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Some of the brightest minds in the wine industry gathered yesterday at the Kelowna Yacht Club to discuss the current state of the industry and the opportunity the future holds.
One of the hot topics of the luncheon was how to turn the Okanagan's already booming wine industry into a world-renowned wine region.
According to the panel, the answer is education.
A key point of the discussion was to introduce the new Viticulture Program starting at Okanagan College this fall.
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes.
According to the panel, a quality viticulturist is the corner stone to producing wine of the highest quality.
Nora Wariach is currently in the final months of her Business Degree at Okanagan College and is excited to be enrolled in the Viticulture Program this September.
"When I was researching where to go for wine education, the only option was Brock University in Ontario," said Wariach.
"So the fact that we'll be learning from industry professionals based in the Okanagan and applying the work to local vineyards is really special and valuable."
The Okanagan's wine industry has seen exponential growth over the past two decades, but there is still room in the region to grow.
"I've had the pleasure of working in the wine industry since I moved to Kelowna in 2002," said Angela McManus, who works on the marketing side of the wine industry.
"It's very evident today, how far we've come over the last 15 years and to see the educational opportunities that are now being made available is really important"
The general consensus from the panel was that being a wine maker is the most desired position in the industry, but there's so many different facets in the industry.
"Seeing the caliber of people in the room who are passionate about wine and who are focused on the education side of the business is impressive," said McManus.
"It's an industry that's evolving and one that everyone is excited to be a part of."
Okanagan College's Viticulture program will host it's first classes this September, with the hope of educating the future of Okanagan's wine industry professionals.
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