In 1981, Anthony von Mandl of Mission Hill Wineries hosted a luncheon for 100 people. He gave his I have a dream speech. "When I look out over the valley,"; he began, "I see world-class vineyards. This majestic valley is resting on the threshold of being an economic giant."; Few believed the Okanagan Lake vintner. "He might just as easily have told them that Ogopogo exists,"; writes veteran wine writer John Schreiner in British Columbia Wine Country (Whitecap, 2003). More than a decade later, the B.C. wine industry has come a long way from the Calona Red of Premier W.A.C. Bennett's buddy 'Cap' Capozzi-to the chagrin of some people who preferred the option of cheap libations.

With lots of glossy photos and a wine-speak glossary, Schreiner highlights twelve wine regions, giving brief histories of the various wineries along the way. Wine Country also explains Free Trade's negative impact on B.C. wine sales when prices of imports dropped. 2,000 acres of uncompetitive Okanagan grape vines were pulled out after the 1988 harvest. "Suddenly, domestic wine made from mediocre grapes such as De Chaunac and Okanagan Riesling had no future,"; Schreiner says. High-quality grapes, international expertise, popular wine tours and the Vintners Quality Alliance-a watchdog created in 1991-have made von Mandl's dream a reality. The industry has bounced back, big time and small time. The popularity of events such as the annual Festival of Grape in Oliver and annual wine tastings in the Lower Mainland has generated a new class of local wine nerds, swilling prestige instead of Rumpolian plonc. Alas, such is progress.