Monte Creek Ranch Regional Maps Home Planning your B.C. Wine Tour
did you know... 1. There are 275 licensed grape wineries. But if you include wineries which use other types of fruit in their production, there are 359 in total. But by the time you read this, there will probably be more. 2. There are 929 vineyards, encompassing more than 10,260 acres of grapes, producing more than 80 varieties. 3. The top two white grapes grown are Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. The top two reds are Merlot and Pinot Noir. White grapes make up 49 per cent of the plantings, reds account for 51 per cent. 4. There were only 19 grape wineries in 1990. 5. The latest data shows that the B.C. wine industry produces more that 21 million litres of wine. Two decades ago it was producing less than five million litres. 6. Wineries in British Columbia were not allowed to serve food until 1996. Today, the culinary experience is an integral part of the industry. Many wineries have restaurants that are considered world class. 7. Baby Duck was once the best selling domestic product in the Canadian wine marketplace that it prompted numerous knock offs such as Fuddle Duck, Luv-a-Duck, Canada Duck and Daddy Duck – just to name a few. 8. The year 1988 was a turning point in the B.C. wine industry thanks to the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. It led to a massive pull-out of less desirable grape vines to make room for varieties that were revered on an international scale. While it was initially a hardship for local growers, it changed the calibre of local wines for the better. 9. The grape acreage today is 10 times what it was in 1990. 10. Icewine was created in British Columbia by accident. One of the area’s first estate wineries suffered an early frost that threatened to wipe out the entire crop. But rather than scrapping the whole crop, the frozen grapes were collected and history was made. 11. It takes 2.8 pounds to make a bottle of B.C. wine 12. There are five official “Geographical Indications” (regions) in British Columbia. The Golden Mile Bench became the first official “Sub-Geographical Indication” in the province in 2015. It is still the only one. At least 95 per cent of grapes must come from the specific region mentioned on the label. 13. If a bottle of B.C. wine has a specific vintage on its label, 85 per cent of the grapes used must have been harvested that year. But vintners are permitted to add as much as 15 per cent of another vintage. Likewise, if the bottle identifies a specific single varietal, the wine must contain at least 85 per cent of that grape. But 15 per cent of the wine can contain other varieties. 14. The first indigenous-owned winery in North America opened in British Columbia in 2004. 15. B.C. welcomes more visitors every year through the wine economy than the province drew for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.