Naramata Bench Now Official Sub-GI

The BC Minister of Agriculture has officially announced the much-anticipated creation of a “Naramata Bench Sub-Geographical Indicator”, regulated by the BC Wine Authority.

The Naramata Bench is the third region to receive Sub-GI designation, following Golden Mile Bench, in 2015, Okanagan Falls last year, and joining Skaha Bluffs today. The Sub-GI designation represents increasing alignment of the BC wine industry with world wine standards, and creates a clear sense-of-place for the consumer.

To use the Sub-GI on the label, each wine must be submitted to a VQA taste panel along with a declaration of origin of the fruit and lab analysis, and may be subject to an audit by the BCWA at any time.

Wines that achieve VQA status and are made from 100% Naramata-grown grapes now may proudly display the phrase:“BC VQA – Okanagan Valley – Naramata Bench”!