Called “the Napa of Canada” by the New York Times, the Okanagan has become one of Canada’s foremost wine producing regions. Nourished by a gloriously warm, sunny and dry climate, cool nights and soil ideal for growing grapes, the Okanagan Valley and its mountainsides are home to more than 100 wineries. Not bad for an industry that was taking just baby steps barely a generation ago!
In just the last 20 years, the British Columbia wine industry has quadrupled in number of wineries, vineyard acreage and production. Wine touring has become one of the Okanagan Valley’s favourite pastimes, and self-guided tours are made easy with a “Wine Route” signage pointing the way to major wineries from major roadways. There are also some excellent information about the wineries in visitor products, such as International Guide which is found in the guest rooms of most major hotels and motels throughout the Okanagan Valley.
Okanagan wineries range from large facilities with substantial production to small, family-run operations where wine can only be purchased direct from the winery. Many winery families and vintners were raised and/or trained abroad, and have brought their knowledge to BC, creating local expertise that is world class. During the winter, temperatures can dip below -8°C/18°F, perfect for harvesting grapes frozen hard as marbles to create sweet icewine, a sweet dessert wine.
Wine festivals spring, summer and fall are a fun and exciting time to visit, with terrific events, tastings, and awards competitions. Sherman's Travel named the Okanagan one of the Top 10 Emerging Wine Regions in the world as well as one of the Top 10 Places to Go in 2008, and Frommer's named it a Top Travel Destination in 2007.
Most wineries invite visitors for wine tastings and tours, and some serve delectable gourmet prepared regional cuisine to accompany the fine wines, served indoors or on protected patios, tapas-style, or on platters with fruit and cheese. Designated drivers can make sure that everybody gets back home safely, or the driving can be left to somebody else altogether thanks to wine tour companies that offer half, full day and overnight packages for dedicated wine enthusiasts.
The tours, which typically take 20 minutes to an hour at each winery, allow visitors to see and learn about the entire winemaking process from growing the grapes, to crushing, to bottling. Those under 19 years old are not permitted to taste the wine, but the tours are usually open to people of all ages.
