Inniskillin strives to harvest the finest our vineyards have to offer by carefully analyzing soil and site conditions, hand selecting the optimum fruit of its mature vines and then winemaking and cellaring with the utmost care and attention. Niagara and the Okanagan are the two primary wine regions in Canada and are both regulated by the VQA, the Vintner’s Quality Alliance. The VQA symbol on a bottle of Canadian wine assures the wine consumer of quality production, content, varietal percentage, appellation, and vintage.

OKANAGAN
British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley wine region stretches for 130 km, from Lake Osoyoos, on the 49º-north latitude, just north of the Canada/US border, to the northern tip of Okanagan Lake. These two long lakes moderate the temperatures throughout the year and intense sunlight and minimal rainfall allow the grapes to ripen to their full maturity. Located at the same latitude as the Rhine Valley in Germany and the Champagne region of France, the Okanagan Valley is also considered a cool climate viticulture region. However, the Okanagan is much dryer than the Niagara region and is subject to greater extremes - hotter summers and cooler winters. The region’s cool nights help the grapes to retain high acidity. The Okanagan’s unique climatic conditions, along with its exceptional soils, produce wines that are full-bodied and highly flavoured with good acidity.

The southern Okanagan Valley is positioned at the northernmost tip of the Sonoran Desert, starting in Mexico and extending through North America as the Great Basin, with ancient origins probably dating back 10,000 years. In these dry desert conditions (annual precipitation is the lowest in Canada - only about 25 cm), irrigation is required in order to grow grapevines. Moisture from precipitation travels quickly through the sandy or gravelly soils therefore irrigation is required in order to grow grapevines. On the east side of the Okanagan Valley are moderately sloping terraces and benches (Osoyoos Lake Bench) that lie between the northeast side of Osoyoos Lake and the steep, rocky mountain slopes to the east. Inkameep and Mica Creeks, passing westward through the area, provide the main drainage. The soil of this area is derived from windblown sands and gravels deposited by the melt waters of the Ice Age glaciers. The surface soils are predominantly sandy glacial deposits, some with gravelly subsoils. Very fine, sandy and coarse, silty deposits also occur in the vicinity of Inkameep Creek. Along the extreme eastern boundary of the area, the soils are Brown Chernozems, common to grassland vegetation and slightly enriched with organic matter.

This rarefied landscape of mountain, lake and desert, laden with a healthy mixture of well-drained soils, lends itself superbly to the production of European-style wines as diverse as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Riesling Icewine and Vidal Icewine.

Dark Horse Estate Inniskillin's 23-acre 'Dark Horse' Estate Vineyard is located on the western slope of the valley, north of the Osoyoos Lake. The soils underlying the Inniskillin Dark Horse Vineyard are classified as Ratnip (soil parental materials), which consist of gravelly, coarse textured fluvial fan deposits. Textures range from gravelly, sandy loam to gravelly loamy sand. Surface stones vary from few on the fan apron to many at the fan apex - much of it from the Hester Creek Fan deposits. Bull Pine Vineyard Located along the picturesque mountain slopes that stretch up to 200 feet above Osoyoos Lake in the southern-most tip of the Valley our first single vineyard enjoys high heat during the day balanced by the nighttime cooling effect of the lake, providing optimum conditions for vine growth and grape ripening. Discovery Vineyard Planted with Marsanne, Roussanne and Pinot Grigio, this three-hectare vineyard, located on highway 97 in Oliver along the area’s famed “Golden Mile”, was established in 2006 with the express purpose of cultivating grape varietals not typically grown in the Okanagan. (The Golden Mile is on a southwest slope with excellent drainage and maximum sunlight exposure.) Look for an innovative planting of Grunerveltliner in future discovery harvests!