Le Vieux Pin Winery

When I think about Le Vieux Pin, I think about a winery that has found its own direction in the Okanagan by looking towards France.

Not by trying to copy it, but by understanding what works in the South Okanagan and adapting a French approach to the conditions here.

But my relationship with Le Vieux Pin has not always been an easy one.

I first visited the winery in 2015. It was actually the second winery I ever visited in the Okanagan, and I still remember it quite well.

We had just come from Quinta Ferreira, where we had experienced the warm Portuguese hospitality.

At Le Vieux Pin, the welcome felt very different.

We arrived by bicycle, sweaty and probably not looking our best, and I remember feeling that the ladies in the tasting room looked down on us.

The Riedel glasses were impressive, but the attitude left a stronger impression.

Perhaps it was just a bad day, or perhaps we were simply not the kind of visitors they expected.

But the feeling of French snobbery stayed with me, and it made me less interested in returning.

For many years, tastings also had to be arranged by appointment, which did not exactly encourage spontaneous visits.

Then, around 2018–2019, I noticed their wines at Vinmonopolet in Norway.

That was a surprise, but I still didn't pay much attention to them.

Later, we heard about James Suckling's enthusiasm for their Syrah.

When someone with his reputation calls a wine the best Syrah in the Okanagan, it is difficult not to become curious.

And so, in the summer of 2026, we finally returned.

There was plenty of smoke in the air from the Summerland fire, and the tasting rooms we visited were unusually quiet.

We decided to give Le Vieux Pin another chance.

This time, a French guy was working alone in the tasting room.

He had another group of guests to look after, but he managed the situation well and made the visit enjoyable.

Still, I sensed a little of that old I'm better than you attitude.

Perhaps I was remembering our first visit, too.

Whatever the reason, we enjoyed the tasting and bought some wine.

And that is the important part: the wines gave me a reason to look at Le Vieux Pin again, this time with more interest.

One thing has changed since my earlier visits: at the time of writing, I can no longer find their wines at Vinmonopolet.

The history of Le Vieux Pin

Le Vieux Pin was established by Sean and Saeedeh Salem, with its first vintage in 2005.

The winery is located on Black Sage Bench, near Oliver, in the South Okanagan.

The name means the old pine in French and comes from a solitary old pine tree on the property.

It is a fitting name for a winery that has built its identity around French winemaking traditions.

From the beginning, the ambition was to make wines that could stand alongside those from the great wine regions of Europe, while still expressing the character of British Columbia.

That is an ambitious goal, but the winery has developed a clear identity over the years, particularly through its Syrah.

Today, Le Vieux Pin is one of the Okanagan wineries I associate most strongly with the Rhône Valley.

From Burgundy to the Rhône

Interestingly, the original idea was to make Burgundy-style wines, particularly Pinot Noir.

But there is a problem with that ambition in the South Okanagan: it is hot.

Achieving the elegance and restraint associated with Burgundy can be difficult when the grapes ripen so readily and the fruit becomes concentrated.

Rather than continuing to push in that direction, the winery moved towards the Rhône Valley.

I think that was the right decision.

Syrah is naturally suited to a warmer climate, and it offers a much broader range of expressions than simply ripe, dark fruit.

Depending on the growing conditions and winemaking, it can be peppery, smoky, earthy, savoury and structured, with freshness holding everything together.

That is the kind of Syrah I find interesting.

The challenge in the Okanagan is not necessarily to achieve ripeness.

It is to decide what to do with it.

A warm climate can give you concentration and generous fruit, but those qualities need balance if the wine is going to be more than simply powerful.

Le Vieux Pin's approach is based on French inspiration, but the wines still have the warmth and fruit character of the South Okanagan.

At their best, they combine that concentration with European-style earthiness and savoury complexity.

And for me, that is where the winery becomes particularly interesting.

Severine Pinte: French experience in the Okanagan

A big part of Le Vieux Pin's story is Severine Pinte, who joined the winery in 2010.

Pinte is French and trained in viticulture and oenology at Montpellier.

Before moving to British Columbia, she worked in Bordeaux and the Languedoc, and she also gained experience in Australia.

That is a useful combination of experience for a winemaker working in the Okanagan.

She understands the French traditions that inspire the winery, but she has also worked in different climates and wine regions.

She is responsible for both winemaking and viticulture, and her work has helped shape the identity of Le Vieux Pin.

I find the relationship between winemaker and place particularly interesting.

You can have all the experience in the world, but every wine region requires a different approach.

What works in Bordeaux or the Rhône will not necessarily work in exactly the same way in British Columbia.

The important thing is knowing which principles to keep and which decisions need to change.

Le Vieux Pin also shares ownership with La Stella in Osoyoos.

