Tracy Clark
Although 2015 just began, the British Columbia Wine Institute is already in full celebration mode.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of BC's Vintner's Quality Alliance and the BC Wine Institute. There are so many reasons to join us in marking this landmark occasion.
The founding of BC VQA in 1990 by a group of maverick winemakers, winery owners and viticulturists had a significant impact on the development of the BC wine industry.
For those who are not familiar with VQA, the Vintners Quality Alliance standard is an 'appellation of origin' program that guarantees you are purchasing wine that is made from 100 per cent British Columbia grown grapes.
It also ensures that qualifying wines meet certain minimum quality requirements.
The development of this standard 25 years ago “put BC wines on the map,” said Adolf Kruger, proprietor of Wild Goose Vineyards & Winery and one of the founding members of BC VQA.
Fellow founder Harry McWatters, currently of TIME Estate Winery, said most importantly the standard was meaningful to consumers, providing “confidence in truth in labelling and a recognition of quality.”
The impetus for development of the standard was impending implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the removal of the majority of French hybrid and labrusca vines that represented most of the plantings in BC vineyards at the time.
Many vineyards were quickly replanted with vinifera varieties, which today make up 97 per cent of BC’s wine grape acreage.
Over the next 25 years, rapid change took place in the industry, growing from just 17 wineries in 1990 to more than 240 grape wineries in 2015.
With the growth has come rapid maturation of the industry, which is attracting both talent and attention from experts around the world.
Indicative of this is the mounting number of international accolades wineries are receiving and the development of world markets, like the UK and Hong Kong.
The Wines of British Columbia are also continuing to gain popularity at home, where sales are continuing to grow. The BC Wine Institute’s CEO, Miles Prodan, says while the BC industry has made huge strides over the past quarter century we haven’t yet reached our capacity for what BC wine can do here and around the world.
We invite you to join us in raising a glass to 25 years of BC VQA this spring by opening up an old vintage you have been saving, or picking up your favourite festival bottle of BC VQA wine.
For more information on BC VQA, go to: winebc.com.
Tracy Clark is the Communications Manager for the BC Wine Institute. The BCWI represents 119 winery members and 17 grape growing partners that represent 95% of the province’s total wine production and produce 88% of wine production made from 100% B.C. grapes.
www.winebc.com