Episode 6: Run it like a girl with Catherine Langlois, Owner, Sandbanks Estate Wineries

It was during a chance visit in 2000 that Catherine Langlois fell in love with Prince Edward County, a rural peninsula that pushes out into Lake Ontario about an hour west of Kingston. Catherine had also fallen in love with the art of wine-making while working in the world-renowned vineyards of Burgundy, France, an opportunity she took while studying hospitality management in Montreal. Catherine, who grew up on the south shore of Quebec City, got a Farm Loan, sold her home and bought 15 acres of land near the town of Wellington. She traded in her red motorcycle for a blue tractor and went about planting and building what was only the fourth winery in Prince Edward County; that number now tops 40. Sandbanks Winery started by selling 4 wines to local restaurants, but Catherine opened the store when it became clear there was a growing demand for her wines. Sandbanks is now a commercial success with 19 products listed at the LCBO, Ontario’s Liquor retailer. Sandbanks Winery is also the LCBO’s fifth top supplier of VQA wines, which are wines made from 100% Ontario grapes. Catherine was recognized as the Quinte Region’s Remarkable Woman of the Year in 2017 for helping to put the region on the map and playing a vital role in boosting the region’s economy and its stature as a tourist destination.