A sneak peek at 2025.

There’s a particular energy that comes with being handed a glimpse of the future, especially in a wine region that has spent the last few years navigating anything but predictable conditions. At the Wines of BC 2025 Vintage Reveal, that sense of anticipation was palpable, but so too was something else: relief.

Held at Vancouver’s Terminal City Club, the exclusive gathering brought together a small circle of media and wine professionals for an early look at what’s already being described as a pivotal vintage for British Columbia.

A sparkling start with the Blue Grouse Charme de L’Île.

The format was deliberately intimate: a guided tasting paired with a panel of winery principals who have lived every contour of the growing season they were there to describe.

Moderated by wine educator Jenna Briscoe, the conversation struck an immediate chord. “This is a year where it seems that the tide has shifted,” she noted. “It’s a year to celebrate, and also one where everyone in BC wine is feeling a sense of gratitude.”

Representing a cross-section of the province, Dylan Roche (Roche Wines), John Weber (Orofino Vineyards), Grant Stanley (Spearhead Winery), Laurent Fadanni (Whispering Horse Winery), and Stacy Horneman (Blue Grouse Estate Winery) offered not just technical insights, but something equally valuable: context. And in BC, context has never mattered more.

To talk about 2025 without acknowledging the years leading up to it would be to miss the point entirely.

Great representation across the Province.

BC’s wine industry has weathered a global pandemic, repeated wildfire seasons, and devastating winter freezes that wiped out significant vineyard acreage. For many producers, the question wasn’t stylistic direction, it was survival.

Which is what made this preview feel different.

Rather than a victory lap, the tone was measured and thoughtful. There was a shared understanding among the panel that 2025 is part of a longer arc of recovery and adaptation.

As Grant Stanley framed it, the shift from the 2023–2024 vintages into 2025 marked a return to “quality viticulture” rather than “survival viticulture.” It’s an important distinction and one that speaks to both mindset and opportunity.

“Back in Balance” indeed.

If one theme quietly threaded its way through both the tasting and discussion, it was balance. Not just in the wines, but in the growing season itself.

Across BC, the 2025 season delivered a rare combination of favourable conditions. A mild winter was followed by an early, frost-free spring, then a warm summer that notably avoided extreme heat spikes. A long, warm autumn, capped by exceptional heat accumulation in September, allowed fruit to ripen steadily and evenly.

What set the year apart wasn’t simply warmth, but consistency. There were no major smoke events, no atmospheric rivers, no dramatic weather swings. In a region increasingly defined by variability, that steadiness proved invaluable.

The picturesque estate winery at Fort Berens winery in Lillooet.

The impact was felt province-wide, with strong growing conditions reported across the Okanagan Valley, Similkameen Valley, Thompson Valley, Lillooet, Shuswap, the Kootenays, Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and the Fraser Valley. The panel itself reflected this geographic diversity, underscoring just how broadly successful the vintage appears to be.

One of the more compelling undercurrents of the discussion was how this return to stability has shifted relationships between growers and winemakers.

Renewed focus in the vineyard.

Dylan Roche noted that the transition into 2025 has given winemakers greater input in vineyard decisions, particularly when sourcing fruit. After years of reactive farming, there’s now more room for collaboration and intentionality; an evolution that bodes well for long-term quality.

That renewed focus was echoed in the vineyard. The shift away from crisis management has allowed growers to re-engage with the fundamentals of site expression and farming precision. In the cellar, that translated into restraint.

For many in the industry, the 2025 vintage represents more than just a successful growing season. It marks a release of pressure that has been building throughout.

Winemaker Michael Clark.

After two notably small and challenging harvests, the combination of healthy yields and high-quality fruit in 2025 has provided a much-needed reset. Vines that were thought lost following the severe winter freezes showed surprising resilience, drawing on their reserves and rebounding with stronger-than-expected crops.

That sense of renewal extended to the Similkameen Valley, one of the regions hardest hit in previous years. Reflecting on the harvest, winemaker Mike Clark from Clos du Soleil described 2025 as “a truly celebratory vintage,” noting that the wines now nearing release show ripeness and complexity, balanced by moderate acidity and notably lower alcohol levels. “The wine gods gave us exactly what we needed.”

The excellent Roche samples served at the 2025 reveal.

It’s a sentiment that captures something deeper: a recognition that while skill and adaptation play critical roles, there are still elements of this craft that remain beyond control.

Events like the Vintage Reveal walk a fine line. They offer early access, but not the full story. With only a small snapshot of very newly released wines (many of them fresh whites and rosés), the experience is inherently more suggestive than definitive.

What made this tasting particularly compelling wasn’t just what was in the glass, but the confidence behind it.

There was no overstatement, no sweeping declarations. Instead, a unified consensus: 2025 has the potential to mark a meaningful step forward for BC wine, not because it erases the challenges of recent years, but because it reflects what the industry has learned from them.

A good start to the 2026 growing season.

And there are already signs that the momentum may continue. Early indications from the 2026 growing season point to a promising start, with vineyards showing strong early development following an early bud break.

For those watching the region closely, 2025 is shaping up to be a vintage worth following.

Expect wines showing freshness and structure, with an emphasis on varietal clarity and site transparency. Expect producers to continue refining their approach, informed by the realities of a changing climate. And perhaps most importantly, expect a vintage that feels grounded. Not so much in adversity, but in experience.

The 2025 Vintage Reveal didn’t just showcase a promising year, it highlighted an industry evolving in real time, carrying forward the lessons of disruption while reasserting its sense of place.

While this tasting event was touted as a preview, it also felt like a turning point.

Wines Tasted

• 2025 Whispering Horse Winery Pinot Gris
• 2025 Whispering Horse Winery L’Acadie
• NV Charme de L’Île, Blue Grouse Estate Winery
• 2025 Blue Grouse Estate Winery Pinot Noir
• 2025 Spearhead Winery White Pinot Noir
• 2025 Spearhead Winery Pinot Gris
• 2025 Roche Wines Artist Series Pinot Gris
• 2025 Roche Wines Pinot Noir Rosé
• 2025 Orofino Vineyards Cabernet Franc Rosé
• 2025 Orofino Vineyards Gamay