Naramata Bench

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BC Wine Industry 2019

Year 2019 in the Rearview Mirror

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The rearview mirror of 2019 reveals many milestones for the BC Wine industry. Yet, at times, the industry was as capricious as the BC climate.

Winter kill reduced vineyard yields in some areas – Katherine and Bill McEachnie at Winston Vineyard reported such loss. Some regions had heat spikes, heavy rain and hail followed by drought and finally summer exited quickly leaving cooler temperatures and more rain than normal. Even growing a crop like grapes with romantic cachet, the life of a farmer is unpredictable.

JAK Meyer, Meyer Family Vineyards, talked about triumphs such as 2017 McLean Creek Road Pinot Noir receiving 91 points in Wine Spectator, a respected magazine with extensive reach. MFV specifically and BC wineries generally enjoyed huge success in notable wine competitions, and exposure internationally to new markets.

For smaller wineries with limited resources, such accolades have impact. Take the All Canadian Wine Championships (ACWC) 2019, where Daydreamer Wines' 2017 Marcus Ansems Shiraz was named Best Red Wine of the Year; SpearHead Winery's 2018 Riesling the Best White; and Forbidden Fruit Winery 2018 Pomme Desiree Iced Apple won Best Fruit Wine. For more on 2019's prestigious awards, go to orchardandvine.net

“Despite the good news, harvest was more challenging for many of us and we’ve had to devote more resources in the vineyard for spraying mineral oil to mitigate damage,” JAK noted. “Plus, tourism was down. Add more wineries opening with tasting rooms, touring visitors are spread more thinly. Luckily our Wine Club sales are up.”

The decline of tourists from China given the volatility of its relationship with Canada was discussed in BC Wine Trends. BC Wine Trends predicted a recession, stating it “will impact the BC Wine drinkers' ability to buy premium wines.”

The BC Wine Institute (BCWI) reported good news about growing conditions. In its release quoting Grant Stanley, general manager and winemaker of SpearHead Winery: “Without a doubt the moderate heat extending throughout the season has brought about grape ripeness without any sun burning or threat of over-ripeness.”

Winemaker Brad Cooper at Therapy Vineyards on Winemaker Jacq Kemp’s team, noted, “Cool temps and wet weather put pressure on vineyard managers and winemakers are dealing with atypical ripening parameters and on-again, off-again harvest schedules.”

Lower sugars and alcohol levels have winemakers creating unique vintages – some consistent with rising consumer demands. In some cases, a bit of sugar may be added to increase the alcohol, as honestly shared by Winemaker Anthony Buchanan of Desert Hills Estate Winery, in working with a small lot of Malbec.

Rosé Popularity, Bubbles and Natural Wines

Speaking of consumers, the theme “Rosé  all day” has strengthened and not just for millennials. Rosé wines flew off shelves almost as fast as wineries made them. While styles vary widely, their versatility for sipping, food pairing and marking special occasions rivals sparkling wines.

Natural wines made with minimal intervention are being embraced. Wine Folly describes natural wine as “the unfiltered, untamed, un-photoshopped version of what we know to be wine.” Generally, grapes are from “sustainable, organic or biodynamic vineyards” and fermentation is with native yeasts and no additives. Popular expressions are Orange wine where white wine is made similarly to red with skins and seeds part of fermentation; Pétillant-naturel (Pet-Nat) where sparkling is made using the Méthode Ancestrale; and Col Fondo Prosecco, an unfiltered version of Prosecco.

Along with funky styles of sparkling, more wineries released highly sophisticated sparkling wines – maybe to keep up with the inevitable loss through sabering the bottles. Yes, whacking open your sparkling aggressively rather than opening it elegantly is a thing.

Savvy Consumers know Wine is About Place

Just as the international recognition shows a maturity within BC’s wine industry, sense of place labelling so well established in Europe and more recently in the United States indicates a coming of age. The move in BC to better communicate to consumers key factors about wine such as where the grapes were sourced and to advocate truth in labelling continued. BC has nine geographical indications: Fraser Valley, Gulf Islands, Kootenays, Lillooet, Okanagan Valley, Shuswap, Similkameen Valley, Thompson Valley and Vancouver Island. There are now four sub-geographic indicators (sub-GI) as Naramata Bench and Skaha Bench join the list with Golden Mile Bench and Okanagan Falls.

Over on Bottleneck Drive, Paul Sawler, Dirty Laundry Vineyards, noted work is underway to identify other sub-GIs – perhaps a Summerland Bench.

New Wineries, Acquisitions, Growth, and Challenges

Accessing grapes became more complicated, with huge companies gobbling up wineries in part as vineyard acquisition. Independent vineyards could demand higher prices underscoring that vineyard ownership is the closest you can come to a guarantee of obtaining fruit.

Staff, too, were in short supply. Key personnel shifted in the ongoing game of musical chairs and big new wineries accentuated the scarcity. Acquisitions continued such as Culmina Family Estate Winery by Arterra Wines Canada, Inc.

The wine industry braced for how the legalization of cannabis might impact sales. Given legalization challenges like supply and licensing of outlets, the jury is still out. Molson Coors is set to sell its first, nonalcoholic, cannabis-infused drinks in Canada by Christmas.

Creating another wrinkle for sales, Canada and United States agreed as the USMCA trade deal between them and Mexico was renegotiated so that wine and cider sales on BC supermarket shelves would not be limited to BC offerings.

Still, this summer marked the elimination after 91 years of the interprovincial shipping restriction on the movement of alcohol between provinces. Provincial laws in some jurisdictions continue to create barriers, but the removal of the federal law was encouraging.

Loss and Acknowledgements

We lost an iconic spokesperson in Harry McWatters. His death sent a ripple across the industry and his Celebration of Life was attended by hundreds with many travelling from afar to salute Harry’s accomplishments. At the Lieutenant Governor’s Awards there was a touching tribute by Christine Coletta and others as the Founder’s Award was renamed in his honour.

Master Winemaker Howard Soon of Vanessa Vineyard was awarded The Order of Canada for his “role in shaping, expanding and elevating British Columbia’s wine industry." The BC Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier honoured Christine Coletta, owner of Okanagan Crush Pad, with the 2019 Trailblazer Award. Manuel Ferreira, proprietor of Miradoro Restaurant at Tinhorn Creek and Stephen Cipes, founder/proprietor of Summerhill Pyramid Winery were inducted into the BC Restaurant Hall of Fame.

Planning for the Future

The inaugural Fortify Conference 2018 confirmed commonalities between wineries, cideries, breweries and distilleries and a second installment attracted returning and first-time participants.

A Long-Term Strategic Plan for the BC wine industry called 'Wine BC 2030' was presented at the BC Wine Industry Insight Conference on March 12, 2019. For details go to winebc2030.com

Summerhill Pyramid Winery became the first winery in Canada and one of only 26 wineries worldwide to be accredited as a Certified B Corporation, meaning it now balances positive impacts on the community and the world against profit, with an aim to create businesses that become a force for good.

Renowned wine critic Steven Spurrier who was part of the BCWI’s inaugural Judgment of BC in 2015 – inspired by the legendary Judgment of Paris 1976 – returned to BC “to taste and evaluate world-class wines from the region alongside 34 top wine professionals from around the world and across the country.” Results were announced at a Sparkling Wine Reception at Penticton Lakeside Resort.

To look forward, it helps to review the past. Assisting in that reflection, Luke Whittall launched his book, Valleys of Wine: A Taste of British Columbia’s Wine History.

Here’s to 2019, from prestigious awards to vigilance in the vineyards and crush pads, it was never boring.