Grape harvest is nearly three weeks early after a summer of 'trials and tribulations'

It’s now the height of grape harvest season across the nine wine regions of British Columbia with many winegrowers reporting their earliest start on record - up to three weeks earlier than usual - due to a hot, sunny summer.

In the Okanagan, it was also a summer of trials and tribulations that saw devastating wildfires and resulting tourism bans, road closures from rock slides and most significantly a damaging antecedent in the form of an extreme cold event last December.

That dip which sent temperatures plummeting as low as -29 C resulted in up to a 56 per cent loss in yield this year.

Wine Growers British Columbia noted that going into the summer season wineries knew they were facing the challenge of a reduced wine grape crop. “A devastating extreme cold event in December 2022 impacted vineyards throughout the Okanagan Valley and Similkameen Valley,” said Miles Prodan, President and CEO, Wine Growers British Columbia.

“While each vineyard and winery had a singular experience depending on location, vineyard aspect, and other factors, we were able to quantify the damage overall as a 34 to 56 percent loss in yield for the 2023 vintage. The full picture will become clear once we are able to review final tonnage numbers this December,” he added.

Despite the impacts on quantity wine growers are reporting outstanding quality. This includes Jak Meyer of Meyer Family Vineyards in Okanagan Falls, who witnessed this exact occurrence with his Chardonnay vines: “We will get only 20 to 30 per cent of normal volumes but excellent quality and ripeness,” he said.

BC wineries contending with these lowered yields will be advising consumers to build a collection of their favourites through visiting the winery, ordering direct, or best of all becoming wine club members, suggested the growers association.

Logistical complexities are also a common feature with the onset of harvest, and 2023 proved to be no exception in the Okanagan Valley with the closure of Highway 97 in between Summerland and Peachland in early September due to a landslide.

“With an early start to harvest this year, the closure of the highway was definitely a challenge, not only for the transportation of fruit from one end of the valley to the other but also for the winemakers and harvest staff that commute,” said Sandy Leier, Winemaker, Laughing Stock Vineyards, who arranged for commuting staff to stay on-site.

Wine Growers BC also noted that creativity is a crucial asset during harvest time pointing to Black Market Wine Co in Kaleden where tasting room staff were pulling double-duty harvesting grapes in between serving guests.

“When you have a small staff, you need to get creative when harvest overlaps with tasting room hours. Our guests love the authenticity of it!” said Rob Hammersley, Owner and Winemaker.

A similar collision of harvest and hospitality occurred at Bartier Bros. Vineyard and Winery when it came time for wine club shipments. As Michael Bartier, Winemaker explained: “When Lindsey asked me a few months ago if they could use the winery space in the first week of September for this, I thought no problem, there’s no way we’ll be harvesting by then.

“It turns out we were halfway through harvest that week. Bins of grapes were being processed just a few metres from the packing, hoses were running everywhere, and Loam (our mascot dog) slept in the middle of it all. Somehow the cellar staff and the wine shop staff kept it organized and it went without a hitch.”

Although clear skies now prevail over most of BC’s wine harvest wineries all across the province were challenged by the worst wildfire season on record. The growers association says It’s too early to know how the fires will impact producers in the affected regions.

In Lillooet “we were fortunate to have had dry, clear, cooling winds from up the Duffey Lake Pass,” said Alessandro Nel, Winemaker, Fort Berens Estate Winery, who noted that “despite wildfires that burned around us, these cooling winds helped keep the vineyard and air relatively clear with little smoke. Overall, this is looking to be an elegant vintage.”

In the wildfire-ravaged Shuswap region where the Adams Lake Complex of wildfires destroyed 430 sq km, “the proximity of the Bush Creek East Fire added pressure toward the end of the growing season,” said James Clark, Winemaker, Sunnybrae Vineyards and Winery.

“Thankfully things settled down a bit at the end of August and we jumped straight into harvest on September 1 with some clear skies. Small yields this year but some beautiful fruit,” he added.

In the Similkameen Valley where the Crater Creek wildfire burned dangerously close to Keremeos, “the smoke has cleared and harvest is underway,” according to Charlie Baessler, Corcelettes Estate Winery.

Meanwhile, in the Kootenays and Gulf Islands regions, growers have more wine grape acreage to cultivate than ever before – both regions registered an increase of 40 per cent from 2019 to 2022.

“We are thrilled to see other producers seeing the potential in the Kootenays as a winegrowing region,” said Myran Hagenfeldt, Owner, Baillie-Grohman Estate Winery. “Our hot days and cold nights allow the grapes to develop complexity and depth of flavour.”

On Vancouver Island where vineyards often experience a different set of weather conditions than their interior counterparts, “we expect good volumes to be picked locally,” said Mark Holford, Rocky Creek Winery.

“The extra warm summer is resulting in very high quality, and an early harvest which is always welcome on the island where we are wanting to pick all our grapes before the October rains begin.”

For one of the pioneering families of the BC wine industry who have been farming the Okanagan valley for more than 60 years and are now in their 35th grape harvest, this year has simply been part of a continuous journey in reaching this milestone.

For Tony Stewart, CEO, Quails’ Gate Estate Winery, “It’s an excellent opportunity to reflect on the spirit of our people, our commitment to excellence, and the journey that has brought us to this milestone.

We’ve shared successes, weathered challenges, and grown together.

“Every vintage encapsulates our passion and showcases the quality of wine here in the Okanagan Valley.