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The acreage dedicated to vineyards has increased by eight per cent since 2014, according to the 2019 BC Wine Grape Acreage Report.
BC is now home to 11,086 acres of wine grapes, up from 10,260 acres in 2014. The report further shows growth in the number of vineyards from 929 in 2014 to 1,049 in 2019, and the number of grape wineries in the province has also increased to its present count of 282, up 11 per cent from 254 in 2014.
The Penticton, Naramata and Kaledan region boasts the highest percentage increase of total wineries at 18.4 per cent. Oliver and Osoyoos saw the largest increase of grape acreage at 7.3 per cent and remains the major source of acreage in BC with just over 50 per cent of plantings.
Top wine grapes planted in 2019 show only slight variance from the previous report, with Pinot Noir replacing Pinot Gris as the second most planted variety. Merlot remains the top planted red grape with 1,618 acres planted and Pinot Gris remains the top planted white grape at 1,166 acres planted. In order of acreage, 2019’s top 10 most planted wine varieties in order of acres are as follows:
- Merlot 1,618.85 acres
- Pinot Noir 1,331.94 acres
- Pinot Gris 1,166.57 acres
- Chardonnay 1,132.31 acres
- Cabernet Sauvignon 853.41 acres
- Cabernet Franc 719.52 acres
- Gewürztraminer 646.47 acres
- Riesling 613.13 acres
- Syrah 553.86 acres
- Sauvignon Blanc 403.01 acres
The full report is available on WineBC.com, as well as on the BC Wine Grape Council website: bcwgc.org and the BC Grapegrowers’ Association website: grapegrowers.bc.ca.