The owner of Howling Bluff Estate Wines, Luke Smith, sees parallels between what he’s doing on the Naramata Bench and his former career as a Vancouver stockbroker.

“In the investment industry, you can’t control the market,” Smith told the Straight by phone. “And in the farming industry, you cannot control she who must be obeyed: Mother Nature.”

He’s learned to worry about what he can control, such as how well he takes care of his vineyard, and not to get too discouraged about things he has no influence over, such as the weather. Smith is also remarkably adaptable, moving to the Naramata Bench from the city in 2003 and soon learning how to repair a broken tractor, create fencing to keep deer off the property, and build an eight-hectare vineyard.

“I was never afraid of those kinds of things,” he said.

He’s also proven to be an able viticulturist, as demonstrated by Howling Bluff’s numerous prizes, including a gold for its 2012 Sauvignon Blanc at the National Wine Awards of Canada in 2013. This year, he expects Howling Bluff will produce 1,200 cases thanks to a larger blending tank, after selling 600 cases last year in 90 days.

Smith said that even though he’s not making nearly as much money as he was in the past, he’s never been happier. Whereas as a stockbroker he used to think people who pursued their passions for little compensation were “idiots”, he said that he now realizes he was wrong.

“Working for a labour of love is just incomparable,” Smith declared.

He’s also extremely bullish on the future of the B.C. wine industry. And he’s quite open about wanting Howling Bluff to remain in his family for generations to come.

“I firmly believe that in British Columbia, we will…be recognized as one of the greatest grape-wine regions in the world,” he said.

On May 1, Howling Bluff will launch a wine club with a limited membership. “It’s going to have access to some of the wines you just can’t buy,” Smith stated.

Signature wine: The Pinot Noir has won two B.C. Lieutenant Governor awards. In addition, Smith is proud of his Summa Quies Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Sémillon, which he called his “Sauv-Sem”. “We have yet to find where the market saturation is,” he said.

Fun fact: When Smith was in the investment business, his clients included some of Howe Street’s most colourful characters, including stock promoters Murray Pezim, Arthur Clemiss, and Nell Dragovan. “I was there for the Wild West times,” Smith recalled.

Address: Howling Bluff Estate Winery, 1086 Three Mile Road, Penticton, B.C., 250-490-3640.