BC’s First Farm Gate Winery Lang Vineyards Marks its 25th Anniversary
Okanagan Valley, BC – British Columbia’s first farm-gate winery will honour industry pioneer Guenther Lang with a silver jubilee celebration of wine and art taking place at Lang Vineyards on the Naramata Bench on May 9.
Lang Vineyards opened its doors in 1990 after a lobby effort led by Guenther succeeded in having Premier Bill Vander Zalm’s government enact regulations to enable small farm wineries to be established. The first release from the vineyard, a 1989 Marechal Foch, won a gold medal at the Atlanta International Wine Festival.
“My uncle selected the property high up on the bench for its excellent soil conditions and micro-climate,” says general manager Mike Lang. “He went to work pulling out the original vines and replacing with European vinifera varieties such as Gewurztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Noir, but the hardier Marechal Foch hybrid was retained for its superb qualities and continues to be one of our most popular wines.”
The 2014 Legacy Riesling will be released in tribute to the vineyard’s pioneer who will be on site to autograph bottles for guests.
“The Legacy Riesling is a wine released in honour of my Uncle as it is created in a traditional German style Riesling representing our German Heritage,” says Mike.
Photo: Lang Vineyard’s GM, Mike Lang, with BC wine pioneer, and his uncle, Guenther Lang
Riesling has been a stellar award winner for Lang Vineyards, earning an All Canadian Wine Championships Double Gold/Best White for the 2011 Farm Reserve Riesling, Okanagan Wine Festival Best Riesling award for the 2012, 2011 and 2008 Farm Reserve Riesling, a silver medal from Wine Align for the 2013 Legacy Riesling and a Best of BC Wine Award silver medal from Okanagan Life Magazine for the 2013 Farm Reserve Riesling.
Guests will enjoy tastings and the panoramic view from Lang Vineyard’s open courtyard located high above Naramata Bench. During the anniversary celebrations, local artists will capture that view as they create original paintings on site.
“Each year we have loyal customers that travel to the winery from Alberta and the Lower Mainland to pick up a case of our wines to take back home,” says Mike. “We’re excited they can join in our celebration to mark this incredible milestone.”
Spring releases will also include 2014 Marechal Foch – produced from the 50-year old vines on the property – 2013 Syrah, 2014 Viognier and the 2014 Select Harvest Riesling.
Guenther and his wife Kristina purchased the vineyard when they immigrated to Canada in 1980. At 6.5 acres, the vineyard was exactly the type of small farm operation the new government regulations set out to support, where in the early days the wine making and selling was run out of the garage. Now producing 3,500 cases each year, Lang wines are served in award-winning restaurants in Penticton, Vancouver and Victoria, sold in VQA stores and boutique liquor stores across BC and in Edmonton, and available from the farm gate (now sold from their spacious modern tasting room).
Early in its history Lang Vineyards made the foray into dessert wines, making a traditional late harvest wine while also pioneering another sweet delicacy synonymous with Canada: maple. Struck by the tourists flocking to purchase Canadian maple products at the Vancouver International Airport duty-free store, Guenther experimented until he had created Canada’s only maple dessert wine. The wine shop now offers both red and white Canadian Maple Wine, the first made with Pinot Noir and the second with Chardonnay.
Silver Jubilee celebrations for Lang Vineyards run from 12 pm to 5 pm on Saturday, May 9 as part of the Spring Okanagan Wine Festival. See more at langvineyards.ca.