About 150 grapegrowers from across the Okanagan gathered for two industry townhalls, February 2 and 6, to discuss mid-January’s freeze event. “Given the low temperatures and the length of the cold spell, we can assume that nearly all of the grape buds have been killed and there will be very little fruit this year,” says …
BC Wine Grape Council
Short grape crop confirmed
A clearer picture is emerging of the damage to vineyards and wineries and the associated economic cost following the extreme cold weather event that hit the province in December. A new report by Cascadia Partners for Wine Growers BC indicates that 98% of the 38 growers surveyed reported damage to at least 10% of their …
Pat Bowen’s achievements recognized
The BC Grape Growers’ Association and the BC Wine Grape Council honoured federal research scientist Pat Bowen of the Summerland Research and Development Centre with a lifetime achievement award at the annual grower day, August 11, in Penticton. “Pat was instrumental in developing our industry into the internationally competitive region that it is today,” says …
Growers, wineries welcome sustainability launch
KELOWNA – The first wines certified under a new made-in-BC sustainability program could be on shelves as early as next spring. “We are excited to be finally launching our official certification process,” says Katie Pease, program manager for Sustainable Winegrowing BC (SWBC). Originally scheduled to launch this past April, COVID-19 delayed the program’s launch until …
Merlot, Pinot Gris tops in BC
With the grape harvest getting underway in the Okanagan, an analysis of last year’s crop for the BC Wine Grape Council sets the stage for what growers will be picking this fall. Plantings have been expanding in BC in recent years, with some growers pushing into new, higher-elevation locations for cool-climate vines. Those acres yielded …