The BC coastal wineries and the Fraser Valley had a completely different winemaking experience compared to the interior of BC in 2024. With the cold weather winter snap in the Interior, most of the vitis vinifera vines died so many winemakers had to source grapes from outside of BC; Many chose Washington and Oregon states. The coastal and Fraser Valley wineries did not suffer the worst of the cold snap, so were able to produce wines from their own grapes in 2024. This interview covers these winemakers’ experiences.
The winemakers I interviewed are:
Zac Brown from Alderlea Vineyards Andrew Etsell from Singletree Winery Where Are These Wineries?
Here is a Google map showing the location of the wineries, colour-coded to the winemaker names above.
My Interview
Where are your vineyards and winery located?
Zac: Alderlea Vineyards were established in the Cowichan Valley in 1993.
Andrew: Our vineyards and winery are located in Mt. Lehman in Abbotsford in the Fraser Valley.
Is there anything surprising or exciting about the wines you are making?
Singletree 2024 Harvest Siegerrebe grapes
Zac: I think our Ramato-style Pinot Gris (double gold medal at the All Canadians for the 2023) and Sauvignon Blanc (ACWC gold medals for 22&23) are distinctive takes on well-known varietals. Bacchus is a varietal that finds its apex on Vancouver Island. The wines I think would be the most surprising to visitors are our reds. We
This Article was originally published on My Wine Pal
