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The Okanagan Valley DVA begins in Canada’s only true desert environment and is adjacent to the U.S. border. Crossing the border to the south one notices that the Valley continues, and although the terrain doesn’t change, the spelling of it does. In the states the Okanogan Valley is home to several additional wineries and vineyards.
Within British Columbia, the Okanagan Valley DVA stretches 155 miles north through a variety of microclimates, ending in an area that favors cool-climate viticulture. Mid valley is the location of the unofficial Naramata Bench wine region, which is entirely contained within the viticultural area of the Okanagan Valley. Weather in the Similkameen, the Okanagan and the Naramata Bench regions is more extreme than that to the west of the Canadian Cascades.
Many different soil and weather variations in the Okanagan combine to create ideal growing conditions for a wide variety of wine grapes. This diversity makes it conceivable to visit neighboring vineyards in the region that produce completely different wines. Located in BC’s south central interior, the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys are the oldest and largest of this province’s wine-producing areas — both in size and in the number of active wineries and vineyards.
Between BC’s three official wine regions in the west and its major Okanagan and Similkameen wine regions to the east, the traveler finds a wide selection of varietal wines, primarily produced from French and German vinifera grapes, from big, ripe reds to fresh, cool whites, and rich, sweet Icewine made from grapes left to freeze naturally on the vine. Approximately 30 years ago, government-sponsored, experimental vineyard plots helped winemakers discover which varietals ripened properly and survived in BC’s consistently frosty winters. Since then, vineyard managers and winemakers have made good use of the knowledge gained, and have worked together to refine the art of viticulture in British Columbia. Many international and regional awards attest to their success.
Trademark wine products for the Province are crisp, fruity white wines and scrumptious dessert wines, including late harvest wines and Icewines (picked and crushed while frozen). More and more red wine grapes are being grown in the southern Okanagan and the Similkameen Valleys, where the hot, desert climate and long, northern-latitude growing season create microclimates well suited for many red varietals. Cool nights in these warmer areas prevent the breakdown of acids caused by constant heat. Plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah, among others, are now scattered throughout this southern area. Pinot noir is also widely planted in British Columbia wine regions.
In the southern Okanagan Valley, intense hot, dry summers, coupled with harsh, cold winters, produce quality fruit for a variety of distinctive wines.