Gina is owner, winemaker and leader of the team at Nostalgia Wines. She’s the fourth generation from her family to sink her hands into South Okanagan soil. She’s a proud mom to son Jaxson, born in 2011, and daughter Vida, born in 2015. The family lives on the winery’s 17-acre property.
Gina attended Fine Art school in Kelowna, airbrush courses in Las Vegas and was working airbrushing and pinstriping hot rods and motorcycles. She made her first wines with grapes from her father Ken Harfman’s vineyard for a family function in 2009.
“It was a Gewurtztraminer and a Merlot, and I custom pinstriped the labels,” says Harfman. “I had to make a lot of wine, knowing my family. And I loved doing it, so September 2009 I enrolled in Okanagan College to learn more about winemaking.”
She worked at Cassini Cellars as assistant winemaker and began helping with crush at Nostalgia Wines (then called Oliver Twist) in 2010. In 2012 Harfman took over ownership of the winery when she was just 32 years old. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Gina is a classic car lover, and has a 1961 Chevrolet Bel Air fondly called “Ollie” after its previous owner. Those who have visited the property will remember her 1938 Chevy truck blooming with pink petunias in summer months. Following her love of hot rods, Nostalgia Wines is host to an annual Show, Shine ‘n’ Wine Classic Car Show.
Gina is happy to accept a glass of any Nostalgia Wine, and her favourite wine to make is Meritage. “I feel like a mad scientist, trying all the different combinations and percentages of wines in the blend until I get it just right. This wine is very special to me, as part of the Family Collection, since the grapes come from my Home Vineyard and my parent’s vineyard in Osoyoos.”