The 2024 BC wine harvest stands out due to its extreme Okanagan and Similkameen Valley weather. A severe cold snap in January 2024 caused widespread bud damage, leading to significantly lower yields or, in some cases, no viable crop. This was followed by a hot and dry summer with heatwaves and wildfires, further impacting vineyards. Despite these challenges, the remaining grapes ripened quickly, leading to a harvest earlier than usual, with smaller but more concentrated fruit that promises wines with intense flavours.
The Province announced that wineries can now produce BC wines with imported wine grapes and grape juice for the 2024 BC vintage. While this will enable a 2024 BC-produced vintage, any wine produced using imported grapes or juice will not be eligible to carry the BC Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) label. BC wineries will rework labels to ensure transparency and compliance with federal labelling regulations to reflect which wines are produced from imported grapes and juice.
Buy local and support BC Wine, as the BC wineries need your support more than ever!
Many thanks to the winemakers and wineries that provided input for our first 2024 harvest article:
- Lightning Rock Winery
- Solvero Wines
- Haywire Winery
- Priest Creek Family Estate Winery
- Noble Ridge Winery
- Hillside Winery
- Township 7
- Vasanti Estate Winery
Summerland / Garnet Valley
Lightning Rock Winery/ Ron Kubek
We brought some perfect Pinot Noir clusters from a beautiful 13-acre of grapes in Lake Chelan, Washington. These clusters are vibrant, clean, and ready to showcase magic in this year‘s vintage. It’s going to be an exceptional year for our Pinot lovers!
We also purchased a beautiful Cabernet Franc from Dovex in Chelan Falls, which we’re very excited about. We also purchased a Chardonnay from Dry Lake Vineyard in Manson (right on Lake Chelan), which we’re using to craft three styles: Pet Nat, Traditional Method, and Still Chardonnay. We’ve been fortunate to find many excellent vineyard partners in the U.S. this year.
As mentioned in the Great Northwest Wine article1, we’re bringing all the fruit back to Summerland to be processed with my team. Around 90% of the fruit was whole-cluster or machine-picked and destemmed, with some whites—like Riesling and Chenin Blanc—pressed according to my winemaker Sebastien’s standards and protocols.
We’ve ensured transparency with our wine club members and email subscribers about the sourcing this year. I’ve also been active on social media, documenting our adventures and travels. We would have preferred to use our fruit, but given the cold weather, we’re thrilled to have found such great grapes from excellent growers. This year has even allowed us to work with some varieties we don’t normally get access to in BC, which has been a fantastic learning experience for our team. Despite not having BC fruit, we’ve maintained full employment for our harvest.
Here is the link to purchase Lightning Rock wines.
Solvero Wines / Alison Moyes
In late July, Solvero GM and Winemaker Alison Moyes embarked on a wine adventure when she travelled to Washington and Oregon, visiting the best AVA regions in search of premium, boutique-style Chardonnay grapes. Like many wineries, the vines in Solvero vineyards suffered bud damage due to two back-to-back winters featuring very frigid cold snaps. As a result, Alison is planning to source grapes that will be hand-harvested and processed into juice under her direction. She will be present in the US during harvesting and processing to meet Solvero standards.
Grape juice from Chardonnay grapes will then be cold shipped to the winery in Summerland, where it will be fermented as usual. The labelling will accurately reflect the vineyard location and year the grapes were sourced. Making wine from US grapes is a temporary measure to help the Solvero team continue offering wine while the vineyards recover. Moyes says making wine from premium grapes sourced from another region will be fun and exciting.
For information on current Solvero Wine releases see – New wines from Solvero
You can purchase Solvero Wines here.
Haywire Winery
On the week of October 7, the Haywire winery team harvested Switchback Vineyard and found enough grapes to produce roughly 50 cases of wine. This will be the only harvest processed this year. Friends came to help pick, and the work was done quickly. The batch was so small that regular equipment couldn’t be used. However, Alison, Kat, and John-Daniel stepped in with some fancy foot stomping in bins. After letting the grapes soak overnight, Matt used the basket press and transferred the juice to amphora. The result is a tantalizingly tasty lot, offering a glimpse of what the 2024 vintage could have been. Haywire ‘Switchback’ Pinot Gris 2021 is currently available for purchase and is an excellent choice this fall season.
