Wine industry veteran Gina Fernandes Harfman has rebranded her Oliver Twist Estate Winery in the South Okanagan as Nostalgia Wines.

When Harfman purchased Oliver Twist Estate Winery in 2012, she kept the namesake Oliver Twist and created her own Nostalgia series to put her stamp on the business. With 2021 being the 15th anniversary of the winery, the time was right to finalize the change.

“Nostalgia Wines is more authentic and better connects to what we represent here,” says Harfman.

With the name change also comes modernized packaging that better reflects the wine quality, displayed on Nostalgia Wines’ three wine tiers: Nostalgia, Pin-Up, and the Family Collection.

Harfman is proud of her South Okanagan farming legacy. Terroir is in her blood: Harfman is the fourth generation from her paternal side, and the third generation from her maternal side, to sink her hands into South Okanagan soil. Her maternal grandfather, Joe Fernandes, left Madeira in the early 1950s to establish orchards and a fruit stand in Osoyoos. Her father, Ken, has six hectares of vineyard in Osoyoos which he runs with the help of his son Jeremy.

This connection to wine started Harfman down the winemaking road, starting with the winemaking course at Okanagan College. She gained experience as the assistant winemaker at Cassini Cellars for 2010 crush. For 2011 crush, she joined the previous owners and winemaking consultant, Christine Leroux, at Oliver Twist. From the very first vintage, Leroux has guided the wines at Oliver Twist, and she remains an important member of the Nostalgia winemaking team today.

Harfman has chosen the name Nostalgia because for her, wine is about creating memories and making connections.

Open year-round on the Black Sage Bench in Oliver, BC, Nostalgia Wines offers a range of small production wines from dry to off-dry whites and rosés, medium to full-bodied reds, as well as sparkling and dessert wines (including a fortified Port-style). Wines are released in quantities from 24 to 675 cases.

Grape quality is high, sourced mainly from the estate’s home vineyard. She also sources from her family’s farm, and from treasured, long-term grower partners.

To learn more about Nostalgia Wines Inc. or shop the wines, visit www.NostalgiaWines.ca.