Terroir: The sandy soil of the Black Sage Bench near Oliver reaches 300 feet deep in places.

More awards: Jackson Triggs - Okanagan won the 2006 Rosemount Estate Trophy for Best Shiraz/Syrah of the year at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London, England. A first for a North American Winery since they began awarding the trophy in 1994!

Hybrid: Grape varieties developed, typically by crossing European varieties with native North American varieties. The plant breeder’s objectives include developing varieties that ripen early, resist disease or are winter-hardy.*

Meritage: Rhymes with heritage. A term created in California to identify blends made with Bordeaux grape varieties.*

Brix: A measure of sugar in grapes: one degree Brix equals 10 grams of sugar per litre. Mature grapes are typically 21 to 25 Brix, equating to 11 to 13 percent alchohol after fermentation.*


*Schreiner, John - British Columbia Wine Country, Whitecap Books Ltd., 2003

  
 
 

Pinot Noir grape vines, grown at Quails’ Gate Estate Winery in Kelowna, from late winter/early spring until harvest through all of the life stages outlined below.
Photographer Tyler Galts, Quails’ Gate Estate Winery

 

British Columbia has five Distinct Viticultural Areas, each with unique climates and soils. There are variations in viticultural practices in different areas, so what follows is a generalization of practice in the province.

PRUNING: Pruning generally takes place in the winter or early spring. On frost prone sites, growers tend to delay pruning in order to delay budbreak. In other areas and with certain varieties such as Merlot, growers tend to prune earlier so as to advance the ultimate harvest date.

BUDBURST: Normally takes place in late April, depending on the variety. This is when spring frosts pose the greatest risk. Frost is combated using overhead sprinklers and frost fans.

FLOWERING: Generally takes place in June. This is a critical time for determining the likely yield of the crop.

SHOOT POSITIONING: Certain late ripening varieties and super-premium fruit are shoot-positioned and crop-thinned to advance maturity and the ultimate harvest date.

VERAISON: Generally takes place in August as the baby grapes change from the hard, green state to their softened, colored form. During veraision, the skins soften, sugars and size increase and acidity decreases.

GREEN HARVESTING: For the best-quality fruit, a green harvest takes place in order to modify the yield to suit the year’s climatic conditions, with the objective of improving quality, flavour uniformity and advancing ripeness.
  
HARVESTING: The majority of vineyards are harvested by hand although there are some machine harvesters operating in the Okanagan Valley. Harvesting starts with whites in early- to mid-September and can continue until early November. There is considerable frost risk towards the end of harvest.  

DORMANCY: With the onset of cold temperatures in November, the vines become fully dormant.
 
© 2006 British Columbia Wine Institute.  All rights reserved.