At least there was a reason to celebrate Matt’s 38th harvest. Like many winemakers, Matt spent his early years traveling between the northern and southern hemispheres, experiencing multiple vintages in a single calendar year to expand his knowledge of different varieties and techniques. While 50 cases may not seem like much of a “harvest,” it might just qualify as Matt’s “gap year.”
The winery has chosen not to follow others in sourcing grapes or juice from Washington and beyond, avoiding the packaging, logistical challenges, and the need for extensive explanations to loyal customers. Instead, new Narrative products have been created: Haskap Lemonade and Hard Iced Tea, both at 5% alcohol and epically delicious. For fall, the team has just released a Narrative Mulled Wine and Spiced Apple Wine, both perfect served warm. Conveniently packaged in lightweight, fully recyclable pouches, they’re ideal for outdoor winter activities. Visitors are welcome to drop by for a taste!
Here is the link to purchase Haywire Wines.
Kelowna
Priest Creek Family Estate Winery / Jane Sawin
This fall at Priest Creek Family Estate Winery, we were fortunate to be offered some BC fruit from a grower in Osoyoos. We didn’t hesitate to pick up the grapes and start crushing when the offer came in. We are extremely excited to be one of the few Okanagan wineries that will release Okanagan 2024 vintages. Further, we had some good harvests prior years to this last winter and are positioned well with whites, rose´ and red, all sourced from the Okanagan.
Here is the link to purchase Priest Creek wines.
Okanagan Falls
Noble Ridge Winery/ Benoit Gauthier
As for most wineries in the Okanagan Valley, our vineyard in Okanagan Falls will not produce a crop this year. We visited like-minded growers in south Washington, which allowed us to make just enough wine this year to keep our cellar crew busy. We found great white grapes in sustainably farmed vineyards and the harvest is ongoing.
The link to purchase Noble Ridge wines.
Naramata
Hillside Winery / Kathy Malone
We did not have fruit on any of our vineyards, but we have a grower to the north, Dickinson, whose Merlot has been featured frequently in our Single Vineyard Series, with some Pinot Gris fruit. It was a lovely surprise to taste grapes in the vineyard. We upgraded the bird netting to preserve as much fruit as possible and ended up just shy of half a ton (on 1 acre). It’s a full barrel and will be the first white in our single vineyard series. While we did not have any fruit in our historic Muscat Ottonel block, we were offered some from a grower just below the Penticton sign at the south end of the Naramata Bench sub-GI. The resulting half-barrel will be fortified to create our white port-style wine, Soirée en Blanc.
In January, we were very grateful to our founder, Vera Klokocka, who planted all self-rooted vines, and we expect only to need to replant a bit. All Naramata Bench vineyards have come through the freeze much better than expected in late January. Markus Keller from U of Washington, Prosser, was here in early August as part of the Triggs lecture series. He visited our Hidden Valley Vineyard, which has Gewurztraminer with full recovery and Merlot and Syrah that will be retrained from the roots (self-rooted, planted 2000/2001). He was shocked by the apparent health of the vineyard, considering the recorded temperatures, and expects good recovery (depending, of course, on this winter).
Here is the link to purchase Hillside wines.
Township 7 / Maggie Peek (Also includes the Langley winery)
As the 2024 harvest season wraps up, we at Township 7 are eager to share the exciting progress we’ve made this year. Like all agricultural ventures, winemaking is deeply connected to the whims of nature, and despite our best-laid plans, sometimes adjustments are needed. In 2024, our vineyards produced lower yields than expected, but rather than letting this deter us, we saw it as an opportunity for growth and exploration.
Faced with the challenge, our winemaking team embarked on a journey to find premium fruit from vineyards that reflect our core values of sustainability, quality, and ethical business practices. After months of careful investigation, we are excited to share we found what we were looking for in Rocky Pond Winery, located in the stunning Lake Chelan and Rocky Reach AVA’s (American Viticulture Areas) in Washington State.
