Types of Wines

Crisp, fruity and clean white wines are Vancouver Island’s trademark products. Some are made in the traditional German off-dry (only slightly sweet) style, while some are produced in the fashion of the great French dry wines.

Vancouver Island’s red wines are also delicious. Pinot Noir, a sophisticated medium-bodied red wine, has probably had the most success on the Island; the finicky vines used for this wine seem to feel right at home in Vancouver Island’s wine region. 

Ice Wine
Ice wine was discovered in 18th century Germany, when an early winter froze the unpicked grapes. Rather than lose the entire crop, the vintners decided to harvest and press the frozen grapes. The result was a sweet and extremely fruity wine: Eiswein.

Due in part to climate conditions, there are few countries which make authentic ice wine. Those that do allocate small sections of vineyard to the wine. If certain winter temperatures are not reached, vintners risk losing entire harvests. The ice wine grape endures extreme dehydration from winter cold and sunshine, producing one-tenth the juice of a normal grape. Therefore, despite its long history, ice wine is still very rare and unique.

Canada is the largest producer of ice wine in the world. Although some of the finest ice wines are created right here in BC, the climate on Vancouver Island does not allow local winemakers to produce ice wine. The temperature here rarely reaches the minimum -8°C which is necessary to freeze the grapes on the vines and make the famed dessert wine.