So talented.
So young.
So deserving.
Manpreet Dhaliwal, 28, the winemaker at Kismet Estate Winery in Oliver, has been named to BCBusiness magazine's 30 Under 30 Class of 2026.
This list is recognition of the best and brightest of the next generation of entrepreneurs, executives and changemakers in the province.
These Gen Zers use agility, grit, resilience and adaptability to build trusted personal brands and secure the partnerships and strategic alliances needed for success.
Red Carpet Winemaker's Dinner
Kismet's throwing a party to celebrate Dhaliwal's 30 Under 30 win on Saturday.
The Red Carpet Winemaker's Dinner starts a 6 pm in The Hangar event space at the winery and features a sit-down, multi-course meal from the winery's on-site restaurant Manzil Indian, paired with Kismet wines, of course.
There will also be a red carpet photo opportunity and a bottle of wine signed by Dhaliwal for each guest to take home:
There are some last-minutes tickets available here for $150 each:
https://kismetestatewinery.
Family, place, people
"Being named to BCBusiness 30 Under 30 is an honour, especially because this work is so connected to family, place and the people who show up for us," said Dhaliwal.
"I'm proud of what we've built so far and I'm even more excited about what's ahead this season as we release new wines and welcome guests back to the winery and (on-site Indian restaurant) Manzil."
Some of those new wines Dhaliwal mentioned are in the Virsa Series, bottles made from the top 1% of each vintage.
By the way, virsa means heritage or legacy.
"The wines we're bottling now are tasting so expressive," she said.
"The wines and roses are aromatic and vibrant with bright tropical fruit character from a hot, sunny vintage. I'm especially excited out our new 2025 Viognier Reserve (a wine club-only release). And yes, the roses are back, including Phulkari, by popular demand. On the red side, the 2022 Syrah is bold, yet polished, with great ageing potential."
Speaking of the bestselling Phulkari rose, it was one of the wines that brought success to Dhaliwal's early career as a winemaker.
Along with 2024 Sitara Frizzante, 2022 Mantra, 2022 Cabernet Franc Reserve and 2021 Moksha the wines won platinum, double gold, gold, silver and bronze medals at competitions.
Dhaliwal is the first and only South Asian female winemaker in Canada.
Kismet is a family business that she joined somewhat by accident.
Initially, Dhaliwal trained as a practical nurse and was working in health care during the pandemic.
She came home to help with a big harvest at Kismet and ended up working the cellar and learning winemaking.
In 2023, whe became head winemaker at the age of 26.
The Dhaliwal family has 600 acres of vineyards in the South Okanagan to supply Kismet as well as other wineries.
Some of the other stars to make the 30 Under 30 Class of 2026 include fashion photographer Cassidy Chen, 23; 19-year-old twins Jerry and Jason Song, co-directors of #Vote16BC and Twin Talk Politics; Parker Kump, 29, CEO of Social Commerce Club; Jaiya Varsney, 23, co-founder of Tydra Labs; and Connor Emeny, 29, a world-record endurance runner.
Steve MacNaull is a NowMedia Group reporter, Okanagan wine lover and Canadian Wine Scholar. Reach him at [email protected]. His wine column appears every Friday afternoon in this space.
