With all of us watching and cheering our athletes on at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games I thought it would be fun to share some interesting facts about the British Columbia wine industry so that you could also celebrate the provinces wine makers and styles as they play host to this year’s winter Olympics.
1. In 1859, Father Charles Pandosy a missionary at the Oblate Mission, plants what is recognized as the Okanagan’s first vineyard for religious and personal use at the mission located just outside of what is now the city of Kelowna.
2. In 1931 Calona Winery opens as the regions first commercial winery. The winery is still in operation today.
3. Hainle Vineyards & Estate Winery in Peachland, BC in the Okanagan Valley produced the country’s first icewine in 1974.
4. In 2009, 232 tons of grapes were harvested for icewine production, which created 70,000 liters of wine.
5. In 1984 there were 13 registered wineries compared to over 190 today.
6. The province is broken down into 5 main growing regions that are called DVA’s. The areas are (Designated Viticultural Areas) the Okanagan Valley, Fraser Valley, Similkameen Valley, Vancouver Island, and the Gulf Islands
7. Over 60 different grape varieties are grown throughout the five regions.
8. The top three white and red grape varieties produced are: Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
9. The most northern tip of the Sonora Desert (Canada’s only desert) is located in the Okanagan Valley wine region between the city of Oliver and the US border. The desert runs from Canada all the way down to the Baja Peninsula in Mexico.
10. Summerhill Winery in Kelowna is Canada’s only winery with a Pyramid as part of its winery.
11. The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival has become one of Canada’s premier wine events and is a great reason for any wine lover to visit the city.
12. British Columbia produces all styles of wine: red, white, rose, sparkling, late harvest, icewine, fortified (port styles), fruit wine and ciders.
Renowned as Western Canada's favourite sommelier and fast-becoming a national name, Erin Rosar is the creator of 'Wine in the Kitchen' and founder of WG Wines based in Calgary, where she goes by the alter ego of Wine Girl (WG). She’s also an instructor with the International Sommelier Guild and is a recognized sommelier with the Court of Masters Sommeliers out of London, England.
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