WINEGROWING AND SUSTAINABILITY

Before a single grape is squeezed, years of careful planning go into a wine, starting with a vineyard.

Every decision in winegrowing, or viticulture, has an impact on the final quality in the bottle.

As British Columbia’s vineyards spring to life, share in celebrating the incredible dedication and passion of British Columbia’s winemakers and grapegrowers and the important ways they are contributing to the land, preserving the beauty and health of our environment for future generations.

Did you know that wildflowers can be an important part of vineyard farming practices? They can form part of a cover crop, that helps protect soil in the vineyards from erosion and help maintain moisture levels, while also attracting bees and other beneficial insects, contributing to biodiversity and sustainability in a vineyard.

Many BC’s winegrowers are also producing highly sought after organic wine and natural wines.

In May, purchase 4 or more BC wines at Save-On-Foods and receive 10% off and a special packet of bee-autiful wildflower seeds. Plant them and sit back with a glass of fresh BC wine and feel good about contributing to Mother Nature’s intricate ecosystem.

Exploring a vineyard is like an adult field trip that includes wine. Here is a list of wineries with Bee’s . You can thank us later.

WATCH: BEE-TWEEN THE VINES VIDEO

Articles on Sustainability

Sustainability Certification Launch, Carie Jones

“BC’s wine regions are well suited to sustainable farming thanks to a dry, sunny climate with low humidity and low rainfall, combined with the hot summers and cold winters. There are few pests and diseases to worry about and as a result more and more farmers and producers are following organic, biodynamic or Sustainable Winegrowing BC guidelines.”

Sustainability Certification Launch | orchardandvine.net

Small is good. By Master of Wine, Rhys Pender

“When you are this small of a wine region, located on the exciting edge of the wine world and have the unique climate to sustainably produce intensely flavoured wines packed with fruit and enviable natural acidity, why would you not embrace it?”

Small is good. By Master of Wine, Rhys Pender | Wines of British Columbia (winebc.com)

Sip, swirl and savour sustainably in BC wine country, Joanne Sasvari

Sustainability goes beyond the Thompson Okanagan. Most of the province’s winemakers will tell you that before everything else, they are farmers first, and nothing matters more than protecting the land and the people working on it.

Sip, swirl and savour sustainably in BC wine country | Wines of British Columbia (winebc.com)

Quotes by Winemakers

“Sustainable farming to us means we are trying to create a full circle with what we do so everything we take out of the vineyard we try and put back in.” Jordan Kubeck, Lightning Rock Winery

“Sustainability is a very important part of the wine industry and farming. It all goes back into the vineyard once we harvest it goes back as compost.” Bobby Gidda, Volcanic Hills Winery

WHAT TO GROW WHERE

There are more than 80 varietals planted in BC, but each has unique preferences. How much heat or sun it can tolerate, what soil it prefers, hardiness in the face of frosts and length of growing season are all factors. Once a site is chosen, other decisions such as planting densities (number of vines planted per acre), aspect and slope, which determines intensity of sunlight on the fruit, and rootstock all affect quality and yield. Generally, the high-quality vineyards crop two to four tons per acre.

TRELLISING, TRAINING AND IRRIGATION

Throughout the growing season the main task is to control the growth of the canopy, or leaf, and keep the vine productive but not too productive. The use of trellising helps to direct leaf growth and to expose the fruit to the all-important sun. The most common trellising technique is called vertical shoot positioning (VSP), where vines are directed upward between multiple levels of wires strung between posts. How much the vines are allowed to grow is controlled to direct the energy of the plant into producing fruit and not leaf. Whether and how much the vines are irrigated is also a factor into the balance between fruit and leaf. Many growers in BC practice regulated deficit irrigation. This is a method of applying controlled amounts of stress to the vine by limiting water availability.

PEST MANAGEMENT

Pests vary from the very large (deer, bear) to the very small (fungal infections). Animal pests are especially problematic in the lead up to harvest. Before veraison, the stage at which grapes turn color, they are very tart. Only closer to harvest do they start to accumulate more sugars making them very tasty for the birds, deer and bear. Vineyard managers likely will cover the vines in nets at this time or employ a sound cannon to scare of the pests. Fences are also employed where possible.

Insect pests like leafhopper and cutworm are present in BC. There are a few isolated areas of phylloxera, but it does not appear to be spreading and fails to thrive on the sandy soils of the southern Okanagan Valley. There has been no reported incidence of Pierce’s Disease. Insect pests can be controlled by introducing predators, using conventional pesticides or creating a more attractive biosphere for them by leaving the grass uncut between the rows of vines.

Due to dry climate in the Similkameen Valley and the Okanagan Valley, fungal diseases are limited, although powdery mildew is common. In wetter climates botrytis bunch rot can occur.

SUSTAINABLE GRAPEGROWING

Sustainable grapegrowing and winery practices ensure that the wines in BC are top quality and that we are preserving the beauty and health of our environment for future generations. Sustainable Winegrowing BC (SWBC), an ongoing program of the BC Wine Grape Council, manages sustainability certification as well as provides educational resources and training to help vineyards and wineries establish sustainable practices. SWBC works to promote sustainable practices for vineyards and wineries by producing self-assessment and guidebooks to help grapegrowers and winemakers make sustainable choices in their operations including:

LEED certification
Drip irrigation
Composting and recycling to minimize waste
Preserving local ecosystems and wildlife habitats
Supporting local producers in the winery and at winery restaurants

To learn more visit Sustainable Winegrowing BC.

ORGANIC VITICULTURE

The Okanagan Valley and the Similkameen Valley climates are well suited to sustainable and organic grapegrowing – there are an increasing number of vineyards switching to organic techniques. Hot summers, low rainfall, low humidity and persistent winds all help to reduce damage and crop losses from pests and diseases.

Wines made with organically grown grapes come from vineyards that follow the guidelines set by the Certified Organics Association. There are currently more than 40 certified organic wineries or vineyards in British Columbia. For more information, and to see which properties are certified, visit the Certified Organic Associations of BC website.

BIODYNAMIC FARMING

The goal of biodynamic farming is to create a self-contained, healthy ecosystem. Biodynamic farming meets the organic standard, including the prohibition of synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, but then it goes further, emphasizing the holistic development and relationships of the soil, plants and animals as a self-sustaining system. Summerhill Pyramid Winery in Kelowna has the only certified biodynamic vineyard in BC.

For more information, visit the Demeter Canada website.

Wine Responsibly

The Right Amount Matters

Members of the WGBC are proud of their wines and are committed to ensuring their wines are promoted and enjoyed responsibly by those adults who choose to consume them for the continued enjoyment and prosperity of the BC wine industry.

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