Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/215151
Okanagan Valley British Columbia PHOTO COURTESY OF BEN LAWSON Vernon 97 Penticton 3 B.C. MO WA ID regional variation and the need to closely analyze sites to pick varieties that can work. "I think they have potential for high-end Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, things like that," he said of the southern end of the valley. "In the midregion, I tasted some great Syrahs and Merlots and Chardonnays." The challenge is finding the right clones to perform under given climatic conditions, especially in some of the more marginal areas. "Cabernet Clone 7 won't do it," he said, referring to one of the workhorses of California vineyards, also known as the Wente clone. "They need to look at other clones coming out of France… They might be able to play with clones like 169, which can, in a cooler area, get ripe at a lower Brix." This is what many growers in the valley have done, said Dick Cleave, a vineyard consultant based in Oliver. Vineyards he oversees also have clones 15, 191, and 339. Fussy Cleave acknowledges the challenges that Cabernet Sauvignon presents, but isn't as pessimistic about growing the variety in British Columbia as Roberts is. There are more than 755 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon planted in the province, and the variety was the fifth most significant by harvested tonnage last year. Cleave tends to harvest his own at 25.5 degrees Brix, and in some years has brought it in at more than 28 degrees. "You have to be really, really fussy with it. It's an expensive grape to grow, but if you put it on the right rootstock in the right locations, you can do it," he said. "You need it on Riparia Gloire, you need it on sandy soils, and on drip irrigation." He limits yields in his own vineyard, on the east side of the valley facing Oliver, to about three pounds per vine. A handful of vineyards in the province are also using Blattner clones, disease-resistant selections that require significantly less heat units to mature; there are approximately 100 acres of them planted. Cleave's close management of his vines and the adoption by other growers of the Blattner vines underscore the growing appreciation—and responsiveness—growers have to Okanagan conditions. "I think they have an opportunity to put British Columbia on the map, and I think there are some winemakers up there now who have some real skills," Roberts said. While he feels the industry could benefit from broader clonal trials, he heaped generous praise on the work of Dr. Pat Bowen and her team at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre in Summerland. "She actually does research in vineyards, and her information actually is practical and actually has meaning to the farmers," he said. "That's the first place in the world I've actually seen a researcher doing research in vineyards and helping growers." • www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER DECEMBER 2013 41