Historically, the Similkameen Valley was the Wild West portion of British Columbia, where gold mining and horse ranching were more to the locals' taste than fancy winemaking. But times have changed. The Similkameen Valley wine region lies at steep elevation along the Similkameen River and enjoys the same bone-dry climate as the Okanagan Valley. The poor soils here are grape friendly, including gravel and stone and silty glacial remnants. Merlot is the most planted grape here, followed by Chardonnay; other important grapes are Gamay Noir, Pinots Noir and Blanc and Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc.
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