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SKAHA BENCH Wine Country
Skaha Bench Wine region
On May 13, 2019, wineries in the Skaha Bench joined the Naramata Bench, Okanagan Falls and Golden Mile Bench, near Oliver, as wineries that meet the requirements of the Wines of Marked Quality Regulation. There are now four sub-geographical indications (sub-GIs), or sub-appellations, in British Columbia. Skaha Bench covers a 10-kilometre stretch from the outskirts of Penticton and along the eastern shore of Skaha Lake. The sub-GI includes areas of rock outcrop, Heritage Hills estates, and orchard lands.
Wineries in Skaha Bench include Blasted Church, Black Dog, Painted Rock, Pentage and Crescent Hill. A map of the sub-appellation will be available soon at the BC Wine Authority website.
FACT: Average 1,450 growing degree days (estimated).
FACT: Average daily temperatures are slightly higher on the Skaha Bench than at Penticton airport.
FACT: Long frost-free period due to lake proximity and west-facing slope aspect.
FACT: Prominent gullies that drain cold air off the landscape to the lake shore.
FACT: Dominant soil is Olhausen series, consisting of wind-blown (eolian) top layer overlying stone-free glacial lake sediments components of silts and fine sands.
The Ice Age shaped Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park by carving out canyons and vertical cliffs, which now attract rock climbers.
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Skaha Bench
Skaha Bench
Skaha Bench
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