At first glance, these areas resemble the Okanagan Valley, with its rolling hills, proximity to water, abundant sunshine, and rich soils. We knew we had found the perfect fit during our visit to Rocky Pond. Not only did their viticulture practices align with our commitment to sustainable farming, but their shared values made for the ideal collaboration.
This exciting collaboration allowed us to bring in some exceptional varietals, which we are proud to announce will form the foundation of a new, limited-edition Interlude Series. For the first time in our history, we will be showcasing grapes from outside British Columbia, offering our customers a fresh perspective on wines made with fruit from premium vineyards in Lake Chelan.
This new collection will include Viognier, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris from the Clos CheValle vineyard in Lake Chelan, and Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from Double D vineyard in Rocky Reach AVA. Each was hand-selected and brought in as whole grapes to ensure we could maintain complete control over the winemaking process. A special highlight is our ability to co-ferment Syrah and Viognier, something we rarely have been able to do in the past due to varying ripening times of our Okanagan Vineyards.
In addition to this exciting venture, we’re pleased to share that our Langley harvest took place on October 7th. We gathered an impressive 2.8 tonnes of Chardonnay and 1.8 tonnes of Pinot Noir from our South Langley vineyards, ensuring another stunning vintage for our award-winning seven stars sparkling wine portfolio. This marks another chapter in our ongoing passion for crafting top-tier sparkling wines.
This year may have brought its challenges, but through innovation, collaboration, and a commitment to excellence, we are proud to offer our community something truly special. Stay tuned for the official release of our Interlude Series, a rare opportunity to experience the creativity and craftsmanship that defines Township 7, all while savoring the distinct characteristics of these extraordinary wines.
The link to purchase Township 7 wines.
Oliver
Vasanti Estate Winery / Davinder Sidhu
Harvest 2024 Recap at Vasanti Estate Winery: A Season of Challenges and Renewal. This year’s harvest at Vasanti Estate Winery came with its share of difficulties, as the severe winter drastically reduced our crop yield. We saw only about 2% of our usual yield, which was a significant blow. To adapt, we had to replant all of our Syrah with new Syrah vines and remove some of our Merlot, which will be replaced with Riesling next spring. Thankfully, we still have Merlot growing strong at our Paradise Block in Oliver.
Despite these setbacks, we’re excited to share that we’ve managed to harvest some outstanding Cabernet Franc from our East Bench Osoyoos vineyards, alongside a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon from our West Bench. These varieties will allow us to continue producing the distinctive, small-batch wines we’re known for.
In addition, we’ve got plenty of wine aging in our cellar, ensuring that we have a robust lineup of wines coming to market in the near future. So while this year’s crop was smaller than expected, wine lovers can rest assured that there will be no shortage of Vasanti wines to enjoy.
Looking ahead, we’re implementing several new strategies in the vineyard this fall and winter to protect our vines from future winter damage, ensuring a more resilient crop in the years to come.
Like many wineries in the region, we also had to source grapes from Washington state to meet some of our production needs this year.
It’s been a tough season, but we remain optimistic. With the steps we’re taking now, we look forward to continuing our journey of crafting premium wines that reflect the unique terroir of the Okanagan Valley. Stay tuned for the exciting wines we’ll be bringing to market!
For information on current Vasanti Estate Wine releases see – Unwind with Vasanti Wine: Explore the Flavours
Here is the link to purchase Vasanti Estate Wines.
Conclusion
I will end the article with a quote from Leeann Froese, owner, Town Hall Brands.
“At Town Hall Brands we work with dozens of BC wineries for design and marketing, and in my almost 30 years working in BC wine, I have never experienced a harvest like this one. To say that this year has presented challenges for us to assist our clients with is an understatement!
We have helped our clients navigate how to transparently communicate their issues and alternate grape sources to the public and the media, and we are working behind the scenes to make sure labels are in line with the same level of transparency when the time comes.“
When it comes to expectations for the 2024 vintage, Froese says she expects some great wines. “Our friends in other regions are growing top quality grapes. When you put our talented winemakers with great fruit, that is when the magic happens.”
Reference
- Lightning Rock Winery in British Columbia helps blaze trail to Washington vineyards, Great NorthWest Wine.