Red wine

Okanagan Red

Robe — Deep ruby-garnet

  • blackcurrant
  • plum
  • cedar
  • herbs
  • dark cherry
Palate
Ripe and structured, fresh from the northern latitude
Ageing
5–15 years
Serving
16–18 °C

In the near-desert of the southern Okanagan, deep in the interior of British Columbia, sagebrush and sand give way to vineyards ripening Bordeaux varieties under long, sunny northern days. The Okanagan Red — Merlot and Cabernet led — is ripe and structured yet kept fresh by the northern latitude and cool nights.

Strung along a long glacial lake that tempers the climate, Canada's most surprising wine region makes serious Bordeaux blends in the south and Riesling and Pinot in the cooler north. Beautiful and fast-improving, it is western Canada's answer to fine red wine.

The blend

A typical modern composition

Where it is made

Producers

A few estates working in this style today — a sample, not a ranking

Through time

Indicative presence index, 0–100Origins & Antiquity — 0The Monastic Middle Ages — 0Exploration & the Fortified Age — 0Classifications & the Golden Age — 0Phylloxera & the World Crises — 5The Modern & New World Era — 72Antiquity0500150017001875195072