PENTICTON, British Columbia — To say that British Columbia’s wine industry is on edge at the start of the 2024 vintage is either a gargantuan understatement, an unwelcome doom-and-gloom sentiment or a distant curiosity for those neither a part of the industry nor adjacent to it.
I’ve been a supporter in a variety of ways since I returned to my hometown of Penticton, about an hour north of the border, a little more than 15 years ago. In my younger days, I spent several summers in between university semesters working as a travel counsellor.
At that time, there were fewer than 10 wineries. They were known more for their stunning views amidst orchards and fruit stands than for what was in the bottle. It did not, however, take long for the potential of the valley to be recognized by pioneers such as Sandra and Kenn Oldfield, who built Tinhorn Creek Vineyards; brothers Walter and Gordon Gehringer, who brought world-class Germanic-style winemaking to the Okanagan; Ben Stewart, whose family transformed one of the oldest vineyard sites in the Okanagan into West Kelowna’s Quail’s Gate Estate Winery; George and Trudy Heiss, founders of Gray Monk Estate Winery in Lake Country near Vernon; and the late Harry McWatters of Sumac Ridge, the first estate winery in the Okanagan.
Harry helped develop the Vintners Quality Alliance, establishing a benchmark for quality wines and standards that stands today with the VQA label on many Canadian wines.
Change is inevitable. Many of these visionaries are no longer in winemaking. And as for VQA? That may soon evolve, too.
An extreme freeze in late 2022 saw wine production reduced by almost 60 percent across the region. Then Jan. 13, 2024, brought more devastation with a sudden freeze reaching minus-30 degrees Celsius (minus-22 Fahrenheit).
The result? Possibly up to 99 percent of the 2024 vintage’s production will be lost — in the Okanagan and in other grape-growing regions in the province. Terms such as “catastrophic,” “total wipeout” and “heartbreak” echo through vineyards as viticulturists and vintners waited for buds to emerge.
Following those whispers are talks of importing grapes from Ontario or Washington state, sparking discussion about semantics and labeling — including the VQA designation — which could become a national standard.
In addition to helping out with the crop loss in British Columbia, this change could help promote Canadian wine abroad.
How ironic, then, that here in the Canadian west, our neighbours are kicking us — British Columbia — when we’re down.
Also in January, just as the environmental freeze thawed, Alberta put a virtual freeze on wines from B.C., sending letters to wineries informing them that if they continued to ship wines directly to consumers (think wine clubs and direct-to-consumer online sales), Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis — which regulates liquor sales in that province by controlling wholesale and distribution — would no longer stock wines from British Columbia wineries.
Are Canadians always nice? Not when it comes to collecting taxes on booze. For a decade now, clusters of advocates for interprovincial free trade have been arguing for the free flow of wine (and beer) across Canada.
There are tales of media members taking wine across provincial borders just to see if a Mountie pops out from behind the bushes. The aforementioned Sandra Oldfield once legally ordered and shipped a gun from Saskatchewan — via Canada Post — to prove a point.
The AGLC letter received by wineries varies slightly, but reads, in part:
“Our investigation found tangible evidence of [your winery’s] involvement in [direct-to-consumer] shipping of wines across provincial borders in Alberta … To maintain the integrity of Alberta’s liquor model and to protect the interests of Alberta retailers and liquor agents, AGLC will not accept any inbound shipments from [your winery] from this date forward.
“We will resume acceptance of inbound shipments if, by way of written notice, [your winery] agrees to immediately cease [direct-to-consumer] shipping operations to Alberta.”
This is not the first time Alberta has thrown a punch. In 2018, the then-premier (think governmor in the U.S.,) of the province banned the import of B.C. wine in a dispute over the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
British Columbia wine, and Canadian wine as a whole, has evolved, as everything does. It is recognized on the world stage. It’s been in the glasses of renowned experts, writers, reviewers and a few celebrities.
I once personally, and within the law, got a bottle across the 49th parallel to talk-show host Jerry Springer. But I can’t ship wine to my friends in Alberta.
So, what’s next?
Invite everyone to come for a visit, I suppose. Of course, that involves planning around the “new normal” of summer heat and wildfire season. The current and ongoing issues of climate change, shifting travel trends, the economy overall, changing consumer tastes when it comes to alcohol, the recent crop damage reports, and more, will not go away.
Leaders in the British Columbia wine industry have been holding formal and informal town halls. Chatter continues online. In early March, the Government of Canada pledged $177 million during the next three years to support wineries across the country through a non-repayable grant program.
Personally, I’m not at all sure what the next best steps are right now, but 30 years ago, could anyone have predicted how B.C. wine would grow, both literally and figuratively?
And if you’re wondering — are there wineries in Alberta?
Yes, but they are ‘grape-less,’ most producing fruit wines and mead. And they’ll have stiff competition with the vineyards here for those federal dollars.
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