region’s reputation for world-class aromatic whites. Wines produced by JoieFarm continue to be selected by sommeliers for many of Canada’s best wine lists.

[Alistair Veen]

Proud new owner Veen is also the owner and chef of South Surrey’s Tap Restaurant, which opened in 2007. Veen has received the Advanced Sommelier designation from the Court of Master Sommeliers and was named Best Sommelier of BC in 2016. 

“After witnessing the sales of several prominent Okanagan wineries to larger corporations, we felt that it was important to maintain the integrity of an independent, family-run business. We’re local small business owners and we care about our community,” according to Veen.

In addition to keeping the entire JoieFarm team intact, the winery has also added winemaker Richard Charnock, formerly of Pentâge Winery (on the Skaha Bench), to work with Cellarmaster Karl Duda in the winery and oversee a burgeoning viticulture program. 

[L to R: BJ Tumanut, Alistair Veen, Richard Charnock]

Alongside the purchase of the winery and its four-acre onsite vineyard property, the new owners have purchased an additional and impressive 62 acres of vines throughout the Okanagan Valley, with plans to invest even further in acquiring estate vineyard properties.

“The commitment to farming our own vineyards is what excited me most about joining JoieFarm,” said Charnock, adding, “Investing in vineyard land not only ensures we can maintain the quality of the current wines people love from JoieFarm, but also elevate them over time.”

Tumanut added, “We’re excited to build on the amazing foundation that Heidi established as we continue to invest in our vineyards, our community, and our people.”

Photos courtesy of JoieFarm Winery.