Celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day with Justin Hall

A passion is germinated

Like a lot of young adults, Justin Hall wasn’t sure what he was going to do with his life. He went to school to become a mechanic, which was followed by a stint working at a golf course. But before long, Justin found himself looking for something that was less seasonal and more permanent. So, after months of persistence, he finally got a chance to fill an opening that had come up at the nearby winery, Nk’Mip Cellars (pronounced inkameep). It took very little time before he was hooked on everything that had to do with winemaking. “That food and wine bug bit me very early on. And four days in, I signed up for the Winery Assistant Certificate at Okanagan College in Penticton,” said Justin. He later pursued his wine education at a university in New Zealand, which was paid for by his tribe, the Osoyoos Indian Band. That was approximately 20 years ago.

Roots run deep

Overlooking the beautiful town of Osoyoos in the Okanagan Valley, Nk’Mip Cellars is the first Indigenous-owned winery in North America, and though there have been others over time, Justin believes that it’s the only one still operating in Canada. Its success is due in part to the values and traditions of the Osoyoos Band members. Justin was raised on the reserve, and hard work and respect for the land were an integral part of his upbringing. He wasn’t brought up on a lot of tradition per se, but whenever he went hunting or fishing, respect for the land was an important part of it. “Whatever we’re eating—the food, the animals—they’re coming from our land. So if we wreck our land, we’re going to wreck it for them, and then you’re not going to be able to have them anymore.”

Producing wine comes naturally

The home of the Osoyoos Indian Reserve is 32,000 acres of Sonoran Desert landscape, which means the vineyard is situated on 3,000-year-old land in the hottest and driest part of Canada. Nk’Mip Cellars has 300 acres of its own vineyard land and another 900 acres that it leases out.

As guardians of their territory, sustainability is of utmost importance to the Osoyoos Indian Band. At the vineyard, they use organic materials and nutrients as much as possible. It’s all about balance and looking after the land.

 “Our people should be protectors of the land. Everything that comes with the land should be healthy. Grapes are sourced from the traditional land of the Osoyoos people. This is our land. This is where we come from.”

- Justin Hall

Something to please every palate

Nk’Mip Cellars produces three award-winning tiers of wine. The Storyteller series features broader spectrum wines with softer tannins and a touch of sweetness. The Qwam Qwmt series, which means “achieving excellence,” is sourced primarily from the finest grapes they grow, yielding wines with more structure and oak influence. Finally, the Mer’r’iym series, which means “marriage,” features their flagship red and white blends and represents the perfect union of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec.  

The wine labels are also a nod to their Indigenous culture and were inspired by Linda Anderson, an Okanagan artist from the tribe. It was important to support someone local and to have artwork that conveys a story and is easily recognizable as being Indigenous from Canada.

Protectors of the land

With the Indigenous community’s deep connection to the land, staying in balance with nature is key. The land is farmed in a way that if in 100 years someone wants to grow something other than grapes, it should be in pristine condition. They should inherit all the good parts of the land and less of the bad parts.

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