West Kelowna Vineyard Update: Spring 2025

The vineyards are awakening as warmer weather and precipitation breathe life back into the vines along the Westside Wine Trail. After a winter's rest, the vines are experiencing bud break and our members are hopeful for a successful 2025 vintage. We caught up with two passionate winemakers along the Trail to get an inside look at what's happening in their vineyards.

Hope and Renewal at The Gallery Winery

Judah Campbell, Winemaker and Vineyard Manager at The Gallery Winery, shares a hopeful outlook after navigating the challenges of the January 2024 freeze and previous tough winters. "Last fall, we were still dealing with the aftermath of top loss from the previous couple of years," Judah explains. "The buds along the canes were lost, requiring us to carefully select and retrain new shoots."

However, this past winter brought a welcome reprieve. The team at The Gallery hoped for the best, and thankfully, were lucky: the vineyard is now showing a vibrant "three-to-five leaf stage," a testament to the early warmth and abundant sunshine of April, following a wetter March.

Cabernet Franc vine at The Gallery shows growth. Photo: Judah Campbell, May 8th

The crucial task of tying – securing the canes to the wires that hold the vines up – was completed on schedule a week and a half ago. Tying the vines to the wires positions the chosen canes for optimal growth by providing support for the canes and, later in the summer, the grapes.

This year, the heat has spurred early growth, and exciting changes are underway. "We're replanting Pinot Noir in the block where we pulled out the Malbec last year, and we'll also be inter-planting – replacing individual missing vines within existing blocks – with the same varietals," Judah explains.

The new Pinot Noir vines arrive as dormant, grafted plants from nurseries in Ontario and France. "They come with the budwood grafted onto a rootstock, dipped in wax to protect the graft," Judah describes. "We soak them in water to wake them up before planting, and then they really take off. The red wax you see eventually gives way as the buds push through and the cuts heal."

Currently, several varietals are in bud break, including a younger block of Cabernet Franc, Ehrenfelser, and Muscat as well as the 2015-planted Riesling block.

The view from the Riesling block at The Gallery. Photo: Judah Campbell, May 8th

Judah and the rest of The Gallery team are optimistic for the 2025 vintage. "Seeing all this growth in the vineyard, and even some early inflorescence – which means we'll get some fruit – is fantastic. We're really happy with what we're seeing so far." His day-to-day now involves essential spring tasks like fertilizing, thinning shoots, and preparing the ground and irrigation for the new Pinot Noir vines. While top loss and restructuring remain a typical part of vineyard management, the current energy is one of positive momentum.

Radical Techniques and Renewed Hope at Ciao Bella Winery

Antonio Fiume, Winemaker and Viticulturist at Ciao Bella Winery, shares Judah's excitement. "The vineyard is acting exactly as it should – all the primary buds are pushing beautifully," Antonio notes, a welcome sign after experiencing top loss in recent years.

Antonio has embraced radical viticulture techniques to combat winter damage in his newer vineyards. "We literally laid every single vine down on the ground by hand and covered them with snow to insulate them over the winter," he explains. This labor-intensive method highlights the Fiume family’s dedication to protecting the young vines.

Last year, Antonio took a different approach with some of the vines, allowing them to grow unrestrained. "We let the vines go wild, with shoots emerging from the bottom, laterally, and vertically. Then, we trained the most promising shoots back upwards."

The results are encouraging. "We're beyond bud break now – we're seeing flowering vines!" Antonio exclaims. "The fact that the primary buds are undamaged gives us hope for a potentially big crop this year."

Early-season flowering of Pinot Nero. Photo: Antonio Fiume, May 8th

Ciao Bella's varietals include Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, with 5500 Pinot Noir vines in their older vineyard and a mix of Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir in the newer plantings. Adding an exciting Italian twist, they planted Dolcetto last year. "It's a 100% vinifera, European varietal that makes a lovely red wine," Antonio explains. "We plan to explore both rosé and red expressions. It takes a few years to produce fruit, and last year's unusual growth might have set that back a little, but we're excited to see how it develops. We're always striving to push the boundaries of what the Okanagan is capable of."

Beyond the classic Okanagan varieties, Ciao Bella also cultivates some hybrids like Frontenac Noir and Okanagan Riesling, as well as table grapes – Concord and Verdelet – which they sell for eating, adding another layer of diversification to the vineyard.

Bud break and beyond at Ciao Bella. Photo: Antonio Fiume, May 8th

A significant victory for Ciao Bella last year was avoiding the need to rip out any vines. "Our higher elevation helped; we had good snow cover in 2024, resulting in a 90% survival rate, which insulated the vines," Antonio explains. While they still experienced top loss in some areas, meaning no fruit from the upper buds, the buds protected by the snow at the base of their 25-year-old Pinot Noir vines remained intact. "These established root systems are crucial," Antonio points out. "Newer vines spend years developing their root systems before dedicating significant energy to upward growth. Our mature vines already have that strong foundation." Their newer Pinot Noir vines, now in their third and fourth year, are expected to come into production this year.

Antonio's enthusiasm is infectious. "Seeing the vineyards react the way they are, bringing hope for a good crop this year, is incredibly exciting. It's a testament to the resilience of the vines and the hard work we put in."

As May unfolds, vineyards along the Westside Wine Trail are healthy and growing, giving us hope and excitement for the 2025 vintage. The dedication and innovative spirit of winemakers like Judah and Antonio are setting the stage for what we hope will be a fantastic vintage. Keep an eye on these vineyards as the season progresses – the story of the 2025 harvest is just beginning!