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VQA: VQA=100% BC - All British Columbia wines bearing the VQA symbol must be made from 100% BC grown grapes. The wines are screened by a professional tasting panel and wines found faulty cannot be sold as VQA wines.

Sales: British Columbia VQA wine sales have doubled in the last six years to more than $155 million annually.

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.

History: In 1931, Calona Vineyards opened as the first commercial winery in the Okanagan.

History: In 1859, Oblate missionary Father Charles Pandosy planted the first vineyard at the Oblate Mission near present-day Kelowna.


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

 
 
FRASER VALLEY
 

WINERIES VISITED

 

1. Blossom Winery
  2. Township 7 Vineyards & Winery
 

3. St Urban Winery*
  *appointment only in summer
 

Just under 1400km long, the Fraser River has always been the lifeline of British Columbia and much of the history of the province runs its length. The first recorded First Nations settlement (Sto:Lo) was along the Fraser. It was a prominent trade and travel route during the province’s first gold rush in 1858 and continues to be an important wild salmon fishery.

The grape-growing region is located just an hour east of Vancouver in the expansive and fertile Fraser Valley-the largest agricultural region in British Columbia. It is home to a dozen wineries covering roughly 70 acres of vineyards.
THE TOUR
  The first winery on your tour will be Blossom Winery in Richmond. Blossom is a family-run estate winery that produces both fruit wines and wines from 100% BC grown grapes. They also make a number of icewines.

From Vancouver, take GRANVILLE ST. out of the downtown core. FOLLOW GRANVILLE ST to SOUTHWEST MARINE DR. Exit SOUTHWEST MARINE DR. to OAK ST BRIDGE/PROVINCIAL ROUTE 99. Continue to follow PROVINCIAL ROUTE 99.Take the SEA ISLAND WAY exit, EXIT 39A, toward AIRPORT. Stay STRAIGHT to go onto SEA ISLAND WAY. Turn SLIGHT LEFT onto NO 3 RD. Turn RIGHT onto ALDERBRIDGE WAY. Turn LEFT onto MINORU BLVD.

From Richmond, head to the Fraser Valley to Township 7 Vineyards and Winery in Langley. Township 7 opened for business in 2001 in a quaint building reminiscent of the many riding stables in the neighborhood. The winery sits on a five-acre vineyard.

Start out going SOUTH on MINORU BLVD toward LANSDOWNE RD. Turn LEFT onto WESTMINSTER HWY. Take the HWY-99 S ramp toward SEATTLE. Merge onto PROVINCIAL ROUTE 99 S and continue for
33km. Take the 8TH AVE. EAST exit, EXIT 2, toward U.S. BOUND. Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto 8 AVE. Turn LEFT onto 176 ST/PACIFIC HWY/PROVINCIAL ROUTE 15.

Turn RIGHT onto 16 AVE and drive 7km to reach Township 7. This is the original location for Township 7, which also has vineyards and a winery on the Naramata Bench in the Okanagan. Township 7 focuses on the production of small lots of high quality wines made from carefully chosen grapes.

From Township 7, head NORTH on 204 ST to visit St. Urban Vineyards. The winery is named for the patron saint of vineyards whose feast day in Europe (May 25) guarantees there will be no more frost that year–a good thing if you’re growing grapes.

Start out going NORTH on 204 ST toward FRASER HWY/PROVINCIAL ROUTE 1A E. 204 ST becomes GLOVER RD. Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto 70 AVE/SPRINGBROOK RD/PROVINCIAL ROUTE 10/HWY 10-BYP. Continue to follow PROVINCIAL ROUTE 10/HWY-10-BYP. Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto 72 AVE. Merge onto PROVINCIAL ROUTE 1 E/TRANS CANADA HWY E. and drive 56km. Take the PREST RD exit, EXIT 123. Turn RIGHT onto PREST RD and continue for 4km. Turn RIGHT onto BAILEY RD.

Located at the eastern end of the Fraser Valley with a view of Mt. Cheam and the surrounding mountains, St. Urban makes cool climate wines such as Kerner, Siegerebbe, Ortega and Turan using traditional European methods.

After St. Urban, your tour is complete. Circle back to the city by TRANS CANADA HWY W or if you have a few days on your hands, continue on to the Okanagan.

TOTAL DRIVING TIME (ONE WAY): 120 MINUTES
RECOMMENDED TOUR TIME: FULL DAY
DESIGNATED DRIVER
  Wines should be consumed responsibly. DO NOT taste and drive. Each winery will offer you several samples and over the course of a tour, and it is easy to consume far too much wine to be able to drive. Plan ahead and choose a designated driver before you begin your tour.
 
© 2006 British Columbia Wine Institute.  All rights reserved.