Two Okanagan wine aficionados honoured by provincial organization

Photo: Contributed

Josie Tyabji, left, and Marjorie King

A pair of South Okanagan women were recognized this week when Wine Growers British Columbia handed out its annual awards to acknowledge outstanding achievements and contributions to the B.C. wine industry.

Penticton’s Marjorie King captured the WGBC’s Industry Recognition Award, while Oliver’s Josie Tyabji took home the organization’s Award of Distinction.

King was honoured for being a pioneer of B.C. VQA wine evaluation and Canadian based wine award competitions.

“Marjorie’s passion for B.C. wine, sharing knowledge and building community shines through her work developing the B.C. VQA sensory evaluation process, a vital contributor to the evolution of the B.C. wine industry,” WGBC president and CEO Miles Prodan said in a press release.

“We thank Marjorie for her leadership role in building the reputation of B.C. VQA wine, today known for consistently world-class quality.”

Tyabji is a partner at Gneiss Wines at Oliver’s District Wine Village who has never wavered in her support of the B.C. wine industry.

“Josie has been a leading wine industry voice representing winery interests on local and national boards including as the first woman chair of Wine Growers British Columbia (then the BC Wine Institute),” Prodan said. “Josie was integral in seeing the industry through tumultuous times, and her continued involvement in B.C. wineries, including her hand in the establishment of Nk’Mip Cellars through collaboration with the Osoyoos Indian Band, speaks to her never-ceasing commitment to the growth of the BC wine industry.”