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The Ansem family
The Ansem family has recently launched Daydreamer Wines, a small, organic winery on Naramata Bench.
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Evolve Cellars
The view from Evolve Cellars in Summerland.
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Evolve Labels
Evolve Cellars labels peak to freshness, brightness and simplicity.
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Lost Inhibitions
Lost Inhibitions wines, by Church & State with the tagline 'Have a glass and open up!'
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Lang Vineyards
The patio overlooking Okanagan Lake at Lang Vineyards.
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Rober Driediger
Robert(Duffy) Driediger winemaker at Lang Vineyards.
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Guenther and Hans Lang
Guenther Lang, co-founder of Lang Vineyards and his brother Hans Lang the vineyard manager.
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Wild Goose Estate Winery
Wild Goose Estate Winery’s celebrates their 25th anniversary bash in June and is also on the circuit for ardent fans of BC’s burgeoning boutique wine sector.
Lang Vineyards founders Guenther and Christine Lang led the way with BC’s first “farmgate” winery license, allowing smaller growers to start their own operations. Lang has been undergoing a revival since Chinese entrepreneur Yong Wang purchased the winery in 2010.
The winery and cellar door have been tastefully updated and the Lang family continues to run the operation at a high standard with Guenther’s nephew, Mike, as general manager and brother, Hans, who manages the 10 acre vineyard.
The portfolio includes celebrated names like Farm Reserve Riesling, Marechal Foch from 50 year old vines, and the Original Canadian Maple Wine, plus such new labels as limited edition Legacy Riesling and 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon sampled out of the barrel during the first Silver Jubilee event on May 9.
Robert (Duffy) Driediger climbed aboard as winemaker at Naramata’s pioneering Lang Vineyards in September, 2014. He took over from Lawrence Herder who moved on after a one year stay. A BC native, Duffy grew up in the Okanagan with a family long involved in the local wine industry. Duffy’s training includes a stint working with Heidi Noble and Robert Thielicke of JoieFarm Winery in Naramata. He takes over winemaking duties at Lang as it celebrates its 25th anniversary this summer.
Wild Goose Estate Winery’s celebrates their 25th anniversary bash in June and is also on the circuit for ardent fans of BC’s burgeoning boutique wine sector. Guests are invited for complimentary hors d’oeuvres, wine tastings, and live entertainment, to meet the winemakers, owners, staff and family that have made Wild Goose what it is today, and to try the new 2014 releases and join the Vintners Club “pick-up-party”. The winery’s founder Adolf Kruger lobbied with Guenther Lang, Bohumir Klokocka and Wolfgang Zeller to create the farmgate winery category for small growers in 1990.
JoieFarm Winery on Naramata Bench opened a tasting room and on-site retail store. It is a bold move by co-owners Heidi Noble and Michael Dinn who opened the winery in 2005 with the focus on a functional structure and sales of Alsace and Burgundy-inspired wines mainly to restaurants. With production at 15,000 cases a year, circumstances have changed and JoieFarm now welcomes visitors Wednesday to Monday until October 11.
Evolve Cellars opened its doors on Bottleneck Drive in Summerland this May. The latest project from Encore Vineyards group, also home to Time and McWatters Collection, Evolve is led by Christa-Lee McWatters Bond, hospitality and marketing director at Local Lounge & Grill in Summerland, and Harry McWatters. Perched on a bench overlooking Okanagan Lake, the winery and cellar door is open daily until Thanksgiving. Focusing on fresh, fruit-forward, approachable, affordable wines, it is sure to be a crowd-favourite.
Evolve Cellars has not made too big a fuss over labels – they speak to freshness, brightness and simplicity, letting the wine, the grape variety and price, and a catchy name, do most of the talking. (After all, wine originated as nourishment first and foremost.
Time Estate, Harry McWatter’s futuristic winery on Black Sage Bench has postponed the official grand-opening until the spring of 2016. If timing is everything, then a spring launch garners more excitement and attention than the end of the season when wineries are busy enough gathering the harvest and filling the tanks.
The new frontier of wine label design spearheaded by pioneering Vancouver ad agency Brandever hit home recently on a visit to a local VQA store. An over-the-top display of Lost Inhibition red and white wines from Church & State winery at the front of the store made sure shoppers noticed the label’s hypnotic, 3D appeal, long before they knew the name of the wine or what kind of wine it was. Every bottle displayed had a different edgy, cheeky, freaky phrase spelled out in letters, and symbols where appropriate, in a variety of attractive soft, pastel colours. No two labels are the same, at least in the same box, and all have the same theme. Attractively presented, these packages add a fun dimension to parties and dinners, if not taken too seriously, along with the plus that they contain great wines from Central Saanich and Oliver-based Church & State Wines, widely-praised for its Coyote Bowl Series.
Australian native Marcus Ansems has recently launched Daydreamer Wines, a small, organic, family-run winery, with his wife Rachel on Naramata Bench. This writer has crossed paths with Ansems previously, first at Creekside Estate Winery in the Niagara Peninsula, and later at Therapy Vineyards in Naramata. A second generation winemaker, his career has spanned the globe with stops in South Africa, France, Italy, Australia and Canada, after graduating from Adelaide University Roseworthy program with a Bachelor of Science Oenology major in 1996. As the wine expert, he is the guiding force behind unique and interesting international selections for the exclusive Hemispheres Wine Guild. Starting small scale at 1,000 cases, Daydreamer avoids sinking piles of money into the winery by leasing part of a vineyard and contracting with other growers as well as a new custom crush pad, Wine4You.
