Who's Who
Golden Mile Cellars was acquired by the Luckhurst Family in the fall of 2003. The original developers/proprietors, Peter and Helga Serwo, after 50 years tending to grapes, felt they deserved a slower pace lifestyle and the opportunity was ours.
The castle winery and 23 acres of vineyard located on the Golden Mile, and our new 11 acre East Bench Vineyard on Black Sage Rd., also as good as it gets, are both a challenge and pleasure for our winery and operations team.
Click on the thumbnails to see more information about Golden Mile's staff.
Bailey Williamson
(Winemaker's Assistant)
Bailey joined us in the summer of 2006 in preparation for harvest and crush. He brought with him a wealth of experience in the food and wine industries. A trained chef and cheesemaker, Bailey has gravitated between Victoria and the Okanagan in his pursuit of the culinary and wine arts. With is ongoing educational and cellar work, Bailey is like having another winemaker which Mike greatly appreciates. Bailey married Jenny Garlini last year and they are thrilled with the arrival of their baby boy, Porter Sidney Williamson. Now they can settle down in sleepy Oliver without having to search North America in the pursuit of the perfect mate.
Sebastien Blouin
(Vineyard and Cellar)
Our newest find, Sebastien came to us the spring with seven years of vineyard and orchard experience in the Okanagan. Sebastien works the vineyard and is convinced he is Mick and Trevor's boss and certainly leaves them in the dust when it comes to hard work. Attitude leads to quality and Sebastien has it in spades. He does make us scratch our heads when he shows up in the middle of the night, in the middle of winter to work. Mike's quote: " Sebastien is one of those people who, if he got his arm caught in a machine would chew it off so he could keep working." Too bad he's French.
Joe Luckhurst
Joe is in his final year studying Theatre at Cornish College in Seattle. The younger of the two Luckhurst boys, Joe has always had an interest in theatre and no amount of persuasion can keep him in the vineyard. He plans to head to Los Angeles when he finishes school to pursue his career. On his occasional trips home he can be found in the wine shop or vineyard - maybe you'll be lucky enough to catch him and get a "pre-stardom" autograph.
Korrine Bremner
(Wineshop Manager)
Korrine has been here since April 2005 which is almost forever. Her smiling face and naturally happy attitude have made her a keeper at the winery. Her witty sense of humour has worked well to keep Mick in his place. Korrine loves to cook and is our resident expert in food and wine pairings. As well as helping to keep the wineshop running smoothly, Korrine conducts our barrel room tastings and keeps in touch with our wine club members. Want to know which wine (Golden Mile that is) to buy for dinner? Ask Korrine!
Matt Luckhurst
Matt is finishing his final year at the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary and putting his skills to work in designing labels, etc. for the winery. Actually, he is in so much demand in Calgary these days we hardly get any work out of him at all. He's hoping to head to New York in the Spring to pursue a Master's degree in visual arts. Matt garnered an award from Applied Arts Magazine last year for his design for the new Road 13 Red label so we have high hopes for even bigger and better things to come.
Mike Bartier
(Winemaker)
Mike joined Golden Mile Cellars in March 2005. Born in Kelowna, Mike is one of the few home-grown winemakers in the Okanagan Valley. His imagination knows no bounds (ie. Black Arts) but we try not to hold it against him as he seems to know what he's doing. His passion and diligence in the cellar has racked up an impressive array of awards for his wines. Mike's winemaking style is geared to his palate; we're betting on his strong inclination to good wines. Seems to be working!
Mick Luckhurst
(Proprietor)
From Vancouver Island, Mick's corporate fields have encompassed lumber trading, building supplies, construction and development. Mick spends 90% of his time in the vineyard in pursuit of the perfect grapes. He is always researching pruning techniques, watering strategies and ways to control the vigorous growth our vines enjoy in the rich ground on our vineyards. His latest reading includes biodynamic, organic and sustainable farming. If you like to chat about the vineyard he's your man - never at a loss for words, he'll make sure you leave with a good understanding of our grape growing process and hopefully a few bottles of wine as well.
Pam Luckhurst
(Proprietor)
After a brief career in banking, Pam preferred the adventurous life as a flight attendant which was immediately cut short when she met Mick. Bringing up their two boys while working side by side with Mick in the family companies kept Pam busy until moving to the South Okanagan. During their tour of the wine regions in New Zealand Pam was intrigued and smitten with the aura surrounding the wine industry. Pam administrates and manages bookkeeping as well as heading up the best tasting room team going. With the addition of Gisele to the team, Pam hopes to spend more time away from the winery (now if we could just get Mick out of the vineyard).
Trevor Hammond
(Vineyard Manager)
Trevor is originally from Ontario. He moved to the Okanagan in 1996 and has not been able to pull himself away since. With seven years vineyard experience under his belt Trevor came to us in 2005 to further his knowledge of terroir and vineyard (and possibly snowboarding), while taking on more responsibility. His knowledge has helped our grapes become some of the best!
Gisele
Growing up in Oliver, Gisele has been surrounded by the wine industry as long as she can remember. Her favourite wine is Viognier so if she says we are sold out of 5th Element White ask to speak to someone else - she's probably hidden it! We're always nice to Gisele as she's an avid hunter and a crack shot with a rifle. In the summer Gisele rides to work on her scooter so if her smile is marred by black flecks between her teeth remind her to slow down or ride with her mouth closed - we do. Her favourite singer is Terry Jacks and favourite movie Joe and the Volcano and if you really want to get on her good side give her a wolf photo.