iN PHOTOS: Bountiful grape crop bursts with colour in Okanagan, Kamloops

Grape growers in the Okanagan and Thompson Valleys just finished harvesting bountiful healthy crops of numerous varietals in shades of white, green, blue and deep purple.

Thanks to ideal growing conditions, the fruit ripened early, with several growers reporting plump grapes with strong lively flavours, excellent colour development and vibrant hues.

The Okanagan Valley is a powerhouse for growing wine grapes in BC and is the largest grape-growing region in the province where more than 60 varietals grown.

The Okanagan valley stretches north to south over 250 kilometres and accounts for 86% of the province’s vineyard acreage which translates to 10,920 acres planted, according to WineBC.com.

With roughly 93 acres of vineyards planted, the Thompson Valley is one of BC’s newer wine-producing areas. Growers produce both red and white wine varietals that do well with the warm days and cool nights in the region, according to the British Columbia Wine Authority.

Two weeks ago, the vineyard manager at Monte Creek winery near Kamloops, Dominik Hensler, wrapped up harvesting the best quality and quantity of grapes he’s seen in 15 years.

“The Thompson Valley really shone this year,” he said in a previous interview with iNFOnews.ca. “There was a bit of a longer season where we could let things ripen a bit longer and get just a bit more flavour and physical fruit.”

It will take time for many growers to fully recover from a 2024 cold event that destroyed vines, the high yields and healthy, gorgeous fruit is a promising sight.