Home » Okanagan Valley terroir & its affinity with Riesling

Okanagan Valley terroir & its affinity with Riesling

by Amanda Barnes

The Okanagan Valley terroir has become known for its suitability to Riesling, and Tantalus winery is considered one of the best wine producers in the region for this finicky grape variety.

Amanda Barnes interviews winemaker David Paterson, a native Kiwi, about how Okanagan Valley and wines have changed since his arrival and what he believes makes it unique. They discuss the character of Kelowna and some of the other main wine regions, their soils, climate and wine traits including the high natural acidity. David discusses sustainability, organic vineyards, and making Riesling in the Okanagan vs. New Zealand. He also shares his secrets on making a Riesling ice wine and how that is possible in essentially a desert.

 okanagan valley terroir
Okanagan Wine Region Guide: Quick Guide
  • Altitude: between 320m – 600m
  • Size: 3,400 hectares of vines
  • Length: 250km north to south
  • Main regions: Kelowna, Naramata, Peachland, Summerland, Okanagan Falls, Oliver, Golden Mile Bench, Black Sage, Osoyoos.

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Kelowna and Okanagan Valley terroir: Winemaker interview with David Paterson, Tantalus

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More on Okanagan Valley terroir, varieties, and wines
Transcript of clip for hearing impaired: Okanagan Valley terroir & Riesling
Amanda Barnes: You are making wines up here in the north, in East Kelowna area. So what are the differences and the diversity within the valley and how would you set aside this region of Tantalus?
David Paterson: Sure. I mean, we are, the way I look at it is that we have a 160km long piece of valley that has two distinct turns in it, and a little pinch point. So right down by the US border it is very sandy, it is almost a beach sand, a lot hotter than we are. And lower in elevation.
As you come up the valley, you get to Okanagan Falls and there’s a little pinch point there, it becomes a beautiful place for… there’s a lot more slate-y, gravely soils there, a little bit more clay, it starts to hold acidity a little bit better.
Then you get up to Summerland and Naramata, which as the crow flies is only 35 km from us. There’s a big crag in the middle and we can’t quite get there, there’s a lot more clay and gravel there, and again you hold a lot more acidity. When you get up to where we are, we are on these very fine lake bed silts where it was the old glacial lake, and these soils are very, very lean and very austere and they cause the vines to hold a massive amount of acidity.
So our wines are always built on acidity rather than where the sugar content got to. I am always picking on where the acid is and how that’s going to end up balancing the wine, so that really affects how we grow the grapes and how we make the wine.
It is more the huge acidity that we have here, the natural acidity which I think is a huge advantage in winemaking. It makes wines that age very, very well.

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