Grant Biggs: His amazing life as a creator of great wines

This is a really interesting discussion with Grant Biggs from Kitcsh Wines! We discuss the current state of the Canadian economy and ongoing NAFTA negotiations with the United States and Mexico. You can hear Episode 15 of the I Love Kelowna Podcast here. If you enjoyed this episode, an iTunes review would be SO appreciated! https://tinyurl.com/y8jax3xb SHOW NOTES Grant was born and raised in Port Alberni. French grandmother and Italian grandfather connected him to food and wine in a very positive way from a young age. Should you go to university straight out of high school? Hotel Grand Pacific in Victoria is where he worked when he started his sommelier education. Extensive restaurant and retail background. Decided to move to 2010 in Kelowna to make wine; friends thought he was crazy! Worked at Raudz downtown, where he got to meet and learn from a lot of people in the industry. Started to study chemistry and take distance learning courses on wine making. 2012 was his first job at a winery with Mt. Boucherie in West Kelowna. Wine making may SEEM glamorous, but most of the time you’re just cleaning stuff and moving heavy things. Agreed to forego the title and work for reduced pay, in order to become Assistant Wine Maker. Moved to Tantalus Vineyards in 2013 and trained under David Pattison, then all the way to New Zealand in 2014, then back home to Tantalus for a second harvest in 2014, where he was given the very important role of decision making for the harvest. Applied and got hired as vineyard manager, working outdoors and doing things he had never done before, with Maria Kitsch. Took even more courses in viticulture in Penticton simultaneous with the job as vineyard manager for the Kitcsh family. Convinced the family to use the three bay garage to start making wine, went through the licensing process and in September 2015 picked the first harvest for Kitsch Winery. Remembering the first sip of wine, and the first time he got intoxicated. Loves to drink a cold beer after hot days working in the vineyard. Loves microbrews. Making good wine is a combination of art AND science. It starts with growing very good fruit in the vineyard. Every vintage is totally unique, and depends in large part on Mother Nature. Personal maturity and transformation after getting fired from a job when he was younger. Living a positive, wonderful life doing what he loves to do, every day. Effectively dealing with self doubt and getting over minor issues very quickly. There are no bad days! They mostly grow aromatic whites: Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Reisling, Rosé, and one Pinot Noir. A big shoutout to Trent and Ria the owners of Kitsch Wines!