You may have noticed a few recent changes at our Naramata Bench winery. Devon Villard has moved from Naramata Tasting Room Manager to the winemaking team as our Cellarhand. Devon wants to become a winemaker and we hope to support him in accomplishing his goals. In his place, we are pleased to promote Crystal Ivers to Tasting Room Manager.
Crystal has been in hospitality and around the wine industry for decades. As a young adult, she was inspired by the efforts of her vineyard manager stepfather who in the 1980s worked in the famed Becker project testing the viability of vinifera vines and in the subsequent hybrid pullout.
Working in restaurants and customer service, while in school, wine was only a hobby as she pursued her education at Okanagan University College and then Langara College. Relocating to the south Okanagan and completing her WSET Level 2 provided the impetuous to go from a hobby to a career in wine as a tasting room associate, first with Tightrope Winery and then with Township 7 last summer. This summer, Crystal was appointed to Tasting Room Manager and when not cheerily greeting guests, she can be found taking her spunky black and white Boston Terrier Tilly for walks on the KVR. She is currently working on her WSET Level 3 and enjoys all well-made wines, but especially big reds.
We welcome you to stop in for a wine tasting and meet Crystal and Tilly!
