Wines from British Columbia's Okanagan

[SushiCat]

I'm finding lots of online data about popular wines and how long they should/could be cellared. I am lacking data for wines that come from BCs Okanagan Valley. I have a few bottles in my cellar and am really wondering (without cracking a bottle) how long they should be hanging out down there. Anyone have words of wisdom on this topic?

[Cole Danehower]

Depends on what kind of wines you have. In my mind, the normal generalizations apply to Okanagan wines just as much as wines from anywhere else in the Northwest. Big and tannic reds will do well with a few years (3-5, possibly) cellaring, lighter and fresher reds can be drunk earlier. High acid whites can be cellared for a few years, unctuous Icewines and late harvest wines can be aged for a long time, etc. This is pretty conventional advice.

If the wines you have are older than about 5 years, I'd think things could begin to get iffy . . . but it all depends upon the style of the wine and, to a lesser degree, the skill of the producer. Anything labelled "Osoyoos Larose," for instance, probably needs a minimum of 5 years in the cellar, because of the nature of the wine (big and tannic) and the style of production (intended to be aged). A 2000 Pinot noir, as a counter example, is much riskier because it will be lighter to begin with.

What wines do you have?