Garry Oaks Terroir

The notion of terroir, a French term that refers to the collection of attributes of a particular site, is a central theme in "old world" (i.e. European) winemaking traditions.

The basic premise is that the distinct characteristics of a site -- its soils, climate, slope and aspect, exposure to the sun and wind, water, even neighbouring vegetation -- influence the flavours in the grapes and thus the character of the wine.

Well, we think we have pretty good terroir.

Our vineyard is located on well-drained, south-facing, sandy-gravelly-loam slopes at the base of Mt. Maxwell, overlooking Burgoyne Valley. We sit at between 75-125 meters (that's 250-400 feet) which puts us above the major ocean influences but below the freezing level. Our slopes are steep (some have had to be terraced) which concentrates the heat and drains the cold air to avoid frosts. Salt Spring Island is in a rain shadow giving us warm, dry summers (average rainfall between May and September is less than 5 cm). A large pond collects rain and ground water and warms it before feeding it through the irrigation system into the vineyard.

For more information on grape growing in the Pacific Northwest coastal region, check out the Vancouver Islands Vintners Association, the Vancouver Island Grape Growers Association, and the Puget Sound Wine Growers Association.