The Jancis Robinson Story | Mission Blind Tasting | Wine writing competition

Floods cut off BC wine country

• 1 min read
Arnica Rowan's back yard

Spare a thought for Arnica Rowan, who has written so often for us, most recently this account of Canadian Thanksgiving and the role played by wild turkeys. She lives in the heart of British Columbia's wine country and in July sent a heart-rending description of the effects of unaccustomed wildfires there, in Okanagan Valley frazzles. You may have read that Vancouver and its hinterland has been severely lashed by rain and consequent serious flooding. I asked how Arnica and her family were faring. Above, her backyard garden last spring.

We are fine, although I do feel a bit melancholic. 

At time of writing, 4 pm on Wednesday 17 November in Kelowna, I'm sitting with candles beside the fireplace on my cellular iPad … power is out. Kids are playing board games by candlelight at the table with their friends, while I write a new wine-label brand plan on my iPad. Glad cell service is back online as it was out most of Monday and Tuesday. That was really inconvenient. 

I'm very grateful for my chickens making eggs in the yard and the veggie garden still producing, as there was a major run on the grocery stores yesterday. All the stores are empty. Really empty. All supply routes from Vancouver up to our home in Kelowna and the rest of the province were washed out. So they are talking about routing grocery trucks through Washington (a seven-hour detour) but it might be a few days to a week before the stores are restocked.

Almost all the dairy and chicken farms near Vancouver were flooded, with all chickens and many cows dying, so food shortages will likely continue for a few months. Thankfully, we like fish and beans. We have enough food to last us for two to three weeks though if necessary! Plus I might go replant some winter veg just in case. 

It certainly feels a bit apocalyptic around here. But we will be fine! It's a been a very harsh dose of reality this year in western Canada and we had better get used to adapting to the changing climate.

Choose your plan
Member
$135
/year
Save over 15% annually
Ideal for wine enthusiasts
  • Access 296,928 wine reviews & 16,147 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Access askJancis, our AI wine assistant
Inner Circle
$249
/year
 
Ideal for collectors

Everything in “Member”, plus:

  • Early access to the latest wine reviews, 48 hours in advance
  • Early access to the latest articles, 48 hours in advance
Professional
$299
/year
For individual wine professionals
  • Access 296,928 wine reviews & 16,147 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Access askJancis, our AI wine assistant
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 25 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Business
$399
/year
For companies in the wine trade

Everything in “Professional”, plus:

  • Commercial use of up to 250 wine reviews & scores for marketing
  • Access to submit wines for review
  • Offer memberships to your employees and manage them from a single place
  • API access available for an additional fee
Pay with
Visa logo Mastercard logo American Express logo Logo for more payment options
Join our newsletter

Get the latest from Jancis and her team of leading wine experts.

By subscribing you agree with our Privacy Policy and provide consent to receive updates from our company.

More Free for all

Markus and Eben Sadie at Berry Bros April 2026
Free for all Leading new-wave South African wine producer is looking to the future. A version of this article is published by the...
Sam Neill
Free for all Jancis remembers the most charming wine producer she has ever met. Above, Neill in his Two Paddocks vineyard. The worlds...
A glass of Sauvignon Blanc at an airport bar
Free for all After a first round of judging, we’re delighted to begin publishing the best of this year’s writing competition entries. All...
Boscastle harbour
Free for all Extraordinary seafood and the magic of a good pairing at The Rocket Store. Boscastle harbour is pictured above. The restaurant...

More from JancisRobinson.com

Richard Hemming and Hiromi Ohno outside Sushi Oono
Vinomakase Richard’s new Vinomakase column explores how the experts match wine with Japanese cuisine. For the first edition, a traditional sushi...
Hops hang from the ceiling at Dylan's at The Kings Arms in St Albans
Bite-sized A 15th-century pub with bang-up-to-date feasting in the Cathedral Quarter of St Albans. The front bar is still reassuringly pubby...
Person in Domaine Sérol's vineyards in the Côte Roannaise (credit Le Bon Cliché)
Wines of the week Thirst-slaking freshness in a red from Central France. From £15.50, $26.95. For a variety so maligned for much of the...
CWL Wines of Brazil over map
Book reviews Three additions to the Classic Wine Library plus a self-published guide to Portuguese wine. Three of the reviews below are...
Sadie Family winery exterior
Tasting articles A revealing vertical that traces the evolution of South Africa’s most sought-after white. The wines were shown by UK importer...
Léoville Barton - line-up of wines for vertical tasting
Tasting articles A quarter-century of wines from a legendary Bordeaux estate. See also this guide to our bordeaux verticals . Although Château...
Wanton at XO Kitchen
Bite-sized Umami junkies, head east for jaw-achingly tasty fusion and a Honshu sour. Having garnered itself quite a reputation for clever...
chickens in the HJW vineyard at Hermann J Wiemer, Seneca Lake
Wines of the week The dry white wine that established New York’s Finger Lakes as the Riesling mecca of the US. And it’s only...
Wine inspiration delivered directly to your inbox, weekly
Our weekly newsletter is free for all
By subscribing you're confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.