OKANAGAN: CANADA'S GLOBAL WINE REGION

International wine experts are bringing their skills and knowledge to this part of British Columbia, Canada’s westernmost province, joining with local talent young and old. In this fast-developing region, the progress being made is clear to see, says Daniel Honan

- Daniel Honan

Here in this marginal, cool to cold continental climate, vineyards are becoming recognised for their ability to produce world-class wines of outstanding quality, elegance and finesse. Situated at the edge of the wine-growing world, on the 49th parallel north, the Okanagan Valley is a stunning landscape of ancient glacial lakes, ice dams and calderas enveloped by steep mountain ranges, sloped benches and hillsides composed of silty, sandy, gravelly and stony soils.

‘We are creating something new. We are not following the path with centuries of history behind us. We are forging a new path every single day,’ says French viticultural consultant Alain Sutre. ‘While we have a long history of wine on our shoulders in Europe, the Okanagan is more like a blank sheet of paper, where we can write a new history in a new land. It is a fantastic experience to be a part of something from the very beginning.’

Untapped potential

Sutre has been coming to the Okanagan to try and understand the valley’s potential for wine-growing since 1999. ‘I was aware of the Canadian wine industry in Québec,’ he says. ‘I knew about ice wine but not much more.

‘When I first came to the Okanagan in 1999, it was to develop a new wine project, Osoyoos Larose. I stayed in the valley for a week or so and tasted some wines. I remember thinking, “well, the wines aren’t fantastic, but they might have the potential to be great someday”.’ Sutre now consults to a number of high-profile wineries within the Okanagan Valley, including Burrowing Owl, Culmina, Poplar Grove and Painted Rock.