Golden Mile Bench, Newly Named Wine Region in the Okanagan

March 30, 2015

OLIVER – The B.C. government has approved a request from the BC Wine Authority to establish a new sub-geographical indicator for the Golden Mile Bench in the Okanagan Valley wine region. Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick made the announcement today at Tinhorn Creek Vineyard, one of 11 wineries that are included in the new Golden Mile Bench area.

Letnick said, “British Columbia’s award-winning wine has a strong reputation both here at home and internationally for its high quality and value. The new Golden Mile Bench label will signify to consumers that the bottle they are about to enjoy is from this unique and specific area.”

Sandra Oldfield, President and CEO of Tinhorn Creek Vineyards expressed her appreciation as well, “For 20 years I have dreamed of this day – a day when the land we have always known to be special can be officially recognized on our label. I am so proud of all the work that was done by wineries and the government to get sub appellation status for the Golden Mile Bench.”

The new sub-geographical indicator, or sub-appellation, is a first in British Columbia. It allows wineries that meet the requirements of the Wines of Marked Quality Regulation to label their wines Golden Mile Bench with a commitment to the consumer that at least 95% of the grapes in the bottle come from that specific area. Appellations are used to legally identify where grapes for B.C. wines are grown.

The list of wineries in the Golden Mile Bench include:

CC Jentsche Cellars, Checkmate Artisanal Winery, Culmina Family Estate Winery, Fairview Cellars, Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery, Hester Creek Estate Winery, Inniskillin Okanagan Vineyards, Road 13 Vineyards, Rustico Farm and Cellars, Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, and Willow Hill Vineyards.

The Golden Mile Bench region is on the prominent terrace escarpment southwest of Oliver that runs south from Fairview Road and near Highway 97.

This newly designated region is added to the five other designated wine regions in B.C. including: Okanagan Valley, Similkameen Valley, Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island, and Gulf Islands.

“The designation of the Golden Mile Bench sub-appellation is a reflection of the maturation and progress of BC's premium wine industry" said Miles Prodan, President and CEO of the BC Wine Institute.