An unseasonably cold spring across B.C. has Okanagan wineries feeling a chill.
Adrian Cassini of Cassini Cellars says the buds in his Oliver vineyard are still dormant, putting them two or more weeks behind schedule.
"We're hoping Mother Nature is going to cooperate with us and catch up in the summer," he told CTV News.
Even though May is just around the corner, the upper elevations in the Okanagan are still seeing snow.
Grant Stanley at Quail's Gate Winery remains optimistic, but admits that a shorter growing season means winemakers will have to thin their crops and be content with smaller yields.
"There's going to be less of it, that's for sure. The smart operators in the valley will drop the crop throughout the growing season," he said.
Winemakers in the Okanagan say they'd rather give up some quantity than sacrifice quality and bottle something substandard.
"We learn every year how to adapt to these conditions, and so every year we get better at working out what we need to do to change our game along the way," Stanley said.
Wine lovers might be advised to pick varietals that thrive in northern climates when buying 2011 wines.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Kent Molgat