While Le Vieux Pin looks towards France and the Rhône, La Stella takes inspiration from Italy, particularly Tuscany.

I like that the two wineries have developed different personalities rather than following the same formula.

They are working in the same broader region, but exploring different interpretations of what the Okanagan can produce.

The wines: Syrah is the main attraction

Le Vieux Pin makes a range of wines, including Syrah, Rhône-inspired white blends, Sauvignon Blanc, rosé and Bordeaux-inspired reds.

But for me, Syrah is the variety that makes the winery stand out.

The winery has several expressions of Syrah, including Cuvée Classique, Cuvée Violette and its flagship Équinoxe Syrah.

They are intended to show different sides of the variety, from the more savoury and spicy character of Cuvée Classique to the more elegant, finessed approach of Cuvée Violette.

The Équinoxe Syrah sits at the top of the range.

This focus on Syrah makes sense to me.

The South Okanagan can produce some very ripe, generous reds, but Syrah has the potential to offer something beyond fruit concentration.

Pepper, smoke, earth and savoury flavours can give the wine a different dimension, particularly when the acidity and tannins are well managed.

Le Vieux Pin also works with Rhône varieties such as Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne.

These allow the winery to explore a broader range of styles, including aromatic whites and blends that draw on the traditions of southern France.

Its rosés and Sauvignon Blanc offer a different side of the winery, but it is the reds, especially Syrah, that I find most compelling.

Two vintages, two different expressions of Syrah

The two Syrahs that particularly caught my attention during our tasting were the 2021 and 2022 vintages.

They were different wines, and the contrast was a good reminder of how much vintage conditions can influence the final result.

The 2021 vintage was difficult in British Columbia, with wildfire smoke a significant concern in parts of the province.

At Le Vieux Pin, the decision was made to co-ferment Syrah with Viognier, a traditional Rhône technique that can influence colour, aromatics and the overall character of the wine.

The result was a Syrah with an earthy character, dark berries, cassis, smoke and a touch of sweetness from the ripe fruit.

The nose was beautiful, the tannins were round, and the finish was long and warming.

It had power, but it also had character.

The 2022 was a different story.

It was an easier vintage, and the Syrah was made without Viognier.

The nose was more restrained, with a more savoury expression.

It felt less immediately generous than the 2021, but I appreciated its restraint and structure.

What struck me most was that neither wine showed the obvious sweetness that I sometimes associate with Okanagan reds.

Both had ripe fruit, but the fruit was not the whole story.

There was something earthy and savoury underneath it, and that made the wines much more interesting to me.

These were the kinds of Syrah I want to find in the Okanagan: wines with enough ripeness to express the region, but enough restraint to let the grape show its other qualities.

A little more about the winery's style

The Okanagan is still developing its identity, and I don't think it needs to settle on one particular style.

There is room for many different expressions, from fresh and elegant wines to powerful reds with plenty of concentration.

But I have a particular appreciation for wineries that manage to combine ripe fruit with savoury complexity and freshness.

Le Vieux Pin's French inspiration is not simply about using Rhône varieties.

It is about trying to achieve a certain balance and structure, while accepting that the climate will always leave its mark.

The Okanagan will never be the Rhône Valley, and there is no reason it should be.

What matters is finding a style that makes sense for the place.

For me, Le Vieux Pin's Syrah is a good example of what can happen when a winery gets that balance right.

The wines can be powerful without becoming heavy, and ripe without being dominated by sweetness.

That is not always easy to achieve in a warm climate, and it is one of the reasons I think this winery deserves attention.

Would I visit Le Vieux Pin again?

Yes, I would.

Not necessarily because the tasting-room experience has become my favourite in the Okanagan.

My first visit left a lasting impression, and even our return in 2026 was not entirely free of that feeling I had experienced years earlier.

But I also think it is fair to separate my impressions of the hospitality from my opinion of the wines.

The wines deserve to be judged on their own merits, and I found plenty to appreciate in the Syrahs we tasted.

There is a clear winemaking philosophy here, and the wines show a style that I find more appealing than many reds that rely primarily on ripe fruit and power.

I also find the story of the winery interesting.

The move from Burgundy to the Rhône, the French influence, the work of Severine Pinte and the decision to develop a distinct identity in the South Okanagan all make Le Vieux Pin worth exploring.

I may not always feel completely at ease in the tasting room, but I can appreciate the craftsmanship in the bottle.

And in the end, that is what will bring me back.

I will visit Le Vieux Pin again for its wines.

See also: okanagan wine guide

See also: Places to Eat in Oliver

See also: Best Wineries Okanagan Valley

See also: Oliver BC wine region

See also: Le Vieux Pin