Category Archives: Winemaking in BC

Summary of 2012

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#BCWineChat—The First Year

Dec 21, 11            Interprovincial Wine Shipments

Dec 28, 11            BC Wine Resolutions

Jan 4, 12               Regulations for Retailers and Restaurants

Jan 11, 12             BCLDB and Licensing Regulations for BC Wineries

Jan 18, 12             Meaning of Organic, Biodynamic, Sustainable and Natural Wines

Jan 25, 12             What’s Happening in BC Wineries this Week?

Feb 1, 12              Vancouver Playhouse

Feb 8, 12              Ways to Boost Winery Tourism in BC—Part One

Feb 15, 12            Ways to Boost Winery Tourism in BC—Part Two

Feb 22, 12            What Will the BC Wine Industry Look like in 2017?

Feb 29, 12            Your BC Wine Epiphany Moment

Mar 7, 12             No Such Thing as a Stupid BC Wine Question

Mar 14, 12           Does BC do Pinot Noir Well?

Mar 21, 12           BC Wine Prices

Mar 28, 12           How to Make Wine Drinkers out of Non Wine Drinkers

Apr 4, 12              Wine Pairing Everyday Meals

Apr 11, 12            Cellared in Canada

Apr 18, 12            Open Up a Never-Had Bottle of BC Wine and Tweet

Apr 25, 12            The Wines of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands

May 2, 12             A Chat about #BCWIneChat

May 9, 12             BC Wine and Farmer’s Markets

May 16, 12          Fire Up the Grill!

May 23, 12          Corkage (Bring Your Own Bottle of Wine) to BC Restaurants

May 30, 12          Interprovincial Wine Shipments: Bill C-311

Jun 6, 12             This Week in BC Vineyards

Jun 13, 12            Special #BCWineChat: #FreeMyGrapes

Jun 20, 12            BC Roses

Jun 27, 12            Wine Touring for Newbies

Jul 4, 12               The Age-ability of BC Wines

Jul 11, 12             The Underappreciated. The Next Grape Stars of BC

Jul 18, 12             What International Wines do you Buy and Why?

Jul 25, 12             So Now You can BYO in BC (Corkage)

Aug 1, 12              What Grapes are Best in BC’s OTHER Regions?

Aug 8, 12              Wine Blogger’s Conference 2013 in Penticton

Aug 15, 12           Your Most Memorable Moment at a BC Winery

Aug 22, 12           Off Site Winery Tasting Rooms

Aug 29, 12           Your Favourite Home Cooked Meal with BC Wine

Sep 5, 12              BC Harvest 2012: Pre Harvest Report

Sep 12, 12            Good Old Fashioned Venting on BC’s Archaic Liquor Laws

Sep 19, 12            BC Winery Restaurants

Sep 26, 12            DO BC’s Wineries Help of Hurt the Environment?

Oct 3, 12               BC Wine and Thanksgiving

Oct 10, 12            A Cabernet Franc Celebration

Oct 17, 12            BC Bubbly!

Oct 24, 12            Wine, Charity Auctions and BC’s Liquor Control and Licensing

Oct 31, 12            Open Mic Night on #BCWIneChat

Nov 7, 12             What is ModernizeWine?

Nov 14, 12           #BCWineChat Meets #RoseRev

Nov 28, 12           Best BC Restaurant for BC Wine

Dec 5, 12              Sweet Dessert Wines from BC

Dec 12, 12            How Did #BCWineChat Affect Change in 2012?

September 26, 2012: Do BC’s Wineries Help or Hurt the Environment?

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HERE’S HOW THE CHAT WENT:

DO BC’S WINERIES HELP OR HURT THE ENVIRONMENT? 

We’ve always left the door open to discussion on BCWineChat that pops up due to last minute issues.  This week is one of those weeks.  Controversy hit the BC wine industry this week following a short interview on Tasting Room Radio with high profiled scientist David Suzuki.  Listen to the short clip and we’ll discuss.

September 5, 2012: BC Harvest 2012: Pre Harvest Report

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HERE’S HOW THE CHAT WENT:

BC Harvest 2012: Pre Harvest Report September 5, 2012

How’s the 2012 vintage shaping up?  Get the first hand account of how our year is looking just before the wineries and vineyards go into harvest.  It’s a great time for consumers, retailers and restaurants to ask questions of those people involved in The Crush.  Participate, lurk, ask, answer.  We’re talking all things relating to the 2012 vintage!

July 4, 2012 8-9pmPST: The Ageability of BC Wines

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HERE’S HOW THE CHAT WENT:

THE AGEABILITY OF BC WINES


How well are BC wines aging?  Are there some varieties that seem to age very well and others not at all?  Are there viticultural areas that seem to be producing wines that last for longer than others?

We all know that the vast majority of people never age their wines at all after purchase, but it is nice to know that if you have hung onto a bottle of wine that it will still be good  when you choose to open it up–possibly even better.

