Page 71 - Grapevine Jan-Feb 2020

International News

Greyback Construction General Manager, Matt Golden Mile Bench (located near Oliver), Naramata
Kenyon, said the project aims to create a sense of Bench, Okanagan Falls and Skaha Beach. The area
community and connection among the site’s winer- is warmer and arider than California’s Napa Valley
ies, cideries, breweries, distilleries and eateries as and gets almost two hours more sunlight per day
well as the broader region. during the growing season.

“We are really looking to be a significant econom- Yet unlike California, winter temperatures dip well
ic driver for our local communities and sup-port the below freezing. Area wineries began harvest-ing
future growth of wine and culinary tourism in the frozen grapes for ice wine in late November when
South Okanagan,” Kenyon said. temperatures dropped to -8 degrees cel-sius (17.6
degrees Fahrenheit). According to the BC Wine
The District Wine Village project is located in the Authority, 20 wineries registered to harvest ice
small town of Oliver, in the South Okanagan, in the wine grapes this winter, with approximately 463
heart of one of Canada’s most successful wine-pro- tons of grapes expected over 124 acres in the
ducing regions. The town is home to half of British Okanagan Valley, Similkameen Valley and the
Columbia’s vineyards and more than 40 wineries. Shuswap region.

Although Oliver has a year-round population of To qualify for the British Columbia Vintners
only 5,000 people, it swells with tourists in the Quality Alliance (VQA) certification, harvesting and
summer months. In the fall, the town’s popula- pressing of grapes for ice wine must occur in tem-
tion doubles during its annual Fall Okanagan Wine peratures below -8 degrees Celsius. Artificial refrig-
Festival. The festival includes the Cask & Keg, a eration of grapes, juice, must or wine is prohibited.
brewery and distillery showcase, and the fami-
ly-friendly Festival of the Grape (http://oliverfes- The interior of British Columbia, which includes
tivalofthegrape.ca/), which features tastings from the Okanagan area, is the only wine-growing region
more than 50 British Columbia wineries alongside to regularly experience the frigid temperatures
food trucks, children’s activities, and costumed required to produce ice wine.
competitors in the annual Grape Stomp contest.

The town’s Half-Corked Marathon (https://www.
oliverosoyoos.com/half-corked-marathon/), a wine-
soaked fun run through scenic vineyards featuring
wacky costumes, fine food, wine-tasting and a who-
cares-who-wins attitude, is another popular tourist
draw. Participants have a maximum of three and
a half hours to complete the route, which winds
through as many area wineries as possible. The
race is so popular that registration is by lottery;
spots in the 2020 race in May are already all sold
out. Organizers say over 8,000 people entered the
lottery for this year’s race, which was capped at
1,500 participants. Tickets are $185 and include
race entry, transportation to and from the start/
finish lines, lunch, wine and food tastings along the
route, a swag bag and a bottle of the Half Corked
signature wine blend.

Approximately 84% of British Columbia’s vineyard
acreage is located in the Okanagan Valley, accord-
ing to the British Columbia Wine Institute (winebc.
com), a non-profit industry organiza-tion represent-
ing British Columbia wine producers. The 250-kilo-
meter valley includes four dis-tinctive sub-regions:

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