British Columbia Vineyard Acreage Takes a Big
Jump
"If
it is hard for British Columbians to get their
own wines, of course, it is next to impossible
for the rest of North America to find them. The
increase in vineyard production will make some
of these wines more widely available and should
curtail the rising wine prices." By John
Schreiner
The area under cultivation of wine grapes in British
Columbia has risen 21.4% in just two
years, and further significant increases are projected.
The province now has 6,632.39 acres (2,653 hectares)
of wine grapes, an increase of 1,169.9 acres (473.5
hectares) since 2004.
These figures are from a newly released vineyard
census done this summer by Mount Kobau Wine Services,
a consulting firm in the Okanagan
Valley operated by industry veterans
Lynn and John Bremmer.
And more grapes are on the horizon. Another 769.72
acres (311.5 hectares) are expected to be planted
in 2007 and a further 600 acres (243 hectares)
in 2008.
According to the Bremmers, the impact of the current
and projected plantings, will be to increase British
Columbia's potential grape production from an
expected 20,923 short tons this year to 30,000
tons in 2010. Based on average production levels,
this translates to an expected increase in wine
production from 11,507,650 litres in 2006 to 16,521,450
litres in 2010.
That news is expected to be greeted warmly by
consumers, who are becoming frustrated that all
the best wines either sell out in hours or are
on limited allocation. A perfect example of this
was the recent release of Burrowing
Owl Vineyards' 2004
Merlot.
With a production of only 7,000 cases, it was
so tightly allocated that a major private wine
store in Vancouver limited sales to one bottle
per customer.
If it is hard for British Columbians to get their
own wines, of course, it is next to impossible
for the rest of North America to find them. The
increase in vineyard production will make some
of these wines more widely available and should
curtail the rising wine prices. However, relief
is some years away.
This is the third comprehensive vineyard census
done by the Bremmers. In 1999, the year of their
first census, British Columbia had 4,184 acres
(1,693 hectares) of wine grapes. The low point
in vineyard acreage in recent history was 1989,
after a massive pullout of mediocre varieties
removed two-thirds of the vines. Vineyard acreage
after the removal was only an estimated 1,300
acres (526 hectares).
The ultimate potential vineyard acreage in British
Columbia remains to be determined. Ben Stewart,
one of the owners of Quails'
Gate Estate winery and a veteran grower,
predicts that acreage will peak at 10,000 acres
(4,047 hectares).
These are highlights from the latest census:
* Grape growing is concentrated in the Okanagan
Valley, which at the present time accounts for
85.9% of the vineyard acreage. The neighbouring
Similkameen
Valley has only 5.1% of the acre.
* Vancouver Island's
http://wine.appellationamerica.com/wine-region/Vancouver-Island.html
vineyard acreage is still small, standing at 253.77
acres (102.7 hectares), up from 189.66 acres (76.75
hectares) in 2004.
* There has also been growth in the Fraser
Valley, which now has 134 acres (54
hectares) of wine grapes, up from 69 acres (28
hectares) in 2004.
* Wineries own or control (lease) 70% of the vineyard
acreage, leaving only 30% in the hands of independent
growers.
* Of the 464 vineyards in British Columbia, a
significant number are small. The average size
of those owned by independent growers is 7.2 acres
(2.9 hectares). There are only 20 winery vineyards
and three independent vineyards that are more
than 40 acres (16 hectares) in size.
* The number of wineries is rising dramatically.
The Bremmers report that there currently are 118
licensed grape wineries, with 50 more proposed.
In addition, there are 21 producers of cider,
mead or fruit wines, with a handful more under
development.
* The current winery population is up from 90
licensed wineries in 2004 and 61 licensed wineries
in 1999.
* Red grape plantings have pulled ahead of whites.
In 2006, red vinifera account for 51.71% of total
plantings, up from 49.44% in 2004 and 46.31% in
1999.
* Hybrid varieties, which dominated British Columbia
prior to the pullout, now comprise only 2.2% of
total acreage -- a percentage that has been declining
steadily. Most of that is Marechal
Foch, a favourite in the cooler regions
because it ripens early and reliably.
* Merlot
is the dominant red variety, accounting for a
third of all the red grapes in British Columbia,
at 1,144.61 acres (463.2 hectares).
* Chardonnay
remains the dominant white, 21.86% of all white
varieties, at 699.88 acres (283.24 hectares).
* Rising stars among the red varietals include
Cabernet
Sauvignon, which has inched ahead of
Pinot
Noir to become the second most widely
planted red, at 599.81 acres (242.7 hectares).
Syrah
has moved ahead of Cabernet
Franc to become the fourth most widely
planted red, at 337.89 acres (136.7 hectares).
* Rising stars among the whites include Sauvignon
Blanc, which has pulled ahead of
Riesling1
to become the fifth most widely planted variety
at 292.56 acres (118.3 hectares). Viognier
in two years has shot up to ninth spot from 13,
and now accounts for 52.36 acres (21.2 hectares).