Drinks

B.C. Wines: From Earth to Press

According to the B.C. Wine Institute, three per cent of B.C. wine grapes are officially organically grown.

By Janet Gyenes /

Credit: Lotusland Winery

<h2>According to the B.C. Wine Institute, three per cent of B.C. wine grapes are officially organically grown.</h2>

 

According to the B.C. Wine Institute, three per cent of B.C. wine grapes are officially organically grown. One of those organic winemakers is Abbotsford’s Lotusland Vineyards, whose wines are made exclusively from organically grown fruit, most of which comes from the Fraser Valley.

The chemical- and pesticide-free fruit is pressed into small-batch wines that range from red and white pinots to port made from blackberries. Hands-on proprietors David and Liz Avery are involved in all stages of production and enlist the extra help of volunteers from the World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms program, which lets travellers share in the organic farming experience.

Another local organic winery is the family owned and operated Glenugie Winery in Langley, which produces pinot noir wine made from grapes grown on-site. The five-acre vineyard is a true labour of love; it is herbicide- and pesticide-free, fertilized with chicken manure, and hand and machine weeded. Its new release, Christina Noir de Noir Brut, named in honour of its co-founder, Christina Tayler, is a sparkling wine made with organic pinot noir grapes using the traditional Méthode Champenoise.

Lotusland Vineyards
28450 King Road, Abbotsford
604-857-4188
www.lotuslandvineyards.com

Glenugie Winery
3033 232nd St., Langley
604-539-9463
www.glenugiewinery.com