The Okanagan Valley
The Similkameen Valley
The Fraser Valley
Vancouver Island
The Gulf Islands
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!

Varietals: 49% of British Columbia’s wines are white. 51% are red. In the last acreage survey conducted, 97.1% of the yield was from vinifera grapes and 2.9% from hybrids.

Fermentation: The natural process in which yeast converts sugar to alcohol.*

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

Tannin: A compound in the skin and seeds of grapes that is essential in providing substance and backbone to red wines.*


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

 
 
 

This is an exciting new region for viticulture. There are now vineyards and wineries on many Gulf Islands, including Salt Spring, Pender, Saturna, Quadra and Bowen.

CLIMATE
 

The mild climate of the Strait of Georgia is very conducive to grape-growing, although scarcity of water and extreme aridity in summer present challenges.  Like the Okanagan and Fraser valleys, the Gulf Islands region had a well-established fruit-growing and market-gardening tradition in the late 1800’s.

PREDOMINANT VARIETIES
 

A number of different varietals are planted including Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Chardonnay and others.
 
© 2006 British Columbia Wine Institute.  All rights reserved.