JoieFarm — More Joy Ahead

Pictured above: Team Joie getting our new outdoor garden beds ready for our on-farm wood burning pizza oven and picnic area “Joie Picnique”
From left: Noelle Starzynski – Outside Sales and Data Management, Winemaker Robert Thielicke, Chef Benz Hendricksen, Owner and Winemaker Heidi Noble, JJ Skidmore – Director of Hospitality, Jennifer Carter – Tasting Room & Customer Relations Manager (Photo credit: Tarynn Liv Parker)

JoieFarm fans may be wondering what recent changes in ownership mean for their beloved bottles of Noble Blend and PTG. I caught up with Heidi Noble, who assumed ownership of JoieFarm on February 23, to ask what lies ahead.

Breathe, fans, breathe! The wines are safe. The grape varieties of Alsace and Bourgogne—pinot noir, chardonnay, gamay, gewürztraminer, muscat, pinot blanc, riesling—will still be the focus and the winemaking stays in the hands of Noble and longstanding winemaker, Robert Thielicke. “Wine quality, integrity, and consistency remain our highest priorities. We want to keep our loyal fans of JoieFarm happy,” says Noble.

As Noble describes some of the changes that she will be making, her energy is obvious and infectious. You get the impression that this is a woman who makes things happen and has a lot of fun doing it. Her plan is to “inject a renaissance of local food into the business mix”.

New JoieFarm Hospitality Crew: Noelle Starzynski, Jennifer Carter, JJ Skidmore, Heidi Noble
Photo Credit: Tarynn Liv Parker

The exciting news for JoieFarm followers is that there will soon be a public tasting room. The farmhouse, which has seen many incarnations over the years—a venue for orchard dinners, accommodation for farm hands, and even a lab—is to be the new pop-up tasting room. The very cool Curvy Gurl, a Spartan Mansion trailer, is a mobile tasting room and will provide extra room in case of high demand. Victoria resident and local restaurant consultant, Jen Carter, is moving to manage the tasting room and notes, “It’s going to be charming, inviting, and staffed with passionate individuals who are just as excited about our wines as we are. It will be an honour to be a part of the wine industry within Naramata Bench, which is full of so much talent and incredible wines!” Final dates have yet to be confirmed, but Carter and her team will be on hand when the tasting room opens this spring, in time for the Okanagan Spring Wine Festival on May 1. From then, it will be open every day 10am – 5pm.

JoieFarm mobile tasting room

Local food will be heavily featured too. The hope is that that visitors will be able to enjoy picnics onsite and Noble is awaiting a decision on a picnic endorsement for the patio. JJ Skidmore, formerly of Cafe Brio in Victoria, is the new director of hospitality and is planning a full schedule of events. And while Noble trained as a chef and prepared food for many years, don’t expect to find her in the kitchen. She laughingly acknowledges that she can’t do everything and has (finally) learnt to delegate. Local caterers will provide seasonally inspired dishes for events and picnics.

Noble will be on hand at the 13th Annual Tofino Food and Wine Festival, which runs June 5 – June 7. She will be introducing Plein de Vie, the new prosecco-style sparkling wine made from the traditional champagne grapes (pinot meunier, chardonnay, and pinot noir). Plein de Vie translates to full of life, which seems a fitting signature for the charismatic Noble.

2825 Naramata Rd, Naramata, BC
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