Hot Hot Heat: BC Wine Country is on Fire

This summer is a scorcher for the Okanagan, British Columbia’s largest grape growing region. A week of unrelenting heat and no rain have turned the valley into a tinderbox, and it’s burning up – one hectare at a time. More than 40 new wildfires were reported in the last 24 hours, with the Okanagan battling three of note: Apex Mountain (Penticton), Campbell Mountain (on Naramata Bench), and Smith Creek (West Kelowna).

“When we saw the plume of smoke so close, it was scary,” says Cynthia Enns of Laughing Stock, less than one kilometer from Campbell Mountain. Local crews quickly got the fire under control, but wind can cause flames to spread without warning. “It’s really dry this year,” explains Cynthia. “We had a small bush fire behind the winery a few weeks ago.” The cause: city crews mowing the Kettle Valley Rail (KVR) hiking/biking trail.

This year is similar to 2003, when Naramata and Kelowna were devastated by fire. “It’s hard to say how it will ultimately impact us as, thankfully, the fire isn’t close to our vineyards or winery,” says Pinki Gidda, co-owner of Mt. Boucherie in West Kelowna. “However, my daughter has already evacuated her home which was closer to the fire zone.”

Smoke hasn’t impacted vineyards, but that could change if wildfires continue into véraison (onset of ripening). Grape skins develop an oily coating that traps particulates – including a compound found in smoke only detectable after fermentation; by then, it’s eau du ashtray. That requires serious exposure (think mere metres from a wildfire), but it happens.

Meanwhile, Cynthia remains realistic about 2014. “I don’t think we’re done yet,” she says. “It’s not unusual to have wildfires.

Visiting the Okanagan this summer?

• Stay informed with the BC Wildfire Management Branch.
• Local roads can be narrow. If you pull over, leave room for emergency responders.
• Take care, be mindful – and never flick your butt out a window.