The 2024 vintage is shaping up to be exceptional – in the sense that it’s a real exception to our normal routine. We’d like to share with you what’s ACTUALLY happening, as misinformation can spread easily.
TRUE: a flow of Arctic air brought temperatures as cold as -27°C to the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys from January 11-15, 2024. The fruitful buds that would have blossomed into a 2024 crop were mostly frozen. Most vineyards will produce 10% or less of a normal crop.
FALSE: “All the vines are dead. There’s no wine in the Okanagan”.
– Most vines are NOT dead, but many are damaged to a point that will require rehabilitation or replacement. Many vineyards have already been removed. Many have already been replanted. It will take several years before the Okanagan and Similkameen valley vineyards can supply enough grapes to fulfill the needs of BC wineries and wine drinkers.
Many wineries, including Roche Wines, still DO have wine to sell, because it takes 2-4 years after harvest to finish and bottle many wine styles. We are currently releasing wines from 2020 through 2023 vintages as they become ready to drink.
TRUE: There will be a shortage of some wines that will unfold over the next few years, as the effects of this nearly-nil harvest become apparent in wine inventories.
If no steps were taken, this would present a severe challenge to the industry and all of the very real people who are connected to it: 14,000 full time jobs and a $3.75 billion annual contribution to the economy.
Some wineries have already closed, and many people have lost their jobs.
To alleviate this problem, the BC goverment has temporarily revised our winery licensing regulations. For the 2024 vintage, we will be permitted to produce a limited volume of wine using grapes from outside sources.
As a small, family-owned and operated winery that employs 5 people full-time and up to 15 seasonally, we recognize that this exception provides several opportunities:
- to continue to employ our excellent team of passionate wine professionals
- to help fill the gap in wine supply, and allow us to continue to take care of our own vineyards as they recover
- to explore other fabulous winegrowing regions and make our own unique examples of wines that are well-known for their quality and character
Our search for the right source began with a desire for meaning – if we are to venture beyond our own region, what is the purpose, beyond a simple need for grapes? The answer came back to terroir – how a wine can speak to a sense of place – and all its complexity. And a key component of terroir is the human element!
In 2003, when Dylan was studying viticulture and oenology in the heart of Burgundy, he met Russell Gladhart, an American classmate in the winemaking program. The following summer, Russell and his French wife Delphine were married, and left Burgundy to help Russell’s parents establish a winery in Oregon’s Dundee Hills AVA, on land farmed by their family since 1961. Russell, Delphine and family created Winter’s Hill Estate winery, a boutique producer of premium Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay.
Sharing our dedication to sustainable, hands-on viticulture, Winter’s Hill farms 25 acres on the spectacular southwest slopes of the Dundee Hills, an ancient volcanic formation 700 feet above the Willamette River. With red clay soils, steep slopes and a temperate climate, the Dundee Hills are directly comparable to Burgundy. Some of the New World’s most coveted Pinot Noirs are grown here.
Russell and Delphine confirmed that they could supply grapes – between their own vineyards and neighboring grapegrowers – and we set off to discover the vineyards of the Willamette Valley. We were warmly welcomed, and made two trips in August and September to reconnect with our friends, and to immerse ourselves in the stunning landscape and winemaking tradition of this part of Oregon.
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