Okanagan Valley (wine)
| Wine region | |
 |
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| Official name | Okanagan Valley |
|---|---|
| Year established | 1989 |
| Years of wine industry | 20 |
| Country | Canada |
| Growing season | April–October |
| Climate region | Continental |
| Precipitation (annual average) | <12 inches |
| Size of planted vineyards | 2,400 hectares |
| No. of vineyards | 200+ |
| Varietals produced | Pinot Noir, Chardonnay & others |
| No. of wineries | 120 |
Located in the Southern Interior region of British Columbia, Canada the Okanagan Valley is the second largest Canadian wine region, located within the region of the same name. Along with the nearby Similkameen Valley, the approximately 4,000 hectares (9,900 acres) of vineyards planted in the Okanagan account for more than 90% of all wine produced in British Columbia and are second in economic importance for wine production to the Niagara Peninsula of Ontario. Vineyards can be found all along 135 km (84 mi)-long Okanagan Lake and many of its neighbouring lakes, including Osoyoos Lake, Skaha Lake and Vaseux Lake. The Okanagan has diverse terrain that features many different microclimates and vineyard soil types, contributing characteristics which are part of an Okanagan terroir.
Wine production in the Okanagan dates to the 1850s, with the establishment of Okanagan Mission and the planting of grapevines to supply sacramental wines. In the early 20th century, prohibition in Canada wiped out many of the Okanagan's earliest wineries and the commercial wine industry in the area was not revived until the 1930s. From this time through the mid-1970s, the Okanagan wine industry was based entirely on the production of fruit wines and those produced from hybrid grapes.
The first vineyard planted in the Okanagan was at the Oblate Mission in Kelowna in 1859, planted by French Catholic priest Charles Pandosy and was solely intended for the production of sacramental wine for the celebration of the Eucharist. Several small vineyards, planted mostly with Vitis labrusca sprang up until prohibition encouraged the uprooting and replanting with other agricultural crops. For most of the 20th century after prohibition, what limited wine production that took place in the Okanagan was mostly fruit wines made from berries, apples, cherries or even table grapes. One winery, Calona Wines founded in 1932, still remains from that period and was the first commercial winery in British Columbia and remains the oldest continuously running winery in the province. Eventually the use of French-American hybrid grapes, such as Marechal Foch and Vidal blanc took hold, led by the Stewarts of Quails' Gate Estate Winery.
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