Brandon Lawrence is the Winemaker and Viticulturalist at Lunessence Winery and Vineyards in Summerland’s Bottleneck Drive, in Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. After earning a kinesiology degree from the University of Victoria, he initially planned to pursue physiotherapy. But summer vineyard work for his father, a vineyard manager, sparked a lasting interest in viticulture. His first harvest in 2016 led to a full-time role at Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards in 2017, where he spent five years gaining hands-on experience and completed the UC Davis winemaking certificate in 2019.
Brandon expanded his skills with harvests in Central Otago, New Zealand (2020), and Margaret River, Australia (2023), and worked at Daydreamer Wines before joining Lunessence as head winemaker in 2023. He brings a practical, detail-oriented approach to his work, and outside the winery, he enjoys recreational sports, fitness, and exploring health and wellness.
Media Inquiries: bjlawrence3@gmail.com | https://www.lunessencewinery.com/
What’s the ONE THING most unique, authentic, & memorable about your brand?
Our commitment to the environment. Our vineyards and the biodiversity in them come first. We are certified organic and have been since 2020. We have 2 separate wetlands amongst the vines that you can see from our patio. The cattails and shrubbery of these marshes add a unique look to our vineyard and a boost to our biodiversity. We are committed to preserving these areas by not encroaching into their space and being diligent our sprays do not drift into them; that’s why we’re proud to be a wildlife habitat steward, partnering with the Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship Society to protect and preserve the natural habitat of the region. In addition, we let the ground cover in–between the vineyard rows grow without mowing most of the summer. This plant diversity creates a robust habit for all insects, which helps us to maintain a balanced ecosystem. This is crucial as it reduces pest pressure, negates spraying of organic pesticides and shows off some beautiful flowers as well.
Describe how and what you’d do with your winemaking career or winery business if you were not constrained.
I’m super fortunate to have the freedom to make wines in ways I think draw out the best characteristics from each of the varieties. We do a lot of barrel ferments, with both wild and commercial yeast so it would be amazing to have 1 more temperature-controlled room so I could move barrels between them and really dial in the fermentation temperatures. On the vineyard side, we work with growers further south in Osoyoos, so it would be lovely to own a vineyard down there that we could farm organically and with our own practices. In time it would be so cool to introduce some biodynamic viticulture. Soil moisture probes for precision irrigation would also be an advantage. The rest just goes back to building the soil and biodiversity – cover crops, cows or goats and chickens, onsite compost production, planting native trees and shrubs around the property. Lastly, it would be really cool to partner with the BCSPCA. We could build a shelter on site to house some dogs and cats and then the dogs could run and play in certain parts of the vineyard and live their best lives while waiting for adoption. The cats could be hanging out in the wineshop with guests, or maybe just in certain rooms where you could hold special tastings.
What is the One Wine most emblematic of your brand and/or winemaking style? Tell us its story.
The wine we are most known for is our Blancs de Noir. It is a pale pink rose, traditionally made from a combination of Merlot (~80%) and Syrah (~20%) grown organically on site. Our 2022 version contains 25% P. Noir. This small portion of P. Noir added delicacy and youth. Combined with the Merlot and Syrah resulted in a fresh medium bodied, off-dry wine with notes of floral, cherry, strawberry and grapefruit. The grapes were hand-picked from a single vineyard, foot trodden for gentle color extraction, whole cluster pressed, fermented and aged in both stainless steel and neutral oak. We love the flavor boost that fermenting in neutral oak provides to our roses and whites and this wine is a prime example of that. This wine is the expression of what we want all of our wines to be – fresh, complex, unique and easy to enjoy whether you have a seasoned palette or you’re just learning. Here’s the wine review and suggested food pairing.
Bonus Question: What are your wholehearted convictions related to the wine business?
I don’t think vineyards get as much attention as they should. We’ve come a long ways, but there is still a ways to go in the valley to grow better grapes and make better wine. I feel like wineries get so much money thrown at them, it would be nice if the vineyards could receive the same level of attention.