​The list with positive notes continued with Narrative Pinot Gris, Tantalus Riesling, Quails’ Gate’s Chasselas-Pinot Blanc blend and a Pinot Auxerrois from Gray Monk Estate. The latest report says 80 different varieties are grown here.

Clearly, I was in wine heaven and just scratching the surface in a wine region that has unlimited possibilities at this early stage. Beyond dramatic climatic conditions, the sheer diversity of soils and exposures combined with elevation and proximity to lakes lead to a wide range of wines of unique character.

Something else was different here. The first excellent wines tasted were made by Dirty Laundry, and the last winery visited was See Ya Later Ranch. Throughout the region, you couldn’t help but notice the light-hearted, whimsical attitude in many names. There’s Moon Curser, Here’s The Thing Vineyards, Laughing Stock and Blasted Church with its ‘Holy Moly’ wine.

Dirty Laundry is housed in a former bordello, and the sign in front of the winery sums things up nicely: ‘Wine is fun.’

What further sets this vast, northerly region apart are first the two to three hours of extra sunlight during the growing season and secondly, the wide daily swings in temperature. In late June, daybreak can occur as early as 5.30am, and nightfall around 10.30pm. As a result, the growing season is unlike that of California and France. Bud-break is much later and the harvest typically begins in mid-September when the harvest is well underway in Napa and other parts.

In 1970, the Okanagan Valley was best known for its apple and peach orchards. Several events occurred to start turning things around. In 1976, after being impressed during a lengthy visit, Professor Helmut Becker of the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute in Germany’s Rheingau offered a collection of German grape cultivars for evaluation. Known as the Becker Project, it encouraged the BC government to import 4,000 vinifera vines. Between 1977 and 1982, experiments were conducted in 18 different sites. As a result, some 33 vinifera varieties made the cut by demonstrating an ability to ripen and produce quality wines in the Okanagan.

The handful of pioneer vinifera producers from pre-1990 are now part of the close to 300 wineries calling Okanagan their home. From 1,200 acres in 1990, vineyards grew at an unprecedented rate, and today’s total acreage is over the 10,000 mark.

While most wines are labelled ‘Okanagan Valley’ as their origin, within that area are over a dozen sub-regions. And within each sub-region, the growing conditions vary widely due to elevation, aspect, proximity to a lake and soil type.

Kelowna and Penticton are the two major bustling wine-centric cities. Over 40 wineries are located near Kelowna, with the majority on the eastern side of the lake. This makes it an area well suited to earlier ripening varieties. Pinot Noir dominates with 27% of the acreage while Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling together cover another 40%. The west-facing vineyards of Naramata Bench and Skaha Bench, two proven sub-regions, can ripen Merlot and Cabernet in the warmer sites. However, there can be ripening differences of as much as two weeks for the same variety at the same latitude depending on which side of the valley it is planted.

Beginning at the southern end of the Lake, Penticton is a lively village and some 85 wineries are within a 20-minute drive. Moving further south there are wineries like Painted Rock and Blasted Church facing Lake Skaha and then a few like See Ya Later Ranch overlook Okanagan Falls.

At the southernmost tip of the valley in a desert environment, vineyards have sprung up around the towns of Oliver and Osoyoos, both still esteemed for orchard fruit. Here you’ll find Burrowing Owl, Estate, Moon Curser and the aptly named Bordertown Vineyards. Syrah does well here as does Cabernet Franc, which has a particular affinity with the climate of the South Okanagan and Similkameen Valley, a sub-region to the west. Narrative’s Cabernet Franc is exemplary.

Narrative is part of Crush Pad, an exciting winery best known for the Haywire brand. Typifying the region, it is relatively new, opened in 2011, privately owned, and has an international flair with winemaker Matt Dumayne from New Zealand. Okanagan has recently been attracting winemakers from France, and well-known consultants have been flying in.

However, the two indelible images I took home were the upbeat messages: ‘Wine is Fun’ at Dirty Laundry and the folksy ‘See Ya Later’ name outside my last winery visited.

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