• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Food & Wine Trails Magazine

BC's most thorough wine touring guide

  • Columns
    • Grape Expectations
    • Editor’s Note
    • Naramata Blend
    • Confessions from the Vineyard
  • Features
  • Events
    • Submit an Event
  • Winery Regions
    • Creston
    • Kaleden
    • Kamloops
    • Kelowna
    • Lake Country
    • Lower Mainland
    • Naramata
    • Okanagan Falls
    • Okanagan North
    • Oliver
    • Osoyoos
    • Penticton
    • Similkameen
    • Summerland
    • Vancouver Island
    • West Kelowna
  • Maps
    • Thompson Okanagan/Similkameen
  • Recipes
  • Editions
  • Media Kit
  • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Subscribe
  • Show Search
Hide Search

LIKE HER WINE, OLIVER TWIST’S GINA HARFMAN IS FULL OF PUNCH

Jenna Hickman · May 1, 2018 ·

Before Gina Harfman was professionally making wine, she was airbrushing and pinstriping motorcycles, vehicles and basically any object thrown at her. Her family held onto almost everything, from old fridges to vintage cars — Harfman grew up in an era well before her time.

“I have a big family, so there were always lots of old stories to be told,” says the young owner of Oliver Twist Estate Winery. “Getting together and telling stories makes people feel good, and everybody has a story.”

For the single mom, winemaking came naturally as it is part of her Portuguese heritage. Her grandparents made wine in their basement. Harfman’s family has lived in the Osoyoos area for four generations, buying bare land and farming it for over a century.

When Harfman purchased Oliver Twist Estate Winery in 2012, she kept the signature Oliver Twist wines but created her own Nostalgia series. The labels are brightly coloured, and each has a pin-up girl, with an attitude to match the wine. With names like Rockabilly Red, Pink Cadillac, Boogie Woogie White and Cherry Baby Port, the blends are fun and vivacious, just like their maker.

“People come here to have fun. We have speakers all around and crank up the music — usually ‘50s and ‘60s inspired,” says Harfman. “We have a big yard, so families come, and kids can run around while the parents drink wine and have a picnic.”

The biggest event of the year is the annual car show where Harfman will release another Nostalgia series wine. This year’s event on July 14 is the fifth annual show. You won’t find traditional prizes for the longest drive or best car, rather trophies are awarded for the best chic magnet and best rockabilly car. Plus, with food trucks and vendors, a pin-up girl contest and live rockabilly band, The Wheelgrinders, the event is a highlight of the year for Oliver Twist and for Oliver.

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Oliver

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • On the Cover
  • Kelowna and the Central Okanagan Welcome You to Harvest Time
  • Splash of Colour, Flavour in Osoyoos
  • CHECKMATE ARTISANAL WINERY: FINE WINES AND ARCHITECTURE
  • No Shortcuts at Road 13

Categories

  • About
  • Armstrong
  • Armstrong Salmon Arm
  • BC
  • Blog
  • Columns
  • Confessions from the Vineyard
  • Creston
  • e-Edition
  • Eat, Drink, Tweet
  • Editor's Note
  • Events
  • Features
  • Gulf Islands
  • Kaleden
  • Kamloops
  • Kelowna
  • Lake Country
  • Lower Mainland
  • Maps
  • Naramata
  • Naramata Blend
  • News
  • Okanagan Falls
  • Okanagan North
  • Oliver
  • On The Cover
  • Osoyoos
  • Peachland
  • Penticton
  • Recipes
  • Salmon Arm
  • Shuswap
  • Similkameen
  • Summerland
  • Tappen
  • Tappen
  • Uncategorized
  • Vancouver
  • Vancouver Island
  • Vernon
  • West Kelowna
  • Wine Regions

B.C. Food & Wine Trails Magazine

B.C.'s most comprehensive winery guide. Meet the people behind the labels as well as the great chefs in the Okanagan and keep up to date with their seasonal news. Event listings and photos will allow you to celebrate with us in wine country style!


BC Food & Wine Trails Magazine
2495 Enterprise Way
Kelowna, BC V1X 7K2
ph: 250.492.3636
email: ads@winetrails.ca

Footer

Winery Regions

  • Creston
  • Kaleden
  • Kelowna
  • Naramata
  • Okanagan Falls
  • Okanagan North

 

  • Oliver
  • Penticton
  • Similkameen
  • Summerland
  • Vancouver Island
  • West Kelowna

Advertise with Us

Food & Wine Trails Magazine is BC’s most thorough wine touring guide, winery source and portal into life inside BC wine country. Food & Wine Trails introduces YOU and YOUR business to a huge range of readers - from destination tourists, wine lovers and buyers to a local reader base interested in keeping up with the latest and greatest seasonal news from wine country. Our purpose and focus is to direct customers TO your door. Let us tell your story. Learn more...

Copyright © 2025 · Daily Dish Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in