New Wine Region Approved for South Okanagan

It's official: the Okanagan has a brand new wine region as the government has now approved the Golden Mile Bench.

The new sub-geographical indicator will mean that 11 wineries in the South Okanagan will be included in the new region. Agriculture Minister Norm Letnick made the approval announcement at Tinhorn Creek Vineyard, which is one of the included wineries.

Photo Credit: Road 13

"British Columbia's award-winning wine has a strong reputation both here at home and internationally for its high quality and value,” said Letnick. “The new Golden Mile Bench label will signify to consumers that the bottle they are about to enjoy is from this unique and specific area."

The new sub-appellation is a first for British Columbia and allows wineries to meet the requirements to have Golden Mile Bench on their label. At least 95 per cent of the grapes in the bottle must come from that specific area. Appellations are used to legally identify where grapes for B.C. wines are grown.

Photo Credit: C.C. Jentsch Cellars

"For 20 years I have dreamed of this day, a day when the land we have always known to be special can be officially recognized on our label,” said Tinhorn Creek Vineyards President and CEO Sandra Oldfield. “I am so proud of all the work that was done by wineries and the government to get sub appellation status for the Golden Mile Bench."

The wineries in the Golden Mile Bench are CC Jentsch Cellars, Checkmate Artisanal Winery, Culmina Family Estate Winery, Fairview Cellars, Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery, Hester Creek Estate Winery, Inniskillin Okanagan Vineyards, Golden Mile Cellars (Road 13 Vineyards), Rustico Farm and Cellars, Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, and Willow Hill Vineyards.

Photo Credit: Tinhorn Creek

The region is located southwest of Oliver and runs south from Fairview Road and near Highway 97.

The proposal first went to the Wine Authority in May 2014 by a group of wineries in the Okanagan Valley. The B.C. VQA is an appellation of origin system that guarantees authenticity and quality standards for B.C. wines.