West Kelowna winery changes ownership

A West Kelowna organic winery's owners have acquired Little Straw Vineyards. Kalala Organic Estate Winery, a family-owned winery producing organic wine since 2006, acquired Little Straw Vineyards at the end of 2021, according to a press release issued by Kalala. Little Straw Vineyards...

A West Kelowna organic winery's owners have acquired Little Straw Vineyards.

Kalala Organic Estate Winery, a family-owned winery producing organic wine since 2006, acquired Little Straw Vineyards at the end of 2021, according to a press release issued by Kalala.

Little Straw Vineyards began operating as Slamka Cellars in 1996, producing award winning wines from their Ourtoland Road winery. After a quarter of a century, the Slamka family decided it was time to retire and pass the torch, according to the press release.

“Our father purchased the land and planted our first vineyard back in 1969. We were one of the very first wineries in West Kelowna. This place holds near and dear to our hearts, we have raised our children here and created abundance of memories,” the Slamka family, previous owners of Little Straw Vineyards, said in the press release.

The new owners said they are ecstatic about their new venture and seeing what the future holds for them at this new location.

“We relate to the Slamka family in so many ways. We are both immigrant families who started a winery in West Kelowna. We understand how hard it is to start a winery from scratch and how much effort, time and patience is required to run a successful winery,” said Karnail Singh Sidhu, founder and viticulturist at Kalala Organic Estate Winery, in the news release.

This is a big year of change for the Kalala family. Plans are in place to transition to an organic vineyard over the next few years. The official launch of the new winery is scheduled for spring 2023, where they will be introducing their premium organic label, Dostana Wines.

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