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Winter Recovery

22 Comments

The Okanagan Valley experienced a deep freeze for a few days in January. At times, the temperature dropped to -25C (-13F), leaving farmers scrambling to protect their trees and vines with heaters, fire pots and continuously flowing water. In this area, such low temperatures are extremely unusual; the last time this type of freezing occurred was 34 years ago in 1990.

As you can imagine, the owners of orchards and in particular, wineries, are very worried about the damage that has been done. Some reports are that as much as 60% of the grape vines have been destroyed and that there has been significant damage to some of the orchards.

Farming has never been for the faint of heart. When everything falls into place, all goes well. But the number of unexpected issues, especially from the weather, can cause catastrophe.

A lot rides on agriculture in this valley. It’s heavily connected to tourism and is also a huge employer, but the smoke and fires from last summer together with the January freeze may make it impossible for some people to continue. I hope not, but life is sometimes extraordinarily unfair.

22 thoughts on “Winter Recovery”

    1. I was reading about one family vintner, about 50 km up the valley from us, who lost a few vines to the fire but then much of the remaining crop to wildlife because an important fence had been destroyed. The fire marshall wouldn’t allow them in because of poor safety conditions, so they couldn’t do repairs in a timely manner. Then last month they struggled to save their vines from the cold. I really feel for them – they have been hammered.

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  2. I just hope for the perfect year for farmers of all types. My Dad was a farmer and after a poor crop year (every year for one reason or another) he would always say “Next Year”, but next year was never any better. Here is wishing the best of luck to all the growers in the Okanagan Lynette. Have a good Saturday. Allan

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    1. Thanks, Allan, to you, as well.
      Having lived in Medicine Hat I came to know the agricultural community a bit. It always struck me that growers seemed to be the most optimistic people ever. Agreed – it was always next year. I have recently read some just heartbreaking stories, especially from family vintners or orchardists. Yes, I wish all the growers good luck.

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    1. Yes, -25 is an anomaly. The winters here are temperate. The lowest is usually a few days in January of about -1 or -2 overnight. The summers are gorgeous.

      Having lived in many areas of Canada, including the Northwest Territories, we did our homework before making a permanent move (we previously owned a summer or holiday home here while working in NWT). Between the hiking, city walkability, restaurants, wine culture, mountains, beaches and weather, we felt that it was perfect for us. We even have a good ski hill right here at Apex. Before we made our decision we narrowed to three choices: Penticton, Guelph, Ont. and Calgary, all with very attractive features, but in our opinion Penticton is the best. That’s my pitch. 😉 Happy Saturday.

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    1. It sure is, Anneli. Some of what I’ve been reading is heartbreaking. I hope we’ve seen the last as well. Yesterday afternoon the fog suddenly lifted and we had a sunny, very spring-like afternoon. It was fantastic.

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    1. Yes, there is, but ice wine is made from grapes still on the vines that have been exposed to a freeze and then are immediately harvested (even if it’s the middle of the night). The amount of frost has to be just right to produce the required levels of sugars (ice wine is a sweet dessert wine).

      In this case, it was the vines themselves that froze, many types of them. Most grape vines can’t tolerate anything below about -15C (5F) or they may die or will suffer serious damage. A lot of the vintners have lost their vines, in some cases heritage vines that were producing particularly good grapes. Yes, the vintners and growers have had a terrible year – quite heartbreaking.

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