Michael joined Road 13 Vineyards in December 2004 after honing his craft at a few prestigious Okanagan Valley wineries. Born in Kelowna and raised in Summerland, Michael is one of the Okanagan Valley’s few homegrown and trained winemakers. Quite by accident, he found that wine was his passion. After earning a degree in recreation administration at the University of Victoria, Michael took a job as a wine sales representative for Academy Brands International, not knowing that he had begun an entirely new career path. It was here that he got his initial exposure to wine and was hooked.

Michael realized how passionate he was about the Okanagan while living away on Vancouver Island for ten years. In 1994, he and his wife felt the Okanagan calling them home and they left Vancouver Island for Penticton. In 1995, Michael took a job as assistant winemaker at Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards (now See Ya Later Ranch) with industry veteran and mentor, Harry McWatters, whom he credits with providing him the opportunity to learn winemaking. He pursued on-the-job training, university courses at Berkley’s UC Davis and Washington State University, and an apprenticeship with Australia’s celebrated winemaker, Tom Newton. The four months that the young winemaker spent working alongside the Hardy’s expert was invaluable and made him realize what kind of winemaker he aspired to be.

Michael came away from his time in Australia with new skills, ideas, and a fresh perspective. The experience had everything to do with the attitude of the acclaimed winemaker he was working with. “Newton was very understated and modest but had such a command for what he was doing, paired with intense respect and a feeling of privilege. It became totally infectious.” It was during this apprenticeship that Michael felt the confirmation that he was on the right path in life.

Not a “papered” winemaker, Michael learned almost immediately he had an aptitude for making wine and credits his palate as his greatest strength. “The truth is, the mechanics of winemaking are straightforward. My skill lies in my palate. I can taste something and know exactly where that wine has been and where it needs to go. The mechanics are easy to learn, but it’s the palate that sets any good winemaker apart and leads them.”

Michael met Mick and Pam Luckhurst while he was working as a consulting winemaker for Township 7. They were looking for a new winemaker and all three felt instinctually that he would be a good fit. His passion is crafting great wines. Michael believes in small lots and has a love of blending. “Whether you think you’re blending or not, you’re blending. Even the same varietals in the same lots come from different clones and end up in different barrels,” he explains. “Blending is a sure fire way to build up complexity.” Michael is proud of the practices that Road 13 believes in. For example, bunch thinning is integral to the quality of their grapes. With a single cluster for every shoot on the vine, they have adopted a simple, straightforward approach to farming for quality.

When he’s not blending, bunch thinning and doing all the things it takes to make great wine, Michael is an athlete who loves to get outdoors to cross-country ski or run over local mountain ranges. His home, career and love of exercise are manifestations of a distinct lifestyle choice. He is also father to a five-year-old son, “an idealist,” he says. Making his son proud dictates Michael’s actions and the standard he holds himself to.

Hopes?
To continue making wine that I am proud of, wine that I would want to drink.
To have Road 13 Vineyards recognized as a standard of wine style and quality.

Dreams?
Though not wanting to sound trite, I have a simple dream – to be able to look myself in the mirror and know I made my very best effort.

Fast-forward 10 years, where do you see yourself?
Roaming the same hallways, working in the same barrel cellar.
Working with more mature vineyards and managing an evolution of where we are right now.

Best thing about your job?
The creativity, absolutely.
The routine – I like the aspect of doing things as they need to be done, the cyclical nature of winemaking and the opportunity to continue to pursue perfection within the routine.

Worst thing?
Planting vines in rocky soil. That is just hard on the body!

Thoughts on the team you are working with?
Another cliché it seems – they are just the best.

How do you feel about the wines that you are making?
I drink them myself and I’m very proud of them. I can detect where they can become better which drives me forward to the next vintage.

Other BC wines you enjoy drinking and why?
I like drinking wines that my friends have made, wineries I have a connection with. Or if there is something about the winery I’ve picked up on. Wines I enjoy the most are the ones made honestly, that reflect the personalities involved in making them, and that reflect the place they are from.

Best thing about living in South Okanagan?
The lakes and the aroma of air – the sage. The dry heat that comes with the sage. I love it.

Boards and Associations?
On the technical committee for the BCWI
President of Nickel Plate Cross Country Ski Club