Lindsay Kelm
With several 2015 wines now on shelves, we know that the quality is excellent, but how much of it is there to go around? It has been two years since the BC Wine Industry had a crop report, but finally the 2015 BC Wine Grape Crop Report was released mid-May and shows a positive trend for consumers wanting more BC wines, especially our vibrant whites.
Although the overall increase hasn’t been significant, the estimated total tonnage grew nearly 1% from 2013, from 31,383 to 31,640. Both 2013 and 2015 were notably warm vintages with ’13 reporting just over 1,600 growing degree days (GDD) and ’15 being just shy of 1,800 degree days in Osoyoos. The GDD on Vancouver Island were also higher-than-average, with 1,135 reported in 2015 and just over 1,300 in 2015.
2015 BC Grape Tonnage
Despite not having a significant change in overall estimated tonnage, there was a big difference in the total estimated tons harvested between the red and white varieties. The total white estimated tonnage went up 10.5%, while the red estimated tonnage went down 8.5%. The major contributors to this change were significant swings in estimated tonnages of Pinot Gris (up 23%), Sauvignon Blanc (up 18%), Riesling (up 27%) and Merlot (down 19%).
Manfred Freese of the BC Grapegrowers’ Association noted that the substantial increases in Pinot Gris and Riesling are in line with industry expectations based on increased acreage in Kelowna and Lake Country. He also remarked that frost damage was likely the main culprit behind the decrease in red tonnage. Merlot in particular was hit hard in parts of the valley. There was also a slight decrease in Merlot acreage, dropping 2% from 2011 to 2014. ■
Tonnage by Production Area
*Tonnage reported in short tons. Note, participation in this survey is voluntary; therefore the tonnages reported here may differ from actual industry tonnages.
To keep up-to-date on the harvest, follow @WineBCdotcom, #BCHarvest2015 and #Icewine on Twitter.
Lindsay Kelm is the Industry Communications Manager at the British Columbia Wine Institute