British Columbia wine

Originally, the British Columbia Wine Institute handled regulation and marketing of the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA), which is also an appellation system.

More recently, the British Columbia Wine Authority was formed by the provincial government to regulate part of the industry.

It created a second classification, "Wines of Distinction", to be also from 100 percent British Columbia grapes, but with less stringent quality control.

Within the Interior, the Okanagan Valley in particular is known for both the high quality of its wines, and for its increasing number of respected wineries, smaller pockets such as the Creston Valley have been emerging of late, with very high quality first epoch vitis vinifera varietals.

The most prominent varieties of grapes grown in British Columbia are: For red wine and rosé production: For white wines: Based on their unique terroir, there are five official viticultural areas in the province which are recognized by the VQA.