Join us this Wednesday July 4 to discuss how well BC wines age.  Bring your questions and your personal experiences–it promises to be a very interactive discussion!

April 18 8-9pm PST: Open Up a Never-Had Bottle of BC Wine and Tweet

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HERE’S HOW THE CHAT WENT:

OPEN UP A NEVER-HAD BOTTLE OF BC WINE AND TWEET  April 18, 2012

Get out to your most-trusted retailer and grab yourself a bottle of BC wine that you have never tried.  Better yet, try one from a winery you are unfamiliar with.  Get you unscrewing hand ready, or your favourite corkscrew, open it up DURING the one hour chat and start tweeting.  You don’t have to know any fancy lingo you just have to convey how you feel about the wine.  If the wine “isn’t working for you” get out some food and try it again (sometimes you need food so that a wine shows its best).

Bonus points?  Find something out about the winery or the wine before you open the bottle and share with the rest of us during the hour.

Super extra bonus points? Bring a friend over and open two bottles.

It is possible that the chat will start out slow (as we all are tasting).  It is also possible the tweets at the start of the hour will be more coherent than the ones at the end of the hour…but we’ll just go with it!

March 14 8-9pm PST: Does BC Do Pinot Noir Well?

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HERE’S HOW THE CHAT WENT:

DOES BC DO PINOT NOIR WELL?

It’s a large topic but specific to one grape.  Pinot noir.  It is done all over the world…Burgundy, Champagne, California, Oregon, New Zealand and on and on.  But do we do a good job with it in British Columbia?

Open up a bottle of BC Pinot noir and snuggle up for a discussion about this Pinecone-shaped (=Pinot) grape variety. Everyone seems to have something to say about this grape so don’t just sit on the sidelines…or Sideways…get on the hashtag #BCWineChat and talk BC Pinot Noir!

March 7 8-9pm PST: No Such Thing As A Stupid BC Wine Question

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HERE’S HOW THE CHAT WENT:

NO SUCH THING AS A STUPID BC WINE QUESTION 

Here in BC we don’t take our wine too seriously.  We have great, enthusiastic customers, well-informed retailers, not too snobby restauranteurs and diverse winery folk. Everyone has  questions for one another that we have never had the courage to ask.

If there is a BC Wine question that has gnawed at you for some time, this is the chat hour for you.    Maybe you have a question for a people who sell BC wines, or for those who make them.  Perhaps some winemakers might have questions for the retailers?  Maybe the wine shop owners want to ask the consumers a question or two.

February 22 8-9pm PST: What will the BC Wine Industry Look Like in 2017?

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HERE’S HOW THE CHAT WENT:

WHAT WILL THE BC WINE INDUSTRY LOOK LIKE IN 2017?

Here’s a quick look back at the BC wine industry in the past few years: (most data courtesy the BC Wine Institute–thank you!)

  • There are 196 winery licenses in BC right now.  Five years ago that number was 134.
  •  In 2008 there were 9,100 acres of vineyards and only 4 years before that there was only 5,462acres. Today there are 710 vineyards (both winery owned and independent growers)
  • Per capita consumption of wine in BC is 15.9 liters per annum (average for Canada is 13.1 liters) with British Columbians drinking 49% white v 51% red wines (via Statistics Canada)
  • In 2010 BC VQA wines sold for an average of $17.54 per bottle whereas five years before in 2005 the average price was $15.47
  • The Liquor Control and Licensing Branch of BC website says they are not accepting applications at this time for new licensee liquor stores or for off-site retail wine stores.

Where will we be in 5 years?  Will we see our industry contract, gradually expand or boom?  Will British Columbians still be paying the prices they are for BC wines or will they look elsewhere for better value?  Will there be more or less wine shops in BC?  This is one hour of imagination–where will our industry be 5 years from now?

January 25 8-9pm PST: What’s Happening in BC Wineries this Week

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HERE’S HOW THE CHAT WENT:

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN BC WINERIES THIS WEEK January 25, 2012

We all know that British Columbia wineries are a great vacation destination in the warmer spring, summer and fall months, but so much happens at the wineries in the middle of winter.  Here’s a great opportunity for consumers to find out what’s going on in the vineyards and cellars around the province this week.

January 18 8-9pm PST: Meaning of Organic, Biodynamic, Sustainable and Natural Wines in BC

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HERE’S HOW THE CHAT WENT:

MEANING OF ORGANIC, BIODYNAMIC, SUSTAINABLE AND NATURAL WINES IN BC  Jan 18

There are many resources for further reading on this wide-ranging topic.  With respect to certified organic grapes and wines the Pacific Agricultural Certification Society in Vernon, BC is a good resource.  It has links to the Canadian Organic Standards and Permitted Substances which are allowed in Canada.

Information of the biodynamic movement is found at Demeter-International.

Much work has taken place lately in BC with respect to creating sustainable practice guides for vineyards, wineries and winery hospitality.  The guides are now for self assessment but there are plans to make the program certified by a third-party auditor.