What is Canadian Wine Culture? 

It’s a simple question but probably not that easy to answer.  What is Canadian Wine Culture?  Do we have one?  Are there things that are similar and unifying between the areas of our country that make wine or are we just too vast a country to have similarities?

Tonight’s chat is our first combined chat with both #BCWineChat and #ONWineChat and because of this, it will last for 2 full hours!  7-9pm PST.  Pop in at some time during those hours and give us your thoughts.

Wine Clubs: Are you a Member? Why/Why Not?  

Wine clubs in BC.  Do you belong to one?  Why?  Do you have questions about how they work? If you belong to one what do you get that makes it unique over purchasing the wine without being a club member?  Do you belong to other clubs outside of British Columbia?

A multitude of things we can discuss about BC wine clubs so uncork or unscrew your favourite BC wine, pull up a couch and your laptop and follow the #BCWineChat hashtag…#BCWineChat

What Can We Do To Strengthen Our BC Wine Industry?

We are a great industry but there are many things that can be done to strengthen our industry.  What can each winery, store, restaurant, government agency and consumer do to make this great BC wine industry even better than it is now?

It is election time and you can be assured that some of the #BCPoli will be tuning in to our chat on Wednesday at 8pm.  Be constructive or critical–anything goes this week…but remember the goal is to find ways to make this industry even stronger.

Okanagan Valley = Bordeaux | Cowichan Valley = Burgundy | Discuss  

This topic was chosen by Andy @averillcreek to get the conversation rolling about which varieties are best grown where.  Certainly we are not Bordeaux and Burgundy in BC–we are BC–but we certainly should be talking about what grapes come from which areas of our province and  how that relates to the flavours you get in the bottle.

Should be a fun chat!  Join us Wednesday April 17th at 8PM!

Wine Festivals: Which Do You Attend in BC and Why?  

There are so many opportunities in British Columbia to participate in, which are your favourite?  There are regional festivals, area festivals and those that encompass the whole province and even the world.  What determines if you will attend a wine festival or event?  What kind of things are you hoping to get from the event when it is over?

Whether wine tasting festival events are mainly social, a place to try wines, or educational let us know what it is you are looking for in a wine event and whether or not you think BC is doing a good job with the consumer events it offers the public or if there are opportunities we are missing

BC Riesling! 

One of the best varieties in BC is Riesling–they are fresh, crisp and juicy.  They are also some of the most food friendly wines that BC makes.

Get yourself a long, tall bottle of Riesling from BC (dry, off dry or sweet) and join the chat.  You will,  no doubt, learn a great deal–and have fun too.

Syrah! 

We’re going to tweet about all things Syrah, and more specifically BC Syrah.  Come with questions about the variety (also called Shiraz), its growing conditions, areas of BC that are well suited for it, wine styles and whether you think it is a BC star varietal or not.

If you don’t come with questions, come with answers because there are a lot of people out there that would love to find out more about this varietal.  Pull up your favourite bottle (or glass) of Syrah from BC and join in on the chat!

Live Tweet Tasting a BC Wine

Tonight is a repeat of a chat we did last year and it was so successful we’d like to do it again.  Just got to a store, or to your cellar (or closet), choose a BCWine  and open it up from 8-9pm on Wednesday March 20.

Tweet your experience.  Review it or pair it with food, discuss it’s flavours and aromas, why you chose it, the label, the winery’s story, how you go the bottle–whatever.

You’re going to love this BCWineChat!

Economic Impact of Canadian Wine Industry

A new Economic Impact study on the Canadian Grape and Wine Industry has been made public this week and we will discuss its findings and implications for our national industry and our local BC wine industry as well.

You do not have to read this study (it is 37 pages long).  There will be a few of us on the chat who have read it and can hopefully field questions.  More importantly is that we start a discussion, a conversation about our BC wine industry and its importance to our province and country.

BC Wine and Oysters

What could be finer than a crisp, refreshing BC white wine with beautiful fresh BC oysters?  This week we talk about this pairing–what works and what doesn’t.  We will have on some oyster experts as well so get ready to learn and ask and participate!

As will be mentioned on the chat, Osoyoos will hold its 2nd Annual Oliver Osoyoos Oyster Festival from April 17-21, 2013.