After years of headlines dominated by freezes, wildfires, and short harvests, BC wine has a different story to tell in 2025: one of recovery, resilience, and exceptional quality.
According to Wine Growers British Columbia’s (WGBC) newly released 2025 Vintage Report, authored by Rhys Pender, MW, this year’s vintage is shaping up to be one of BC’s strongest in recent memory.
Traditionally an insider’s snapshot of growing conditions, harvest patterns, and regional performance, the Vintage Report also answers the question many wine lovers are asking: what should I be drinking from BC this year?
The short answer? There’s a lot to be excited about.
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A mild winter, early spring, and long, even growing season gave vineyards time to recover and thrive, producing both strong yields and high-quality fruit. The result is a vintage defined by balance, ripeness, and freshness, now arriving in tasting rooms, wine shops, restaurants, and retail stores throughout BC.
The 2025 vintage saw strong yields and high-quality fruit across the province.
Standout varietals from the Okanagan Valley include chardonnay, cabernet franc, riesling, syrah, pinot noir, merlot, and viognier. On Vancouver Island, pinot noir and chardonnay are showing particularly well in both still and sparkling wines. In the Fraser Valley, producers are turning heads with varietals like bacchus, siegerrebe, and gamay.
“After two very challenging years, 2025 is showing itself as a vintage of transition and rebirth for BC wine,” said Jenna Briscoe, DipWSET. “Delivering both quantity and quality, it allowed wineries to refill their tanks with 100 per cent BC-grown wine and celebrate with confidence.”
The release of the 2025 vintage also comes at an important moment for BC consumers increasingly looking to support local agriculture, tourism, and small businesses.
“After everything this industry has endured over the past several years, there’s something especially meaningful about seeing a truly great BC vintage back on shelves and tables again.” – Jeff Guignard, President and CEO of WGBC
“Every bottle of BC wine represents local jobs, family farms, tourism, hospitality, and communities across the province,” said Jeff Guignard, President and CEO of WGBC. “After everything this industry has endured over the past several years, there’s something especially meaningful about seeing a truly great BC vintage back on shelves and tables again.”
Read Also: Off the Beaten Path: Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley
The positive news about this latest vintage comes on the heels of BC wines earning top honours from VineRoutes’ editorial staff in 2025. The magazine’s top red wine of the year was a red blend from the Similkameen Valley (click here for info) and the top white was a chardonnay from the Okanagan Valley’s Golden Mile Bench region (see here). Both wines were from the 2022 vintage, and both were chosen blind among a tasting that featured dozens of Canadian and international offerings for consideration.
Vintage 2025 wines are now available through Save-On-Foods, BC Liquor Stores, private liquor retailers, restaurants, and directly from wineries across the province.
Whether it’s a weekend tasting, a dinner with friends, or a bottle shared around the table, the 2025 vintage is a powerful reminder of what makes BC wine special.
You can read the full 2025 vintage report here.
