These Okanagan Valley Wines Are Smart Money

Laughing Stock Vineyards Celebrates 20 years of its iconic Portfolio red blend.

Writer John Clegg

They say that the best way to make a small fortune in wine is by starting with a big one. Laughing Stock Vineyards in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley aims to turn that mantra on its head with its collection of wines inspired by the rollercoaster ride that is the stock market. Founded in 2003 by financial industry veterans David and Cynthia Enns, Laughing Stock found immediate success thanks to the cult following that formed around its iconic red bordeaux blend: Portfolio. Laughing Stock has since changed hands, now forming a core part of Arterra’s substantial premium holdings in the valley, but the wines remain a safe investment for casual and serious wine drinkers alike.

When it comes to the quality of its wines, Laughing Stock Vineyards is laughing all the way to the bank. Under the leadership of winemaker Sandy Leier, formerly of the nearby Sandhill Wines, Laughing Stock remains committed to its original goal of producing world-class Okanagan wines. With property in locations ranging from near the U.S.A. border to north of Kelowna at its disposal, Laughing Stock gives Leier the enviable opportunity to blend grapes from many different microclimates. And perhaps most importantly, Laughing Stock, with its signature ticker tape packaging and self-aware humour, enticed Leier with its idiosyncrasy, a quality that extends into its long-standing winemaking philosophy. “I didn’t want to go to just any little winery. I wanted to go somewhere where it’s got unique things that I can work with, and that’s why I was drawn to Laughing Stock,” Leier says. “I just loved the sort of creativity that had gone into the brand and the way that they designed the winery.”

However, like the stock market, the world of wine is in constant flux, and after three years at the helm, Leier’s own fingerprints are just now becoming detectable throughout the winery’s portfolio. According to her, inheriting winemaking duties at a prominent winery requires equal parts reverence for its history and a willingness to forge new paths. “The collection of different vessels that we have at Laughing Stock is really unique,” Leier says. “We’ve got concrete eggs. We’ve got clay amphora. I’m a big fan of large formats, so I’ve got 2,000-litre foudres from France that I’m working with now. And I want to showcase what these different vessels can do for the wines, because Laughing Stock has always had an innovative side.”

That innovative side is exemplified by the 2023 Amphora Viognier, sourced from the brand’s Perfect Hedge Vineyard in Osoyoos, a location far enough south for the late-ripening variety to round into shape. Both fermentation and aging took place in two clay amphorae, the latter of which lasted for four months and was on its lees. The result is a white wine of astounding fullness, the lees aging and slight oxygen contact giving it a rich, mouth-filling density that carries flavours of honey, stone fruit, daisies, and lemon meringue.

Winemaker Sandy Leier

Portfolio, Laughing Stock’s icon wine, aims for the same balance in its grape composition as a savvy investor does in their stock portfolio. The current release from the 2022 vintage—widely considered the best harvest in recent memory—marks two special dates in Laughing Stock’s chronology: Leier’s first as head winemaker and the 20th year Portfolio was made. For this and future versions of Portfolio, Leier plans on letting the purity of the fruit continue to shine, making her mark by tweaking the barrel program to match vintage variation. “Every vintage is a bit different, so it’s just reacting to the harvest or the vintage and making the best blend that we can.”

This vintage demanded a relatively true-to-the-style Right Bank Bordeaux blend where merlot predominates alongside a support cast of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, and, in quite minor proportions, malbec and petit verdot. Like previous vintages of Portfolio, it spent roughly 20 months in new and second-use French oak barrels before bottling. This serious, age-worthy wine is packed with flavours of overripe dark fruits, cherry, cocoa, and menthol. Buying a few of them for the cellar is sure to be a rewarding bet—like any good stock.

Laughing Stock