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Okanagan Valley (wine region)

West Kelowna, Okanagan Valley
Wine region
Official nameOkanagan Valley
Year established1989
Years of wine industry20
CountryCanada
Part ofOkanagan
Growing seasonApril–October
Climate regionIa
Precipitation (annual average)<12 inches
Size of planted vineyards2,400 hectares
No. of vineyards200+
Varietals producedPinot Noir, Chardonnay & others
No. of wineries120

The Okanagan Valley wine region, located within the region of the same name in the British Columbia Interior, is Canada's second-largest wine producing area.[1] Along with the nearby Similkameen Valley, the approximately 8,619 acres (3,488 hectares) of vineyards planted in the Okanagan (2018 data) account for more than 80% of all wine produced in British Columbia,[2] and are second in economic importance for wine production to the Niagara Peninsula of Ontario. Some 182 licensed wineries existed from south to north in the valley in 2018,[2] with many situated along the 135 km (84 mi)-long Okanagan Lake and its tributaries and downstream lakes, including Skaha Lake, Vaseux Lake, and Osoyoos Lake. The Okanagan has diverse terrain that features many different microclimates and vineyard soil types,[3][4] contributing characteristics which are part of an Okanagan terroir.[5]

Wine production in the Okanagan dates to the 1850s, with the establishment of Okanagan Mission and the planting of grapevines to supply sacramental wines. In the early 20th century, prohibition in Canada wiped out many of the Okanagan's earliest wineries and the commercial wine industry in the area was not revived until the 1930s. From this time through the mid-1970s, the Okanagan wine industry was based entirely on the production of fruit wines and those produced from hybrid grapes.[6] The Okanagan wine industry has been developed to include dining experiences for pairing wine with farm-to-plate foods.[7]

  1. ^ Schreiner, J (2009). The Wineries of British Columbia. North Vancouver, BC: Whitecap Books. ISBN 978-1-55285-983-4. Archived from the original on March 3, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Discover the Okanagan Valley". BC Wine Institute. 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  3. ^ J. Robinson (ed) The Oxford Companion to Wine Third Edition pg 133 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0-19-860990-6
  4. ^ The Canadian Encyclopedia "Wine Industry". Accessed: January 5th, 2011
  5. ^ "Okanagan 'terroir' probed by wine centre". Canada.com. July 23, 2008. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  6. ^ J. Gordon (ed) Opus Vino pg 126-130, DK Publishing New York 2010, ISBN 978-0-7566-6751-1
  7. ^ Fiona Beckett (2 October 2016). "A wine tour of Canada's beautiful Okanagan Valley". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 April 2019.

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