A Very Happy Holiday for Wineries in British Columbia: Toasting the 2009 Vintage

2009 was an unusual year for winemakers and viticulturalists in British Columbia with winter damage in January, late bud break in May, excellent fruit set in July and an early harvest in September and October. Unfortunately harvest was interrupted by an even earlier frost; Mother Nature was ever-changing throughout the year!

The Okanagan once again experienced a cold winter with a record-breaking cold snap in January; however, winter damage was not as widespread as expected, so we anticipate being down 20% in overall tonnage from 2008 figures.

The growing season was off to a slow start this spring with bud break two weeks behind in late-May. However, the steady warm, dry temperatures throughout the summer allowed the grapes to ‘catch up’ by early July. “The warm, dry weather with less than normal precipitation provided the best conditions for (fruit) set in years” remarked Valerie Tait, viticulturalist for Poplar Grove Winery in Naramata. The warm, dry weather continued into September and pushed ripening along to an early harvest.

Early fall conditions were spectacular. As Brad Cooper, winemaker for Township 7 Vineyards & Winery noted, “September weather was exactly where it needed to be.”  For most wineries, the warmer than normal conditions resulted in an early start to the harvest, with the first grapes being picked in the South Okanagan on September 1^st by winemaker Derek Kontkanen and team from Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate.

All winemakers and viticulturalists were very thankful for the early start as a very early frost on the nights of October 9^th to 12^th saw temperatures dip between -6°C (21°F)  and -14°C (7°F), depending on location. Winemaker Rob Summers of Hester Creek Estate Winery commented that, “If vintage wasn’t so early, the frost would have been catastrophic.” Because almost all fruit was ready to be picked when the frost hit, wineries did not experience detrimental affects from the frost; it merely stopped vine growth prematurely. The early harvest meant a condensed, busy pick with harvest taking only one month to complete for many wineries, including CedarCreek Estate Winery and Tinhorn Creek Vineyards.

Icewine has been recognized as one of Canada’s signature wines ever since the first vintage at Hainle Vineyards in 1974. This year, fourteen wineries expressed interest in picking the “liquid gold”, and were delighted with an early December cold snap. The first of the wineries began to harvest in the early hours of December 7^th at a chilly -11°C (12°F) with Tantalus Vineyards bringing in approximately 750 kilograms from their 30 year old Riesling vines. The picking continued at -11°C (12°F) on the morning of December 8^th at Summerhill Pyramid Organic Winery, Mission Hill Family Estate Winery (Naramata Vineyard), and Nk’Mip Cellars.  In total, the fourteen wineries brought in approximately 232 tons of Icewine from Riesling, Vidal, Kerner, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Ehrenfelser, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Muscat, Syrah and Zweigelt grapes.

Overall, despite the erratic conditions, the 2009 vintage looks to be one of premium quality. The natural crop thinning from winter damage lowered yields, and elevated the flavour profiles of the remaining grapes with the fruit quality noted as very good to excellent.

Conditions were ideal in the Okanagan for the cool climate varietals in the North with excellent acidity and freshness, as well as the warm climate varietals in the South that show great balance and structure. Some stand-outs to look for next year include Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir from the North, and Cabernet Sauvignon from the South Okanagan. In the Lower Mainland, it was a banner year for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  Overall, both the white and red wines are showing very well. The whites are extremely fresh and vibrant while the reds are showing great colour and complexity.

The 2009 vintage was an overall success. Not only are the wines well on their way to store shelves, but with the Icewine harvest also completed for the year, everyone at the wineries can simply toast to another great vintage and enjoy the holiday season with the rest of us!