Frozen Vines, Wildfire Smoke and a Splash of Politics—B.C. Wineries are Having a Challenging Year.

They say bad luck comes in threes—and if you asked a B.C. winery, they might be feeling extra superstitious this year. They’ve endured a brutal winter, a smoky summer and a political trade war that’s shaken up the bottle shop shelves. But despite the chaos, the industry isn’t just surviving—it’s adapting, innovating and asking locals to raise a glass to its resilience.

The past year has tested the resolve of B.C. producers. A deep freeze and a political ping-pong match with Canada’s southern neighbour have left wineries bruised but more determined than ever to pour some great wine. Last year’s record-breaking cold snap wiped out nearly an entire vintage, leaving the province’s wine producers with more than just a bitter taste in their mouths.

A Brutal Winter Nearly Wiped Out B.C.’s Wine Industry

“From Vernon to the Similkameen, the crop loss was almost 95 percent,” says Paul Sawler, chair of Wine Growers British Columbia and vice president of sales for Dirty Laundry Winery in Summerland. Dirty Laundry’s expected 450-tonne grape yield dropped to under a single tonne. “It was gone,” he says.

Poplar Grove Winery, another key B.C. producer, suffered similar losses. “We usually harvest 600 tonnes,” says Chris Holler, general manager and vice president of the family-run business. “In 2024, we harvested just 10.”

B.C. Breaks Its Own Rules to Save Local Wineries

To help local producers stay afloat, the province introduced an emergency measure allowing B.C. wineries to import grapes from outside the province, including from Washington and Oregon, without incurring the usual steep fees. The program, which labels these wines as “Crafted in B.C.,” offers a lifeline to producers, who won’t be able to harvest their own grapes until their vines are replanted and mature.

“We partnered with family farms just a few hours across the border who are doing exactly what we’re doing up here… we’ve all become friends,” says Holler. For wineries like Poplar Grove, the Crafted in B.C. program isn’t just about sourcing fruit—it’s about saving jobs, keeping staff working and maintaining a connection with their customers. Without visibility on store shelves, Holler says, wineries risk losing hard-earned loyalty. And once a customer moves on, it can be difficult to win them back.

Though the grapes are American-grown, every step of production—fermentation, bottling and marketing—is proudly Canadian. Poplar Grove, like many others, opts for full transparency: its new Crafted in B.C. wines clearly state “Washington-grown, made in B.C.” on the label. “It’s Canadian know-how, Canadian hands,” says Holler. “That wine is really a Canadian product.”

Not Everyone’s Buying Into the Cross-Border Solution

Meanwhile, some boutique producers—like Nichol Vineyard in Naramata, whose losses were substantial—say that sourcing U.S. grapes isn’t part of their mandate, even in the worst of times. “Business is as bad as it can be; we didn’t make any wine last year,” says Matthew Sherlock of Nichol. “But we don’t see buying grapes from the States as what we do. We completely understand why some did. We farm land in Canada to make a wine that represents a time and a place. And that place is the Okanagan.”

B.C. Fights Back Against Trump’s Trade War

Then came the next shakeup: a provincial ban pulling U.S.-made wines from government liquor store shelves in response to Trump-era tariffs. Sawler says that Summerland wineries ran a large-scale poll among wine club members. Fortunately for producers, customers still seem happy to buy wine made with grapes from across the border, motivated by a broader desire to support Canadian businesses.

“It was overwhelmingly the sentiment that ‘we will support the wineries we love to make sure they can get back on their feet next year.’ Luckily, the product is very, very good,” says Sawler.

The buy-local momentum that surged during COVID appears to be carrying through the trade dispute, giving wineries an extra boost. “People are still voting with their dollars,” says Holler.

Local tourism is also on the rise, with many cancelling U.S. trips in favour of staycations. For wineries like Nichol, it’s a cruel irony: the summer boom they desperately need has arrived, just when they have the least to offer. “I’ve heard we’re seeing 80 percent occupancy rates all the way through August,” says Sherlock, comparing this summer to 2021 travel-ban numbers. “Which is great, except I have very little wine.”

Nichol is now replanting its historic syrah vineyard—the first of the grape ever planted in Canada—with new vines. It will be six long years before they can bottle syrah again. “We went through the five stages of grief over the winter,” says Sherlock. “When you’ve done a harvest 17 years in a row, not doing it is weird.”

Wildfire Season Adds Insult to Injury

And if that didn’t already seem like enough for B.C. winegrowers to contend with, there’s also wildfire season. While smoke exposure during the growing season has become a real concern for winemakers, Jeff Guignard, CEO of Wine Growers British Columbia, says the frustration lies not just in the winemaking, but also in how fires affect tourism—a vital part of the wine economy.

“When we have a wildfire in one area of the province, some folks just assume all of the Okanagan valleys are on fire and they’ll start cancelling trips,” says Guignard. “That’s frustrating because most of the province is healthy, and the air quality is good.”

Wineries Get Creative to Save Their Vintage

Not every smoky summer results in smoke-tainted wine, but growers are taking proactive steps. From increasing leaf coverage on the canopy to rinsing vines with misting systems, producers are learning how to shield grapes from haze. Some harvest by hand to better assess fruit, while others test juice early to detect smoke compounds. “It’s just something you have to think about in a way that we didn’t think about, perhaps, in the past,” says Guignard. On the production side, some wineries have shortened maceration times or used costly filtration systems, such as reverse osmosis, to reduce the impact of smoke. Others blend affected grapes with unaffected lots, or repurpose them into brandy. Sometimes, a smoky note can even become a feature. “I had a pinot noir which had this lightly smoked flavour at the very end of the palate,” Guignard says. “It was perfect with barbecued beef.”

The issue has prompted collaboration across the industry. Winery associations are working with the B.C. Wine and Grape Council, while research continues at UBC Okanagan to improve long-term strategies. “You can’t control nature,” Guignard says. “But we’re collaborating more than ever, trying to manage it better each year.”

Vancouver’s Top Sommeliers Are Betting Big on Local Wine

In Vancouver’s restaurants, sommeliers are using this moment to spotlight local wine in a bigger way. At Glowbal Restaurant Group, corporate wine director Sarah McCauley spent the past year juggling limited stock and shifting consumer expectations. “Even the biggest wineries in the Okanagan are boutique on a global scale,” says McCauley. “They’re small and vulnerable.” Her team has doubled down on exclusive local offerings, pouring rare finds like Martin’s Lane Simes Vineyard Pinot Noir and fresh, Island-grown bubbles from Unsworth Vineyards.

“These wines are a snapshot of a place and time,” McCauley says. “There’s no better time than now to show our producers that we see them and we hear them.”

From Disaster Comes Innovation: B.C. Wine’s Resilient Future

Despite the setbacks, optimism runs deep among B.C.’s winegrowers. Both Sawler and Holler note how adversity has sparked overdue changes in farming practices. At Poplar Grove, they’re replanting damaged vineyards with hardier varietals such as pinot noir and chardonnay, and adopting more sustainable techniques to withstand future climate extremes. If nothing changes—nothing will change. “We can’t just keep doing the same thing,” says Holler.