Lawrence Herder on the Cutting Edge of BC Wines

Lawrence Herder is an anti-Sideways kind of guy, he loves Merlot and it shows. Herder Merlot is one of the most complex and developed Merlots’ that I’ve every tasted from BC grapes. His other wines are equally good, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

It all began a few weeks ago when I had the honour and privilege of meeting and interviewing Lawrence at his winery in the South Similkameen Valley just west of the South Okanagan Valley. The winery overlooks 14 acres of pristine vineyards and has a stunning view of the entire valley.

It was at the end of a long day for Lawrence, he had just harvested tons of pears from a few acres of trees that remained on the property when he purchased it. Then Lawrence recounted the beginning of his winemaking career: “Winemaking for me started in California when I was 14 years old, I found a home wine making kit in the attic and thought it would make an interesting project.” Unfortunately he did not read the instructions carefully and bottled the wine a few days after beginning fermentation and the bottles popped their corks open all over the kitchen. He has come a long way. After graduating from Fresno State specializing in winemaking and viticulture, he spent the next few years in various California vineyards from Sonoma to Paso Robles. The potential of the Similkameen and Okanagan Valleys brought Lawrence and his BC born wife, Sharon, back to the province.

After spending a few years as Winemaker for Jackson-Triggs in the Okanagan, he decided to create his own winery. He searched for the perfect vineyard site in the valley and one day it came up for sale. The vineyards he purchased are near a pocket of high cliffs that hold in the heat during the evening and prolong the ripening process of the grapes. Add to this the layers of well drained and ideal soils, and you have the making of some outstanding fruit.

Vineyard management is equally important to Lawrence as he spends time and spares no expense to maximize the quality of grapes in the vineyard. He then crafts his wine using state of the art equipment and years of experience and knowledge into the final product. Herder has many different oak barrels in his cellar, each one unique in its flavour profile. Like a giant jigsaw puzzle he blends different barrels until he is satisfied that the final blend is the best it can be.

Herder does not have to answer to a marketing department or accountants, he is his own critic and tough on himself to produce the best. They produce only about 3000 cases a year and the wines sell themselves without a large advertising or marketing budget and that suits Lawrence just fine. After tasting Herder wines I complemented Lawrence on the high quality of the wines. He turned to me, smiled, and said, “We just make wine” and to that I say, “Damn fine wine indeed.”