This summer’s intense drought on Vancouver Island is hurting some crops and lowering rivers, but it is also having a remarkably positive effect on this region’s vineyards.
is hurting some crops and lowering rivers, but it is also having a remarkably positive effect on this region’s vineyards.
Grapes are bursting from vines in the Cowichan Valley and with continued heat, this could be a very, very good year. “They like dry climate, they don’t like water. I have noticed bigger healthier grapes, disease-free” said Xavier Bonilla, proprietor of“We have the material to make amazing wines. So we have no excuse, our wines have to be world-class wines from now on,” said Bonilla. “It’s going to be a very good year. The challenge now, is not the grape, it is creating and good winemaking.”Sign up for the CHEK Now daily email newsletter to get breaking news and the day's top stories sent to your email.
But Busnardo said it’s hard to celebrate knowing that climate change is behind the shift to better grape-growing weather for Vancouver Island’s relatively young wine industry. “That’s perhaps good for us on the northern climate, we are going to get a little bit of a longer season, a little bit more heat units throughout the year. All it’s going to do is offset some poor guy in the south somewhere who’s going to get too much heat and he can’t grow, he’s going to be in a drought situation,” said Busnardo.
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