With only 3,993 ha/9,866 acres by 2014 in canada’s extreme Pacific west, about a third of the country’s vineyards, British Columbia produces a significant share of the best Canadian wines. European vines thrive in a largely disease-free terroir once believed too cold for vinifera. The province is currently divided into five appellations. The smallest (25.5 ha/63 acres) is the Fraser Valley near Vancouver. Most coastal wineries are in the bigger appellations, Vancouver Island (175 ha/432 acres) and Gulf Islands (46.5 ha/115 acres). Because of the cool maritime climate, early-ripening varieties (Ortega, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris) predominate. Many wineries here buy additional grapes from the dominant appellation Okanagan Valley (3,262 ha/8,060 acres) and the nearby Similkameen Valley (280 ha/691 acres). These latter appellations, comprising 89% of British Columbia’s vineyards, are 400 km east of Vancouver, protected from coastal rains by two moderate mountain ranges. The growing season is hot and arid. With the lowest precipitation in southern Canada, irrigation is essential. The dominant varieties includethe major Bordeaux red varieties, notably Merlot, as well as Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Gewurztraminer.
