As ONAV Canada, We are interested in learning about its excellent wines and its unique terroir. I should point out that ONAV is the oldest Italian wine organization, founded in 1951. Its goal is to teach the technical aspects of wine tasting, as well as to educate people about moderate drinking. The history of British Columbia is deeply intertwined with that of the region’s indigenous peoples and European settlers.  The first vines were planted in 1859, and the industry began to flourish in the 1930s with the founding of the first winery. The Okanagan Valley became the birthplace of winemaking, with the official opening of the first winery in 1932. The industry suffered a brief setback during Prohibition, but recovered after restrictions were lifted. The introduction of the French grape Vitis vinifera in the 1960s and the founding of the VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) in 1990 marked significant progress for British Columbia Wine. Today, British Columbia Wine is a billion-dollar industry, contributing $3.75 billion to the province’s economy and employing over 14,000 people.

The region’s wineries are spread across nine distinct wine regions, each with its own terroir and winemaking traditions. British Columbia’s wine regions are located at the fringes of the wine world, at the highest latitudes where grape cultivation is possible. However, latitude can be deceiving, as British Columbia’s regions are often much warmer than one would expect at that latitude. I would like to emphasize that it all depends on the unique climate that guarantees quality, variety, and sustainable growing conditions. Let’s see what makes British Columbia’s terroir unique, along with its unique climate. British Columbia is sunny, and lots of it. Being so far north, we receive up to 16 hours of sunlight a day during the growing season, 10% more than Napa Valley. Sunlight ripens grapes and contributes to sustainable viticulture.

Sunny skies mean less rain, with very low precipitation levels during the growing season in inland British Columbia. These drought conditions result in low humidity and prevent many of the risks of rot and mold that can occur. For this reason, growing grapes in British Columbia can be very sustainable, as there is less need for chemical irrigation than in many other regions around the world. Osoyoos and Summerland receive only 32 cm of annual precipitation. By comparison, Napa receives 51 cm and Bordeaux 91 cm.

The bodies of water surrounding British Columbia’s vineyards are crucial to growing grapes this far north. Lakes and the ocean act as powerful climate moderators, warming and cooling more slowly than the surrounding soil and releasing heat to prevent moderate temperatures from becoming too extreme. Fast-flowing rivers keep air moving, preventing frost and keeping vineyards clean and dry, helping reduce the risk of certain pests and diseases. Winter reminds us of our latitude, as temperatures can often drop to -20°C or below. At these temperatures, vines can be damaged by the cold. Inland lakes and the coastal ocean cool more slowly than Earth, radiating heat and protecting nearby vineyards. In other areas, wind turbines are used to mix warmer air and protect the vines. The benefit of the cold, however, is the ability to produce Canada’s most famous wine, Icewine, which must be produced at temperatures of -8°C or below. The official name for a wine region in British Columbia is Geographical Indication (GI). There are nine GIs in the province. If a wine is a blend of more than one GI, it is labeled as being from British Columbia. There are  twelve sub-GIs in the province.  Eleven are recognized in the Okanagan Valley and one is recognized in the Vancouver Island GI, with more in development.

Kelly, could you tell me something about the types of grape varieties.

The diverse grape varieties across BC’s nine wine regions yield wines known for fresh acidity, full flavor, and elegant structure. You’ll find over 12,000 acres of vineyards producing a wide array of grape varieties from the sun-drenched slopes of the Okanagan Valley to the coastal breezes of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. White wines from BC are celebrated for their freshness, elegance, and complexity, while the reds often show beautiful structure and ageability thanks to natural tannins. The most widely planted red grapes in BC vineyards are Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Additional grape varieties include Cabernet Franc, Syrah/Shiraz, and Gamay Noir. The most widely planted white grapes in BC vineyards are Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Riesling. Additional grape varieties include Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Blanc.

Kelly, it would be interesting to know about sustainable viticulture and ongoing research.

Our BC wine community is a collective of like-minded grape growers, winemakers, hospitality directors, enologists, viticulturists, researchers and other wine industry professionals, committed to the long-term health of the land and our wine industry. We are very proud to have an industry specific certification program active in our province developed by a team of BC wine industry volunteers, who gathered local knowledge

and expertise and learned from programs in other winegrowing regions. Sustainable Winegrowing British Columbia is a comprehensive program managing sustainability certification, as well as providing educational resources and training to help vineyards and wineries establish sustainable practices. SWBC shares best practices and measures ongoing improvement.

Kelly, in Italy, I lived near a hilltop town with vineyards that produced excellent wines, but the wonderful thing is that these wines were influenced by the immense rosemary plantations

Kelly, in summer, due to the drought, numerous fires break out and the smoke can damage the grapes.

Vintners and winemakers around the world have been adapting practices to mitigate the effects of wildfires and smoke for many years. At the same time, researchers and winemakers in these regions are increasingly focusing on understanding the impact of smoke and developing preventative measures. The topic of smoke impact has become a research priority for many regions around the world, including the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO), where Wesley Zandberg, in collaboration with the BC Wine Grape Council, leads research and support for the British Columbia wine and viticulture industry. It is important to understand that exposure to smoke does not always lead to smoke contamination. The impact of smoke on grapes depends on several factors: length of exposure, different grape varieties are more sensitive than others, proximity of the grapes to the fire, and weather conditions at the time of the fire (wind, etc.). Smoke contamination is the most serious effect smoke can have on wine, and extreme conditions are required for it to occur. When smoke becomes a problem, or there are too many unknowns, winemakers and producers may decide not to harvest the grapes or sell the wines. The expectation is that all the wines reaching consumers will be of good quality.