Taking it to T the limit H I G H - E L E VAT I O N P L A N T I N G S SHOW RISING PROMISE F O R B. C.’ S P R E M I U M W I N E S
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At elevations up to 680 metres, Haywire winery’s Garnet Valley Ranch vineyard is among the highest in B.C. Photo courtesy of Haywire
Tim Pawsey
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hings are on the up and up in the Okanagan Valley. Literally. It’s no secret that due to any number of factors— from climate change to spiralling land costs—wineries around the world are planting vineyards higher than ever before. Argentina in particular has enjoyed success from vineyards as high as 2,500 metres in elevation. Its MAS program even puts the elevation right on the label in “Metres Above Sea Level.” In borderline ripening Canada, such oenological dalliances would once have been unthinkable—at least until a few years ago. Even in neophyte B.C., most wine growers understood it wasn’t a good idea to plant on the valley floor, the low levels to which vine-killing frosts are drawn, but higher sites were considered too cold and short-seasoned. Hence B.C.’s modern industry has been built on the benches, throughout the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys.
ISSUE 02
