The Black Hills team is proud to announce the promotion of Ryan McKibbon to the role of Head Winemaker.
Since joining our winemaking team ahead of the 2022 vintage, Ryan has overseen the cellar under the guidance of Ross Wise MW. This move brought his career full circle, as he first worked for Ross as a harvest intern back in 2011. Since then, he’s completed 16 harvests around the world, gaining experience at some of the world’s leading wineries, including Crystallum (South Africa), Hidden Bench (Niagara), and Felton Road (New Zealand), along with benchmark estates across the Okanagan Valley.
In fact, it was Ross who convinced Ryan to move to the Okanagan in 2018, lured by the potential of the valley. Over the years, Ryan has developed extensive experience with the late-ripening grape varieties of the Black Sage Bench and South Okanagan. His deep familiarity with its desert soils and extended sun exposure has shaped his approach to working with varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah.
“It’s a privilege to take on the Winemaker role and continue to work with Black Hills’ estate vineyards on the Black Sage Bench,” said Ryan. “We’ve made immense strides both in the vineyard and winery and I’m excited to build on the legacy of wines like Nota Bene. It’s all about incremental refinements as we continue to push ourselves, learning from the past to make an even better future.”
Ryan’s winemaking philosophy is uniquely informed by his experience in the vineyard. His hands-on expertise in organic and biodynamic viticulture has instilled the importance of sustainable farming and transparent site expression, listening to nature to reach its fullest expression. Over the years, he’s led wineries through organic certification and worked alongside renowned biodynamic specialist Olivier Humbrecht MW. His goal is to bring a methodological approach to the cellar to craft wines that express place and have a personality.
“Growing up on a farm, I know the value of nurturing the land for future generations,” said Ryan. “We have the responsibility to steward these vineyards and, by being closer to them, we can also better understand how to express each site through our winemaking.”
For many of our members, Ryan is already a familiar face. Over the past three years, he’s shared his passion for winegrowing with our close-knit community, always eager to engage in conversations about viticulture, winemaking, and our desert home. Whether working in the cellar or walking the vineyards, he brings a diligent, thoughtful approach to his role. Ryan’s unrelenting pursuit of excellence makes him the perfect fit to now lead our winemaking team and write our next chapter.
