The Okanagan Valley is one of six Designated Viticultural Areas in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The DryClimate in this "pocket desert" produces some unique wines made from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay.
There is now an almost even split between white and red grapes planted, with Merlot the most common variety. Ice wine can be produced in the Okanagan Valley but the necessary temperatures are not as consistent as on the east coast, where the winters are much colder.
The DVA produces more than 80 percent of the province's output and is the second most prolific wine region in Canada, behind Ontario's Niagara Peninsula. There are around 185 licensed grape wineries and 3,575 hectares (8,830 acres) of vineyards.
The Long, narrow Okanagan Valley runs for around 210 kilometers (130 miles) from the Northern town of Salmon Arm to the border of the United States in the South. Much of the viticulture occurs in the Center of the region on the shores of Lake Okanagan, from which the area takes its name.
The Okanagan river then flows south into the US state of Washington, where it converges with the viticulturally significant Columbia River (home to the extensive Columbia Valley AVA). The river is spelled Okonogan in the United States.
Unlike in the fragmented Niagara Peninsula appellation, the Okanagan Valley forms just one designated viticultural area. However, the diversity of Terroir here means there are a number of subregions within it.
Petit Verdot noir is a grape variety that originated in France (southwest). It produces a variety of grape specially used for wine making. It is rare to find this grape to eat on our tables. This variety of grape is characterized by small bunches and small grapes. Petit Verdot noir can be found in several vineyards: South-West, Languedoc & Roussillon, Cognac, Bordeaux, Rhone valley, Provence & Corsica, Loire valley, Savoie & Bugey, Beaujolais, Armagnac.
wines from the region of Okanagan Valley go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, shellfish or spicy food such as recipes of summer orecchiette, chicken and shrimp jambalaya or lamb tagine with honey and onions.
On the nose in the region of Okanagan Valley often reveals types of flavors of red fruit, non oak or earth and sometimes also flavors of microbio, oak or tree fruit. In the mouth in the region of Okanagan Valley is a powerful with a nice freshness.
Wine merchant and entrepreneur Duncan Vaughan-Arbuckle has passed away aged 83. Vaughan-Arbuckle was the founder and director of Vinopolis, the award-winning wine-themed visitor attraction which was located on London’s Bankside from 1999 to 2015. According to his daughter Desdemona Freeman his interest in wine began when he started trading food and wine in the mid-1970s. ‘He came from the business side of things but wine was clearly his favourite subject,’ she told Decanter. What he found partic ...
The 38th annual Cape Winemakers Guild Auction is back on home soil in South Africa this year. Auction house Strauss & Co will host the sale, sponsored by Nedbank, live and online from 5pm to 8pm on Friday 30 September and 9am to 3pm on Saturday 1 October. Bidders can attend the auction in person at the Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West, bid by telephone, or online. They can also leave a commission bid in advance of the sale. Bonhams auction house held the auction in London in 2020 and 2021 ...
In recent years, more and more people have been paying attention to Uruguay’s wine scene thanks to the distinctive identity of its coastal regions, which are swept by winds from the Atlantic Ocean and the Río de la Plata. The country’s proximity to the ocean and one of the largest rivers on the planet means that the vintage effect is quite prominent here. Each harvest depends on the rainfall, sun and strength of the winds experienced that year. Today, Uruguay has around 5,966ha under vine distri ...
