BC wine
Drink
BC wine suits anyone who wants the province's own bottles with dinner in Vancouver, and a BC VQA label means the grapes were 100% grown and the wine made in British Columbia. Read the label on 2024 bottles, because extreme cold left many vineyards without a crop that year and some wineries made Crafted in BC wine from grapes grown elsewhere.
Photo Peter Bond · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Wine Growers British Columbia counts more than 300 wineries across nine regions. Three regions lie on the coast and six in the Interior, and the Fraser Valley is the coastal one closest to Vancouver. The Okanagan Valley is the largest and oldest. Father Charles Pandosy planted the first vines there at the Oblate Mission in Kelowna in 1859, and by 1984 the province had 13 operating wineries.
BC VQA started in 1990, and the BC Wine Authority governs its rules. A BC VQA wine uses only BC grapes. At least 95% must come from the region named on the label, and 85% from the stated vintage and the stated grape. An expert panel tastes every wine before it earns the mark.
Severe cold snaps hit the 2023 and 2024 harvests, and an extreme cold event early in 2024 left many vineyards with no crop. For the 2024 vintage only, some wineries made Crafted in BC wines from grapes or juice grown outside the province in places such as Washington and Ontario. Those bottles say where the grapes grew, and they don't carry the BC VQA mark.
Nk'Mip Cellars in Osoyoos became the first Indigenous-owned winery in North America in 2002, and the Osoyoos Indian Band runs it in partnership with Arterra. Destination Vancouver's June 2026 guide says you'll find its bottles at BC Liquor stores and Everything Wine in the city. On Grouse Mountain, the Observatory builds its drinks list around Okanagan wineries. Barbara in Chinatown leans on BC producers.
Winter is the quiet season in the vineyards. Wine Growers British Columbia says many wineries stay open all year for tastings by the fire, and it suggests BC icewine to finish a cold-weather day. The Vancouver International Wine Festival returns in March 2027. Its own feeds give both 6–13 March and 8–13 March, so check the dates before you book.
Worth knowing
- Look for BC VQA on the label if you want a wine made only from BC grapes.
- Check the label on 2024 bottles, because Crafted in BC wines from that vintage use grapes from outside the province.
- Buy Nk'Mip Cellars wine at a BC Liquor store for a bottle from North America's first Indigenous-owned winery.
Quick answers about BC wine
What does BC VQA mean?
BC VQA stands for British Columbia Vintners Quality Alliance, and the mark dates from 1990. A BC VQA wine is made from 100% BC-grown grapes, and an expert panel tastes every wine before it earns the mark.
How many wine regions does BC have?
Wine Growers British Columbia counts nine wine regions and more than 300 wineries in the province. The Okanagan Valley is the largest and oldest.
What are Crafted in BC wines?
Crafted in BC wines are 2024-vintage wines made in BC from grapes or juice grown outside the province. Wineries made them because extreme cold left many BC vineyards without a 2024 crop, and they don't carry the BC VQA mark.
When is the Vancouver International Wine Festival?
The Vancouver International Wine Festival returns in March 2027. In October 2026 its own feeds gave both 6–13 March and 8–13 March.
How do you order BC wine?
Ask the server for a BC wine by the glass and the region it comes from. On a bottle, BC VQA and the region name tell you where the grapes grew.
When is BC wine in season?
BC wine: BC wine sells all year. Harvest runs through the fall, and Wine Growers British Columbia points winter visitors to BC icewine and fireside tastings at wineries that stay open.
Where can you eat BC wine in North Vancouver?
Places we list for BC wine include Barbara, The Naam, The Observatory.