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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No one seems to agree on what defines the BC wine industry, what the Okanagan Valley’s signature is, or where it might be heading in the future. This region has a lot to offer the global wine industry, we just need to figure out what that is.

Wine industry professionals and wine drinkers seem to be obsessed with each and every country or wine region having a particular wine identity. For example, New Zealand is famous for Sauvignon Blanc and Argentina’s signature grape is Malbec. Naturally, Canadians want their own wine identity, too. Across the globe Canada is famous for icewine, but wine consumers and professionals in Canada want a wine identity that is equal to, but separate from, making icewine. It’s a particularly hot topic in British Columbia and specifically the Okanagan Valley. Yet, no one seems to be able to agree on what defines the Okanagan Valley’s wine industry or where it might be heading in the future. Another factor to consider is wine regions that don’t have a single identity, like the Loire Valley in France for example. Are regions without a single signature any less significant in the wine industry just because we are not able to pigeon hole them? Obviously not, but there are certainly advantages and disadvantages when it comes to trying to define a region’s wine identity.

The Okanagan Valley is identified by wines that are high in natural acidity

There have been a few general statements made about what defines Okanagan Valley wine. At the 2018 Fall BC VQA Ambassador training hosted by the BC Wine Institute (BCWI), the discussion led to two main points about the identity of BC wines. The most agreed upon statement was that BC was defined by wines that are naturally high in acidity. The idea is that regardless of the grape variety or style of wine or what sub region the grapes were grown, whether a the wine is a fruit-forward Pinot Noir, an off-dry Gewürztraminer or a Bordeaux-style blend, the unifying factor would always be that backbone of natural acidity.

Speaking to proprietors, winemakers and other industry professionals in the Okanagan Valley, this isn’t necessarily and agreed upon “fact.” For the most part, it’s a great generalization. However, like other regions around the world, acidifying wines is not as uncommon as you may think. If the grapes are harvested too ripe — maybe in an exceptionally hot vintage or in the more southern vineyards in the Okanagan Valley — the wine may have low acidity and need to be balanced by adding acidity or the wine will be flabby. This isn’t to say that acidification is wrong, but if that’s your wine identity, it should be used sparingly, if at all.

Generally speaking, this high acidity assessment of identity may be relatively accurate, but there are certainly enough exceptions to this “signature” that it warrants looking at other options.

The Okanagan Valley’s Real Signature is Diversity in Wine Styles

Consider this: if you were travel by car from the furthest north part of the Okanagan Valley to the southern tip, it would take you approximately 2 1/2 hours. Now think about Europe. Take the same approximate distance north/south and see how the regional wine identity changes. For example, the wines produced in Beaujolais are vastly different from the Southern Rhone, which is about the same distance as the north and south Okanagan. Even the styles and grapes differ from Northern Rhone to Southern Rhone, a much shorter distance. If you travel from Verona (Veneto wine region) to Florence (Tuscany) you get very different grape varieties and wine styles in each region.

So why try to fit the Okanagan Valley into a neat little box of wines? Perhaps it’s easier to digest (pun intended) if the region was a little more simple with less grape varieties to wrap our brains around. Maybe certain wine industry professionals would like the Valley to become more like Old World wine regions. It is possible that some companies want more regulations to control the quality of wines produced in the region and they believe it would be easier if the Okanagan had a more simplified, recognizable identity. The reasons may vary, but the fact remains, not every area in the Okanagan Valley can — or should — have a single identity.

British Columbia is diverse; in its geography, weather, indigenous plants and animals, its communities and business and so much more. One of the greatest appeals of the Okanagan Valley is how well the region celebrates diversity in everything they do and in who they are. That diversity extends to the wines of the region as well. Each sub-region has something unique to offer and as more official sub-appellations are legally defined within the Okanagan Valley, we will see that diversity celebrated even more. The Okanagan wine region has a lot to offer the global wine industry, particularly its many grape varieties and wide range of wine styles. Now that is a pretty great identity, isn’t it?

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