Sandra Oldfield
Minister of Agriculture, Norm Letnick, announced at the end of March that he signed into existence the first sub-appellation in British Columbia. That sub-appellation is the Golden Mile Bench in Oliver. A sub-appellation, or as BC calls it a sub Geographical Indicator, is an area of land officially recognized by the province as a grape growing region. Its designation can be used on the front label of a wine bottle if it can be proven that at least 95% of the grapes from that sub-region went into that wine. The larger region in this case is the Okanagan Valley, the officially recognized appellation for approximately 90% of BC’s grapes. This is the first time the large and wildly diverse area known as the Okanagan Valley has been further divided. The process took approximately seven years to complete and as the first one approved in BC, I think it is appropriate to stop and reflect a bit on this historic change to our BC wine landscape and what it might mean. Why are sub-appellations in BC’s grape and wine industry a good thing?
1. Sign of Maturity for our Industry
Our BC wine industry is, admittedly, young when compared with old world countries. It was started in earnest in the 1950s and has grown steadily since then. In the past 60 years it has changed dramatically; however, labeling has not. We label our wines with one of five appellations in existence today, the Okanagan Valley, the Similkameen Valley, the Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Differences within these regions were left up to individual wineries to espouse. It is time we enter the world wine stage by discussing our unique regions collectively. People who know something about wines might care if the bottle comes from France or California or New Zealand, but people who know a bit more about wine (wine enthusiasts who are core customers for our industry) tend to ask if it came from Bordeaux, Sonoma County or Central Otago. BC needs to be in those types of conversations. As they said in the Lion King, “It is time.”
2. Sub-appellations put Grapes on Centre Stage
Since the granting of the Golden Mile Bench in March, I have had to explain to numerous people what a sub-appellation is, and more importantly, what it is not. It IS the place where the grapes are grown in your particular bottle of wine. It IS NOT where the winery is located. The powerful thing about appellations is they are a guarantee of origin of the raw materials – the grapes. No matter where the winery is located in BC, if it can prove that 95% of the grapes came from the said region, then that designation can now go on that label. We all know the importance consumers place on sourcing local and knowing where their food comes from. Sub-appellations fall right in line with these consumer needs.
3. Sub-appellations Change our Conversations
Sub-appellations allow our industry to begin to talk about real characteristics that unify grape growing, rather than man-made associations. For example, the vineyards of the Golden Mile Bench share a series of alluvial fans seen nowhere else in the Okanagan, set at a higher elevation off the valley floor and with a gentle 5-15% slope. Their aspect faces east getting the morning sun, but not a great deal of the hot afternoon sun. Their mineral rich soil is mostly from the mountain range it backs onto – Mt. Kobau rather than soil that was mixed during the glaciation era. These are the characteristics that unify the grapes from this bench. These kinds of discussions are not happening nearly enough in BC amongst wineries and grape growers. Sub-appellations do not exist because they share the same postal code, or proximity to the nearest town, or inclusion in a tourism marketing association. Sub-appellations are grounded (literally) in innate characteristics such as geology, landforms, climate, slope, aspect and geographic influences. The conversations we can have with consumers become so much more meaningful and powerful because they will begin hear to how our land relates to the wines they buy and we as wineries will see better how our vineyards are connected to the land around us.
4. Other Sub-appellations will Emerge
Sub-appellations in BC are wonderful for all concerned. Now the doors are open for more regions to be approved in the future. I remember sitting in meetings many years ago when regulations were passed allowing for the existence of sub-appellations. Back then the prospect for establishing them was far in the future and we knew we would not have to think about them for many years. Well, many years passed and the time is now. I look forward to seeing how other regions tackle defining their grape growing regions. I know each will go through a process as unique as their region and that is a very exciting prospect indeed.
Sandra Oldfield, winemaker and owner of Tinhorn Creek Winery in Oliver.
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