Transitioning to Organic Viticulture

In this episode: a conversation with Kurt Simcic, an organic viticulturist who works for the Mark Anthony Group. The company, which owns numerous wineries in the Okanagan including Mission Hill Estate Winery, Cedar Creek Estate Winery, and Liquidity Wines, tasked Kurt with overseeing the transition of 1200 acres of its vineyards to certified organic production. Those acres are now fully certified. In this conversation, Kurt talks about his early career in New Zealand, where he originally learned about and mastered organic principles. He also describes the process of transitioning forty separate vineyards to organic practices in BC’s Okanagan Valley, and provides advice to viticulturalists who are considering a transition on their own vineyards.