Carie Jones
With each new year, spring welcomes a new vintage to the vineyards of British Columbia. As the budding vines spring to life, the province’s winemakers and grape growers embrace the rewards and challenges as they envision a brand-new vintage with its own unique story to tell. As the natural growth cycle begins anew in BC’s vineyards, the province is once again recognizing the dedicated efforts of its wine industry.
On March 18, at the virtual BC Wine Industry Insight Conference, the Honourable Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries once again proclaimed April as the official province-wide wine month, encouraging all British Columbians to enjoy 100 per cent BC wines.
"The BC wine industry represents a complex, value-added food and beverage industry that offers customers a truly unique BC experience. By once again proclaiming April as BC Wine Month we want to celebrate and acknowledge all the individuals that contribute to BC's famous wine industry, from grapegrowers and winemakers to retailers and tourism operators,” says Popham.
Throughout the month of April, Wine Growers British Columbia will celebrate the passionate, hardworking and dedicated winemakers and grapegrowers that craft and produce the pristine Wines of British Columbia and encourage consumers to support the high-quality products produced right in their own communities and province.
“Many of our local wineries and vineyards are family-run businesses that have chosen farming and winemaking as their passion and their profession. This recognition of their hard work and dedication is well deserved,” says Miles Prodan, President and CEO, Wine Growers British Columbia. “It’s also an important recognition of the more than 280 licensed grape wineries and more than 400 independent grapegrowers which enhance the vibrancy and sustainability of BC’s vineyards and agricultural communities which in turn support more than 12,000 jobs and attract more than a million tourists each year.”
With 929 vineyards across the province and more than 80 grape varieties produced, BC’s wine industry has an economic impact of $2.8 billion annually throughout the province, which is reason enough to celebrate this thriving industry, not to mention the creativity and passion that goes into every bottle of BC wine.
“Throughout the pandemic, the BC wine industry has shown resiliency and strength to help pivot sales, welcome local visitors to wineries and serve their customers,” says Popham. “From shifting to online sales, creating seating bubbles and more outdoor seating and offering door to door delivery, the industry has put their customers first to ensure they always felt safe and welcome. I am heartened that so many British Columbians are supporting our local producers by choosing BC wine and I want to personally thank all of our BC grape growers and wine makers for both their resilience and their innovation over the past year.”
In celebration of BC Wine Month, Wines Growers British Columbia launched A Day in the Life, a multi-pronged marketing campaign aimed at building a connection between consumers and winemaking. The campaign is supported by billboards, in-store point-of-sale materials, social media and a consumer contest titled, “Just a Dream Away,” aimed at supporting the local tourism industry by inspiring future wine travel to the province once safe to do so.
“The goal of this campaign is to really form a connection between the consumer and our province’s wine farmers,” says Kim Barnes, Marketing Director, Wine Growers British Columbia. “To put a face to the bottle and show consumers the passion and spirit that goes into a bottle of BC wine, not just during the spring or summer, but all year round. We want to ensure consumers see more than the bottle on the shelf, but also the vineyard it came from and the families who created it.”
BC’s winemakers and grape growers are down-to-earth, with the grit, experience and refinement to make wines that are a lasting expression of the place where they were grown and crafted. This April, we raise a glass to the creativity, pride and passion that goes into every bottle of BC wine. Happy BC Wine Month! Here’s to BC’s hardworking and dedicated winemakers and grape growers.
Carie Jones, Communications Manager, Wine Growers British Columbia