Geography: Lake Okanagan, at 144 kilometres long and 3.5 kilometres average width, is the source of much-needed water for irrigation for vines in the Okanagan Valley.

Sales: British Columbia VQA wine sales have doubled in the last six years to more than $182 million annually.

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

Terroir: The Okanagan Valley has five officially recognized sub-regions — Kelowna, Naramata, Okanagan Falls, Golden Mile, and Black Sage/Osoyoos.

Geography: The southern Okanagan Valley in the area between Oliver and the border is classified as part of the Sonora Desert, which runs south to the Baja Peninsula in Mexico.

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