Region At a Glance: British Columbia

British Columbia is a Canadian province that spans more than 300,000 square miles across the west of the country. British Columbia is a region of varied geography, featuring stately mountains, dense temperate rainforests, populous cities (the illustrious Vancouver is located in the province), and more than six thousand islands that hug its 17,000 mile-long coastline.

The wines produced in British Columbia are as varied as its geography; the province’s motto, Splendor sine occasu, “Splendor without diminishment” (“Splendour” for all you Canadians), could serve to describe the region’s oenological landscape. There are five designated viticultural areas in British Columbia: the Okanagan Valley, the Similkameen Valley, the Fraser Valley, the Vancouver Islands, and the Gulf Islands. More than 60 grape varieties are grown across the region. White wine varietals include Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, and Viognier. Top red wine varietals include Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.

Naramata Bench, from www.winebc.com

A very special treat from British Columbia is ice wine. Ice wine is, well, almost exactly how it sounds: it is a style of wine made from frozen grapes. Traditionally, grapes are left to freeze while still on the vine – this freezes water in the grapes, but not the sugars. The grapes are then harvested and pressed, which makes for an extremely sweet wine, with concentrated and complex flavors and aromas. Canada is now the largest producer of ice wine in the world! In British Columbia, the grapes are harvested on cold winter nights, in the snow, in a country famous for its coldly breathtaking winters. The top grapes used for the region’s ice wine are Ehrenfelser, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Gewurztraminer.

Tags: British Columbia wine, Canadian wine, ice wine