Wineries Abound in Beautiful Eastern British Columbia

Last month I spent a few days traveling through the Okanagan Valley in Eastern British Columbia. An agricultural and geographic gem, the valley is lined by jagged cliffs dotted with pine trees and filled with a number of crystal blue lakes, dozens of farms, fresh fruit and produce stands and wineries – lots of wineries.

Most of these wineries are located on or near a 75-mile stretch along Provincial Highway 97, which begins at Osoyoos, BC and winds north through the valley. The province has done such an excellent job of marking the wineries that finding them without a map is relatively easy. Nearly all of the tasting rooms I visited were state-of-the-art facilities and provided stunning views of the valley.

White wine varietals such as pinot blanc, sauvignon blanc, pinot gris and chardonnay are quite good and produced by most wineries for about $10 to $25 Canadian per bottle. Ice wines are also a popular choice among consumers and offered by many winemakers.

Some of the red wines I sampled still needed a bit of work. But lets be honest. It took Washington State 20 to 25 years to earn recognition for its red wines and most British Columbia wineries have only been in operation for 10 years or less. Give them more time and experience and I’m confident that the quality of these wines will continue to improve as well.

Another item of note is that because of the high cost of exporting and distributing these wines, most of them are not available for sale in Whatcom County. The good news is that it’s just a short drive to the border, where they can be purchased in BC Liquor Stores that carry the VQA (Vintner’s Quality Alliance) designation.

Better yet, why not visit the Okanagan Valley in person? You can easily make the drive from Bellingham in less than five hours, accommodations are plentiful and the scenery is spectacular.

Next week: I’ll offer suggestions on some of my favorite wineries.