The Wines of British Columbia Offer Consumers Excellent Value at all Price Points
September 19, 2011 (Kelowna, BC) – Since the BC wine industry’s origin over 70 years ago, great strides have been made to improve the quality of the wine and provide value for the local market.
Winemaking began in BC around 1932 and, pre-1990’s, the majority of products supplied to the marketplace were blended value wines available in all packaging formats (many are still available as Bottled in BC). In the 1970’s and 80’s, estate wineries were establishing their vines, but it wasn’t until the free trade agreement was signed in 1988 that the industry truly shifted. After that point, less desirable hybrid varieties were pulled out and replaced with world-class vinifera varietals and, in 1990, the Vintners’ Quality Alliance was established in BC.
As the industry has grown, the availability of BC VQA wines has been limited by production, but availability has been slowly growing. Wineries traditionally sell the majority of their products from the cellar door and retail outlets throughout British Columbia. There are a wide range of product offerings, many falling in the $13-$25 range, but some special releases fetch between $50 to $75, which, in the scope of world wine markets, is extremely reasonable for top quality offerings.
Of the nearly 200 licensed grape wineries in British Columbia, there is a wide range of sizes with some wineries only producing 500 cases and some up to 100,000 cases. Because of the great diversity, there is no one set business model for BC wineries. As the industry has grown, distribution channels have been enhanced outside of British Columbia but are truly limited by our production, which is currently 17,778 tons a year.
It is important to note that many established wine regions of the world have their top tier products selling well above $100 a bottle. British Columbia wines go head to head with these international wines and win top awards, as demonstrated by the numerous trophies won at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in London, including Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate Best Shiraz in 2006, Best Merlot and Best Dessert Wine in 2010, and Summerhill Pyramid Organic Winery Best Bottle-Fermented Sparkling Wine in 2010. Despite these outstanding accolades, the Wines of British Columbia are still priced at the lower end of the scale for wines of this quality.
Many wineries have taste panels to evaluate where their wines fit into the scale of world class offerings and, in many cases, actually over deliver for the price. The Wines of British Columbia compete both from a quality and a price standpoint worldwide. Test the theory, do your own comparisons and see for yourself!
For further information:
Lindsay Kelm
Communications Manager
lkelm@winebc.com
tel. 250-762-9744 ext. 103
cell. 250-317-8688
British Columbia Wine Institute
Suite 107 – 1726 Dolphin Avenue
Kelowna, B.C. V1Y 9R9
www.winebc.org
twitter.com/winebcdotcom
phone. 250-762-9744
toll free. 1-800-661-2294
fax. 250-762-9788
About the BC Wine Institute (BCWI)
Since 1990, the BCWI has played a pivotal role in taking BC’s wine industry from a vision to an internationally recognized niche region producing premium wines and providing quality wine tourism experiences.
Representing 120 member wineries throughout the province, the BCWI supports and markets the Wines of British Columbia (BC VQA), which gives consumers assurance they are buying a wine that is 100% from BC. The BCWI also markets the Wine Regions of BC; delivers quality trade, media and consumer tastings; and acts as the voice of BC’s wine industry by advocating to government on behalf of its members.
About BC VQA
BC VQA = 100% BC Wine. BC VQA is an appellation of origin system that guarantees authenticity of origin and stipulates minimum quality standards for BC wines. Please visit winebc.com to learn more.
