Canada’s Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys (9) Kismet Estate Winery
Website: https://www.kismetestatewinery.com/
There’s a great story to Kismet. Sukwinder (Sukhi) and Balwinder Dhaliwal moved from the Punjab in India to Oliver in the south of the Okanagan some 30-ish years ago. Balwinder came first in 1991 and Sukhi followed in 1993.
Sukhi had some experience in agriculture, and began working for Covert Farms, one of the big growers in the region. Balwinder began working for other vineyards. After a few years they purchased a property in 1996 and began growing apples. A few years later, grapes followed, and they sold these to Jackson Triggs. By 2008 they were selling a few hundred tonnes of grapes and were able to quit the day jobs.
They decided to start their own winery, Kismet, and debut vintage was 211 with 500 cases. They opened the tasting room in 2013.
Now they have 600 acres split across 35 sites. Most of the grapes are still sold. In a normal vintage they will process 130 tonnes (around 10% of their grapes) for Kismet and make 7500-10 000 cases of wine.
We met with winemaker winemaker Manpreet Dhaliwal, daughter of Sukhi, who has been working here for two years. She works with Burtice Albertyn as a consultant, who was the founder winemaker with Maverick. She grew up in the Okanagan.
She says that when her parents came from the Punjab region in India in the early 1990s, the Okanagan was a small scale wine region here. Her dad learned the trade through working at Burrowing Owl.
Now they are the largest independent grower of grapes in the Okanagan, mostly in the south Okanagan although they do have some vineyards in West Okanagan. They have 600 acres and they vinify 10% of these grapes.
Most of their wines are sold through the cellar door and DTC, with a strong wine club.
Manpreet’s background was in nursing. She was interested in science and thought healthcare was a good bet. She did this for four years, and in 2022 when there was a big vintage she got brought into the cellar full time.
‘My whole goal with 2023 was can I keep doing what my uncle was doing,’ she says. Then 2024 hit, and she introduced the new rosé and a sparkling wine. ‘But I do have to go very slowly.’
Kismet Pinot Grigio 2023 Okanagan, Canada
Bright, juicy and fleshy with nice grapey richness, showing a bit of vibrant citrus fruit. Nice energy here with lovely fruit focus. Has nice brightness and energy. 90/100 ($25)
Kismet Phulkari Rosé 2024 Okanagan, Canada
13% alcohol. Cab Sauv, Cab Franc and Syrah. Lovely brightness here with rich, textured, slightly sweet impression from the fruit. This is richly textured with some blood orange and negroni and nice sweet bold fruit. Such flavour impact here: joyful. 90/100 ($26)
Kismet Syrah 2021 Okanagan, Canada
14.4% alcohol. 100% Syrah from the east bench of Osooyos. 18 months in small oak, a mix of French and American. This is peppery and vivid with hints of chocolate and spice, and some appealing cherry and berry fruits. Good structure with nice freshness, showing lovely personality, combining some richness with brightness, and some black olive. Lovely wine. 93/100
Kismet Moksha 2021 Okanagan, Canada
A blend of Malbec, Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah and others. This is a layered wine with spice-laden cherry and plum fruit as well as some blackberry. There’s a slight savoury stoniness here, with a bit of pepper and a grainy, slightly firm structure. This works so well: it has ripeness but also a savoury dimension. 94/100
Kismet Reserve Cabernet Franc 2021 Okanagan, Canada
13.7% alcohol. 24 months in 100% new French oak. This was the year of the fires. This combines ripe, vivid, floral fruit with some leafy green notes and a touch of tea. Juicy with good energy and a wide dynamic range. Berryish and plump, but also with some savoury, spicy notes, and a bit of cured meat. Handles the new oak well. 93/100
Kismet Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 Okanagan, Canada
14.7% alcohol. 24 months in 100% new French oak. Amazing concentration and density here with sweet blackcurrant fruit and then some spicy underlay from the oak, which integrates really well. Such intensity here with nice depth, showing a long, spicy finish. The oak emerges on the finish, but this is really impressive. 94/100
