Grapes

The grape industry in B.C. is composed of over 1000 vineyards. The majority of the production area is located in the Thompson-Okanagan, followed by Vancouver Island, Lower Mainland and the Kootenay region.

Production

Several regions of B.C. provide ideal growing conditions for wine and fresh market grapes. The information provided in this section is intended to inform growers of the risks, benefits and best practices associated with grape production.

• View industry best practices for growing grapes: Production Guide for Grapes (B.C. Wine Grape Council)
• Information on the management of plant pests and diseases that damage grapevines.
• Information on Best Practices for Replanting Grapes (PDF, 4.5 MB)
• 2014 Financial Planning Information for Establishing a Vineyard (PDF, 420.9 KB) of VINIFERA grapes in the Okanagan region.

How to assess potential damage to grape vines when a winter freeze event has occurred along with lessons learned from the 2022 freeze event on managing damage in the vineyard. This video is available in English, Punjabi, and Spanish.

• Grape Vine Damage (English)
• Grape Vine Damage (Punjabi)
• Grape Vine Damage (Spanish)

Industry analysis reports

Wine grapes

The ministry has supported the wine grape industry efforts to examine potential factors impacting BC wine grape production through the following studies over the last few years: 

• B.C. Wine Grape Industry Gap Analysis (PDF, 4.28 MB)
  • Created 2024: Supplementary report to the B.C. Wine Grape Council’s 2023 Market Opportunity Assessment for the BC Wine & Grape Industry
• Re-Planting Guidelines and Recommendations (PDF, 3.3 MB)
  • Created 2024: To provide recommendations for the development of a wine grape replant program.
• B.C. vineyard resilience study report (PDF, 1.5 MB)
  • Created 2022: Examined potential factors impacting BC wine grape production

Table grapes

• Opportunity Assessment for B.C. Table Grapes (PDF, 3.9 MB)
  • Created 2026: To assess the current table grape market and industry in B.C.

Production insurance

Regulation

Canadian Food Inspection Agency has a mandate to ensure a safe food supply for everyone in Canada. Other local, provincial and federal legislation and regulations apply.