MEET THE MAKER | WHISPERING HORSE WINERY

It was a crisp fall morning at Whispering Horse Winery where we met Laurent, his lovely wife Melissa, sons Luka and Elio, and parents Barry & Shirley Giesbrecht. We joined them and about 20 others from the community to pick grapes.

As it turns out, picking grapes is quite therapeutic. We felt as if we were transported back in time to a different place, a place so beautiful you needed to know more; more about the history and the people running this beautiful vineyard.

The winery’s name, Whispering Horse, was inspired by the history of the land. It was first established in the early 1960s as J-Bar Ranch, where John Giesbrecht (Barry’s father and Melissa’s grandfather) bred, raised, and trained hundreds of horses for over 50 years.

Laurent Fadanni is the vineyard’s Viticulturist and Winemaker.

Laurent was born in Liège, Belgium (2 hours from Champagne, France) from Italian parents, where he grew up surrounded by amazing wines. With his ceaseless drive for creating, Laurent engaged in many arts throughout his youth, but his passion was in poetry. Since the age of 17, he has been writing poetry, publishing six books, with more still underway today. After high school, Laurent pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree in French Literature, specializing in African Literature, and also began working in theatre and dance.

Laurent’s love and knowledge of wine was the catalyst that sparked the development of Whispering Horse Winery. His wine training began with the WSET course, completing level II, until he realized he was more interested in actually ‘creating’ excellent wines. With that decision, he took a brief apprenticeship in Montalcino, Italy, where he lived and worked on an organic vineyard. Upon his return to Canada, he then learned the ‘science’ and ‘technicalities’ of wine through his enrollment in the Washington State University Viticulture and Oenology programs, both of which he successfully completed. As Whispering Horse’s vigneron, Laurent is able to apply his creative, philosophical, and technical wine knowledge towards making honest, minimalist, and exceptional wines.

Where to find their wines…

By appointment at Whispering Horse Winery | Email: hello@whisperinghorsewinery | Order Online Here.

MERCHANTS:

• Garrison Wine & Liquor Merchants | 45555 Market Way, Chilliwack, BC V2R 0M5
• Whatcom Wine & Spirits | 100-1900 N Parallel Rd, Abbotsford, BC V3G 2C6
•  1185 Mainland St, Vancouver, BC V6B 5P2
• Village VQA Wines (Kitsilano) 1811 W 1st Ave, Vancouver, BC V6J 5B8
• Legacy Liquor Store (Olympic Village)  1633 Manitoba St, Vancouver, BC V5Y 0B8
• Liberty Wine Merchants (Commercial Drive)  1622 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, BC V5L 3Y4

RESTAURANTS:

• Restaurant 62 (by the bottle) 2001 McCallum Rd, Abbotsford, BC V2S 3N5
• Field House (by the bottle) 2281 W Railway St, Abbotsford, BC V2S 2E3
• Bow & Stern (by the bottle and glass) 2551 Montrose Ave, Abbotsford, BC V2S 3T4