Hopes for a 2024 grape crop in British Columbia’s Okanagan and Similkameen valleys have dimmed as buds have failed to show viable growth this spring. BC agriculture officials say that up to 95 per cent of the crop is affected. The long-term damage to vines is being assessed says Lindsay Hainstock, regional agrologist and grape specialist.

Hainstock explains that vines have three sets of buds.

“It’s a lot of those first and second buds that have been lost, and when we’re getting down to the tertiary buds, they can be a little later to come out, so we’re still in the assessment stage right now to see how extensive is the damage out there,” she explained.

“But a lot of people are waiting to see if the vines can be salvaged. That is going to be the first choice for most people because it is quite costly to replant.”

Crop insurance officials are estimating up to 50 per cent of vines will need to be replanted, especially in the North Okanagan. The situation is more mixed in the South Okanagan.

The BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food says that many grape growers are participating in the province’s crop renewal program with $2.3 million pledged towards removing unproductive vines and planting heartier varieties suited to the region’s climate conditions. Approximately $27 million in production insurance claims were paid out to growers in 2023, mostly stemming from that winter’s freeze event. It’s estimated that more than $500,000 in AgriStability payments will be paid to grape growers to help offset losses experienced in 2023.

Moving forward, the robust winery industry is looking south of the border for grapes to crush in the fall of 2024. To that end, the Washington Wine Growers is liaising with Washington State Department of Agriculture to see if their grapes can plug the gap.

Kristina Kelley, executive director for the Washington State Wine Commission confirmed that the proposal is for Washington fruit to be supplied in the August/September time frame so that BC wineries can process the fruit.

Source:  BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food