British Columbia VQA

British Columbia (BC) has five official regions of Geographical Indications: Vancouver Island, Gulf Islands, Fraser Valley, Similkameen Valley, and the Okanagan Valley along with new vineyard areas emerging across other parts of the province.

The climate for producing British Columbia wine is unique. All the BC vineyards are located at the very northern extremes of where grape growing is possible. The vineyards are in two main areas. About 4 hours’ drive east of Vancouver is the Okanagan Valley with the smaller wine regions of the Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island nearer the Pacific Ocean to the west. The Okanagan Valley climate is well suited to sustainable and organic viticulture so there are an increasing number of vineyards switching to organic techniques. Hot summers, low rainfall, low humidity and persistent winds all help to reduce damage and crop losses from pests and diseases. White grape varieties are dominated by Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Riesling. Pinot Gris is made in both light and fresh or rich and fruity with all varieties used to produce still, sparkling, sweet and Icewine styles due to the high acidity of the cool climate. Merlot is the most widely planted red variety across British Columbia with Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc producing exceptional wines from the Okanagan Valley.

British Columbia’s wine industry has seen unprecedented growth in the last 26 years, having grown from just 17 wineries and 1476 acres of vines in 1990 to 272 wineries and over 10,260 acres today. BC VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) is the provincially regulated appellation of origin and quality standard for Wines of British Columbia. BC VQA wines must be made from 100% B.C. grapes and meet standards for origin and production, vintage, varietals and quality characteristics.