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.

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Wines blended from several different varietals are the norm in Europe. Here in the New World we do not have the benefits that come with age-old wine regions and vineyards, synonymous with a core of varietals, on which reputations have been built; winemaking in North America got its start emphasizing single varietal wines…Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.

Over the past several Pacific Northwest vintages, however, the observant visitor to our many wine regions and wine shops has, no doubt, noticed the increased availability of blended, high-end wines… Bordeaux-style and Rhone-style blends (both red and white), Super Tuscan-style blends and many other red and white proprietary blends that allow winemakers to balance the structure, flavors and acidity of their wines. We are learning which varietals grow best in our regions and which combine well for more complex and interesting wines.

Blended wines are not a new phenomenon in the Pacific Northwest, of course; they have been available for quite some time, usually in the form of table wines at the bottom of the price scale. Today’s blend trend is evidenced in the premium wine lists of wineries, restaurants and wine shops throughout the region.

Wine as art reaches the apex of its potential, agree many winemakers, when its creation allows the free hand of the winemaker to blend multiple wine-grape varietals from selected vineyards each vintage. Vintages vary more from year to year in the Pacific Northwest than in many other North American winegrowing regions; winemakers here vary percentages of each varietal every year in their blended wines to compensate for vintage influences on vineyard fruit. In their annual quest to find the “perfect” balance of flavors, acid levels and structure in their wines, winemakers vary the combination and percentages of grape varietals to create their final, nuanced blends.

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