Vineyards on Naramata Bench

Photo by Gary Symons

2020 Wine Industry Survey

The year 2020 will obviously be remembered first for the COVID-19 pandemic that tragically killed more than a million people, and devastated a variety of industries in Canada and throughout the world, but in the BC wine industry it will also be known as a year of triumph over tribulation.

Just a few months ago the BC Wine Institute released a survey that painted a bleak picture of how COVID was affecting this year’s wine business, with one in 10 wineries saying they believed they could lose their business.

But thanks to action by innovative wineries, by the BCWI and by both levels of government, wineries in BC have not only survived; they have thrived.

In our annual Wine Survey, we asked and you answered tough questions on how the industry has responded to the pandemic, and the answers we got were inspirational. Rather than roll over and die, winemakers and owners fought back, embraced innovative solutions, and have turned out what many believe could be one of the province’s finest vintages.

And this all happened as winemakers and viticulturalists dealt with a very difficult year, featuring a cold, wet spring; a lacklustre summer; thick smoke from the terrible fires in California, Oregon and Washington; and an almost complete lack of any international tourism.

Here is the story of 2020, in your own words.

Which grape varietals do you grow?

23 % Merlot, Pinot Noir

20% Cab Sauvignon, Chardonnay

17% Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris

14% Cab Franc, Gamay Noir, Riesling

8% Marechal Foch, Pinot Blanc, Muscat

6% Pinot Meunier

5% Chasselas, Gruner Veltliner

4% Optima, Roussanne, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Marsanne, Petite Verdot, Vidal

2% Albarino, Auxerrois Cayuga, Chenin Blanc, Dunkelfelder, Ehrenfelser, Gewürztraminer, Grenache, Madeleine X Sylvaner, Malbec, Mourvedre, Muscat Ottonel, Early Muscat, Muscat À Petit Grain, Orange Muscat, Ortega, Petite Sirah,  Sangiovese, Schonburger, Siegfried, Siegerebbe, Tannat, Tempranillo, Verdelet, Zweigelt, Zinfandel.

What was your best producing varietal grown this year?

"It was a great year across all varieties."

How do your sales compare to previous years?

What is your most popular selling wine ?

24% Pinot Gris

12% Pinot Noir, Chasselas

6% Alexandria, Muscat Blend, Bordeaux-style red blend, Gamay Noir, Red Blend, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah Cuvée Violette, White blend.

Has 2020 overall been a good year for grape growing?

The beautiful September, early October turned a possible bad vintage into what is looking to be an amazing vintage.

Season of contrasts; wet to start, patchy flowering, great September and into October then it all stopped... but great flavours will make great wines.

Renewed winter damage, wet spring, wet and cold flowering. Two heatwaves. Rainy harvest. Lighter tonnages than normal, and higher acidity on many varieties.

It has been a challenging year for labour, weather, and life. The grape quality is good but harvest yields are down due to aggressive crop thinning due to early weather concerns.

In this area we had a killing frost in January and lost a significant portion of our crop - Chardonnay hardest hit.

Despite all the problems this year, has anything positive come out of this?

Initiated an appointment system, and updated our point of sale technology, with excellent results.

This industry is resilient and knows how to deal with challenges.

More manageable and predictable days in the tasting room, an opportunity for more focused tasting experiences.

Online sales have greatly increased, partly due to the fact that we did not focus on it prior to Covid. This has been a big plus and should continue to be so going forward.

Yes it forced a slow down in lifestyle which was timely, however not being able to socially interact as per normal can get a tad depressing. It forced us to adjust our business model asap as wineshop and restaurants were no longer a sales channel.

Do you feel the BC wine industry can survive in the same form if tourism doesn't rebound?

Will need to focus on online sales.

More options for those who visit in order to ensure that they feel safe enough to visit.

Tourism to our winery was up.

Businesses who were barely making it work will fail. The big guys will buy up even more wineries.

I believe the wine industry survived quite well with tourists once they opened. Changes to accommodate COVID visits this year may be the basis for positive changes for future years, attracting a different kind of tourist… ones who are actually interested in wine and the romance of it.

We need tourism to keep being strong. Canadians will be bored at some point so we need international tourism to kick in again.

It is going to be tough. We will survive but in a lesser way. Local sales will have to pick up and we will need to increase online sales.

Have you made any long term changes to your business due to the pandemic?

Most respondents did not make any long term changes.

Shortened hours.

Organizing how we manage the TFW program.

Yes, much more focus on online sales and social media to deal directly with our customers. Also having our customers pre book a tasting experience was excellent for our staffing requirements and we intend to keep the practise going forward.

Changed our way of doing our tastings and had to invest in more materials and will invest more over the winter to make our space even better.

What problems did you face this year due to Covid- 19?

Have you received any extra government funds related to COVID-19?

We took advantage of the $40,000 business loan, which if paid back is a $10,000 gift.

What else should the government do?

Help develop the towns that link the wineries so they are more attractive to tourists.

Keep our extended patio licence permanently and keep helping restaurant folks so they can work and in return they can buy our wines.

Advertise importance of supporting small business and buying local; allow the temporary tasting areas to become permanent.

Cut the red tape - open up all provinces for direct delivery.

More support in the BCLDB for BC for the long term. Pressure on Federal Government and Provinces to open borders for private shipping.

Quit messing with taxes and improve the liquor laws. We don’t live in the Middle Ages anymore.

As 2020 comes to an end please let us know your thoughts; on the industry as a whole or your business in particular. What is working and/or what needs to change.

Wineries in the country need the ability to ship direct to consumer to any province - we need to continue to market buying local no matter whether it is food, veggies or wine.

I think as regards our own business, fine tune and adjust the sales for what is working now. As a whole there are many tiny start up wineries without the capital, vineyard or winery expertise. When you factor in their lack of economies of scale they all too often offer wine at inflated prices and the quality vs value doesn't equate. Wineries on Hwy 97 offering wine at $90 a case special or as part of a fruit stand belittles the efforts of people serious about making world class wine.

Liquor laws need to change, especially with regards to direct shipping. The current laws are ridiculous.

Overall we had a busy and successful season. We need more investment from the government in the small towns neighboring the wineries in order to be more attractive as a destination.

Refocusing on what the wine industry should be.

Appointments are awesome. Restaurant industry need to have more support so they can work better.

More support from BC Liquor Board to put small wineries in their stores at a decent price - not what is offered now. Put the hospitality pricing back to where it was.

Continue to work together as we are all in it. Big guys don't forget about the small guys as they are equally important to the region and brand.