Okanagan’s first lead woman winemaker, Lynn Bremmer, also an accomplished weaver, was born in the Kootenay region of British Columbia (BC) and followed the Sensory Pathway to wine: “I was always interested in aromas and had a fascination for food and cooking.”

She attended the BC Institute of Technology in 1972 to study biological sciences and food processing and said she regretted that no winemaking courses were available in BC at the time. She worked for a year in the dairy industry and then held a lab position at Andrés Wines in Port Moody, where she was mentored by its male winemaker.

She left in 1980 to take on the lead winemaking position with Brights Wines in Oliver, a winery established by Lynn and her spouse, a viticulturist whom she had met while working at Andrés Wines. Brights Winery was instrumental in developing premium BC-grown vinifera varietals that they imported from Europe. They evaluated over 50 foreign varietals known to be sources of high-quality wines.

Lynn and her spouse later established Mount Kobau Wine Services in Oliver, through which they continue to serve others in the industry. For example, they developed curricula for, and later taught, enology and viticulture courses at Okanagan College—now the University of British Columbia Okanagan. They also were involved in overseas projects for the Canadian government designed to bring modern winemaking techniques to eastern Europe and the Caribbean, served on the Research and Development committee of the BCWI and were instrumental in the development of the VQA regulations for BC. Lynn, a past chair of the BC Wine Grape Council, continues to serve the local wine industry in myriad ways, and is a mentor for many in the industry.

Updated 06/23