Lang Vineyards opened its doors in 1990 as BC’s first farm gate winery. This small, but superbly equipped business, has grown into one of the most popular boutique wineries on the Naramata Bench. The winey was founded by Guenther Lang, who grew the winery from its humble beginnings to the renowned operation of today, which has become a model for excellence in vineyard management and winemaking. Michael Lang, the nephew of Guenther, is the current General Manager.
The Vineyards
The Lang Vineyards estate currently own 6.5 acres of grapes. They grow Maréchal Foch, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Viognier. The Foch and half of the Riesling vines are over 60-year-old vines. All the others are over 30-year-old vines. They also purchase grapes from other local growers. All the fruit is from the Okanagan or Similkameen valleys.
The Winemakers
Robert (Duffy) Driediger: Cellar Master/Assistant Winemaker
Duffy grew up in an Okanagan family that has long been involved in the local wine industry. With a passion for the craft and what it had to offer, he started his career in the vineyards at JoieFarm Winery. After gaining experience in viticulture, he worked with leading winemakers Robert Thielicke and Heidi Noble to broaden his knowledge of cellar operations. He was briefly with Townsite Brewing in Powell River when he realized his heart was in the wine business. In September 2014, Duffy joined Lang Vineyards and has full responsibility for the cellar and wine program.
Robert Thielicke: Consulting Winemaker
Rob is a first generation Canadian, born in Calgary to German immigrant parents, and was raised in Kelowna. Growing up in a winemaking family, young Rob had a strong interest in pursuing a career in the industry and set out to do so in his mid-20’s.
In 1999 he worked for Kettle Valley Winery in Naramata, and various organic vineyards, while also completing his Oenology & Viticulture Diploma. In 2003 he was hired as Assistant Winemaker at Mount Boucherie Winery in West Kelowna and continued with them as head winemaker until 2008.
Rob returned to Naramata as head winemaker and vineyard manager at Joie Farm Winery, more than doubling their production volume, and winning multiple wine awards. He joined Lang Vineyards as Consulting Winemaker in 2014.
Vintage 2017
Robert Thielicke provided the following comments on Vintage 2017. “The vintage started off great in April with an early bud break for us. We also had a minimal amount of rain in June. The remainder of the summer remained hot without rain. In September and October we had cooler temperatures but again without much rain. This was ideal for reaching our desired sugar levels. It also helped to produce great phenolics, perfect acidity & flavourful grapes. In my opinion, aromatic Whites and Rose’s will be the stars of the 2017 vintage.
It’s always difficult to judge a vintage until it’s bottled and aged. However, I feel this years wines will be one of the smoothest we have seen in many years due to the hard work of our growers on the Naramata Bench and winemaking in our cellar.
Lang Vineyards Wines
Lang Vineyards Viognier 2016 A luxurious wine grown by Raisin D’etre Vineyards on the Naramata Bench. There are aromas of honeysuckle, apricot and violets on the nose with a rich round mouth-feel on the palate. This wine won multiple awards. 2017 Northwest Wine Summit: Gold, Best Viognier & Jerry Mead Best Value awards. 2017 All Canadian Wine Championships Bronze Medal.
Lang Vineyards Legacy Marechal Foch 2015 This is a limited edition wine with only 75 Cases produced! The Legacy Foch has been barrel aged for 18 months and is the third Marechal Foch vintage aged in oak. The wine is full bodied with rich flavours of chocolate and stewed fruits and exhibits delightful ripe cherry aromas.
For the complete portfolio of BC wine please visit the Lang Vineyards site here.
Future Plans
2018 is going to be a big step forward for our winery. Our production will most likely be over 6000 cases as we have been around 4500 the last few years. The winery has seen significant growth the last few years as our wines continue to gain popularity across Canada. We are also looking forward to making our first ever port wine. It will be a unique Maréchal Foch port and very limited. Only one or two barrels are destined for the port release.