In B.C.’s south Okanagan region, some wine grape growers are struggling to find buyers for their fruit, during a year many were hoping to make a solid profit after devastating crop loss in recent years.
After two years of severe winter damage, vineyards across the region produced strong yields this season.
But some farmers say a provincial program that allows wineries to import grapes from the United States is crowding the market and leaving them with grapes they can’t sell.
Amarjeet Gill has nearly 100 tonnes of red wine grapes still hanging on his vines at his farm near Osoyoos, B.C., and he says finding a winery to buy his grapes has never been this difficult.
“I talk to almost 50 wineries. I call every day,” Gill said.
“So many people I call to please buy my grapes, and people say, ‘No, I am stuck too.'”
Despite strong quality and sugar levels, Gill said his Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes should have been picked two weeks ago. He’s concerned about making his loan repayments.
“I’m very scared,” Gill said.
“How do I pay the payment for my farm? The bank pressure is too much for us,” he added.
Last year, a devastating cold snap wiped out 95 per cent of B.C.’s grapes, dealing a major blow to the wine industry in the Okanagan region in particular. Now, despite the chill on U.S.-Canada relations, the B.C. wine industry has had to resort to importing grapes from U.S. wineries, especially from Washington state, to get through the season. Shiva Reddy, a sommelier and On The Coast’s food and wine columnist, explores the reasons for optimism in B.C. vineyards this year.
Tank space for growers
Winery owner Jesse Gill, who is not related to Amarjeet, said he has heard similar concerns from other growers in the region.
According to Gill, the struggles growers are facing selling their harvest are linked, in part, to the B.C. government’s decision to extend the vintage replacement program.
The program relaxes long-standing rules on the importation and taxation of wine grapes and juice from the United States and other regions.
It was introduced in 2024 after the wine industry was impacted by an extreme cold snap that wiped out last year’s grape crop and damaged vineyards throughout the Okanagan.
Many B.C.-based wineries decided to import and process American-grown grapes to stay afloat, and the province extended the program again in 2025, with industry leaders citing a deficit of 10,000 tonnes of grapes as the reason.
With some growers still struggling to sell their fruit, Gill questions whether extending the program was the right decision.
“I don’t think any oversight was done,” Gill said.
“That is the responsibility of the province. They are the ones that granted the exemption.”
In the interim, Gill has opened up tank space at his Back Door Winery in Summerland to take in as much unsold fruit as he can.
Apart from its usual capacity, the winery has secured an additional 100,000 litres of tank space to take in grapes from just over half a dozen growers.
It’s a campaign Gill has named, “Save the Grapes,” in order to prevent fruit from spoiling.
Many B.C. wineries imported American grapes to bolster their 2024 harvest after a cold snap killed vines across the Okanagan. Now, in a politically charged climate, consumers are reading labels closely and are wary of the new American-edition labels. CBC’s Jacqueline Gelineau has more.
Import program not to blame: industry leader
Jeff Guignard, the CEO of Wine Growers B.C., believes market conditions, not the import program, are the reason some growers are struggling.
He says that the vintage replacement program was only extended in late September, and grape growers still struggling to move their product in late October could simply be at the mercy of the markets.
“Government also put in a constraint in the program so you couldn’t grow your business as long as you’re in it, you could only replace your losses,” Guignard said.
“I feel like the industry and government have done everything we can to encourage wineries to purchase B.C. grapes first.”
That includes a dedicated online marketplace for growers to list their products, Guignard added.
Agriculture Minister Lana Popham declined an interview, but said in a statement that the wine industry advocated for the extension because of the estimated shortage of local grapes.
She added that the program will not continue past this year.
