Latitudinal lines paint invisible stripes around the earth. Regions sharing the same latitude can be miles apart and have wildly different cultures and histories but are linked together via similar climates.

 

Thus, it should come as no surprise to learn that the Okanagan region of central British Columbia shares the same latitude as two other famed wine regions: Champagne in France and Rheingau in Germany. While Champagne and Rheingau boast many centuries worth of classic “old world” wines, the Okanagan, with its mere 150 years of wine growing, is indisputably the new kid on the block.

 

Like the littlest sister of two famed beauty queens, the Okanagan first established itself by following in some very large footsteps- namely, planting classic French and German varietals from its sister regions. As she grows and evolves however, she comes into her own, with new hybrids and blends emerging excitingly from her rolling hills. With each passing season, the new world grows brighter, bolder and more confident in the world of viticulture.

 

This particular Autumn day, as harvest season drew to a close, I looked over the terroir along Lake Okanagan and admired the vibrant colours: the reddening rows of grape leaves, green grasses swaying in the gentle wind and the glassy lake reflecting a brilliant blue sky. She is not Champagne, she is not Rheingau, she is the Okanagan and she is something special all of her own.