A B.C. winery managed to escape the worst of a bad winter, but it is still feeling the impact of plunging temperatures elsewhere in the province.

Cody Karman, manager of the in south Langley, said they were 乌鸦传媒渞elatively unscathed乌鸦传媒� by the unseasonably cold weather last year.

乌鸦传媒淲e did have some damage to the Merlot and the Cabernet Sauvignon [grapes] but no mass damage to any of our vineyards,乌鸦传媒� Karman told the Langley Advance Times.

It was a different story in the Okanagan, where temperatures fell below minus 30 C at one point in December.

乌鸦传媒淥ne of the vineyards we sourced from, they grow our Syrah [grapes], and they unfortunately were completely decimated,乌鸦传媒� Karman said.

乌鸦传媒淭hey are going to replant the Syrah, so we might miss a few vintages, or have to source from elsewhere,乌鸦传媒� Karman predicted.

乌鸦传媒淚t was an absolute blow to the wine industry.乌鸦传媒�

Writer and wine columnist , author of The World of Canadian Wine, The Wineries of British Columbia, and British Columbia Wine Country, and 12 other books on wine, described last year乌鸦传媒檚 weather as 乌鸦传媒渞eally peculiar乌鸦传媒� during an apperance at the Township 7 winery on 16th Avenue at 212th Street on Sunday, June 25.

乌鸦传媒淲e had a wet cool spring,乌鸦传媒� Schreiner explained, 乌鸦传媒渟o the grapes were delayed two to three weeks to get into the stage where they were flowering.乌鸦传媒�

That meant the vines didn乌鸦传媒檛 have a chance to become 乌鸦传媒減roperly dormant乌鸦传媒� before temperatures fell to a 乌鸦传媒渒illing temperature,乌鸦传媒� Schreiner summarized.

乌鸦传媒淰ines need a few weeks to 乌鸦传媒榞o to sleep,乌鸦传媒� for the the sap to retreat to the roots, and if it hasn乌鸦传媒檛 retreated, and it gets cold, the vines will kind of burst. Just like it乌鸦传媒檚 like your pipes in your house, if it gets cold, and they freeze the pipes over.乌鸦传媒�

A lot of vines were 乌鸦传媒渒illed outright,乌鸦传媒� Schreiner said.

READ ALSO:

A report commissioned by Wine Growers British Columbia said the 乌鸦传媒渨orst fears乌鸦传媒� of a potential crop loss have been realized with a 54 per cent reduction in 2023 and 45 per cent of total planted acreage suffering what Miles Prodan, president and CEO of Wine Growers British Columbia, called 乌鸦传媒渓ong-term irreparable damage.乌鸦传媒�

B.C.乌鸦传媒檚 wine industry is appealing to the provincial and federal governments for help, asking for a dedicated grant to support crisis relief, additional funding for the Perennial Crop Renewal Program, and alignment of the provincial crop insurance program to cover 乌鸦传媒渦nique climate-change related events乌鸦传媒� such as the cold snap.

Township 7乌鸦传媒檚 Karman hopes consumers will help struggling smaller B.C. wineries by making purchases.

乌鸦传媒淭hey乌鸦传媒檙e going to need us to be buying these bottles of wine, to kind of keep that revenue flow going for the next few years,乌鸦传媒� Karman remarked.

乌鸦传媒淚 think what we can do as the consumers, is ultimately show our support and shop local.乌鸦传媒�

READ ALSO: