Media Releases

June 23, 2011 (Kelowna, BC) – With tonnage down 11% from last year, the 2010 vintage provided numerous challenges for vintners in British Columbia. Despite Mother Nature’s temperament, BC wineries continue to produce exceptional quality wines.

The 2010 harvest got off to a late start with the first grapes being picked the week of September 15, two weeks behind the 2009 harvest. The majority of BC wineries started picking after September 24, and with fruit still coming in well into November, 2010 earned the distinction of being one of the latest harvests on record.

Because of the arduous circumstances throughout the vintage, crop levels were down across the province; however, not as much as initially anticipated. According to the 2010 BC Wine Grape Crop Report, tonnage* was down 11% from 19,879 tons in 2009, to 17,778 tons in 2010.

According to BCWI director Rod King of King Family Farms in Naramata, “[The grape] pricing reflects the reality of a shorter crop last year. All the main varieties were up a little bit on a price/ton basis.” Although the short crop affected some grape pricing, those changes have not affected wine prices at the consumer level, according to Stephen Schiedel, Portfolio Manager (Wines of Canada, USA and South America) at the BC Liquor Stores.

The 2010 white wines have been released to much acclaim. The cooler conditions of the vintage allowed for full flavour development while maintaining the vibrant acidity that the Wines of BC are known for, and perfect for summer sipping. Consumers seem to agree, with overall provincial BC VQA sales up 3% over the past 12 months and BC VQA Wine Store sales continuing to increase, with rolling 12 months sales ended May 2011 up 4%, over 2010.

The 2010 red wines (most of which won’t be released until 2012) were more of a challenge, but vintners are excited about their development. At Hester Creek Estate Winery, their team did a lot of work in the vineyard to ensure phenological ripeness, according to General Manager Mark Sheridan. “We cropped light and did a lot of canopy management, but we have some of the best colour, tannin structure that we’ve had and are extremely excited about the entire portfolio.”

As we release the 2010 BC Wine Grape Crop Report, vintners across the province are already well into the 2011 growing season. As Rod King stated at last year’s winemakers and viticulturalists’ forum, if there is one thing we can learn from the 2010 vintage “the lesson is to have faith, the vines will pull through.”

The 2010 BC Wine Grape Crop Report was compiled by BDO Canada LLP from information collected from 126 wineries across the province. Thank you to all those who contributed, as well as to the BC Wine Institute, BC Grapegrowers’ Association, BC Wine Authority and the BC Wine Grape Council for their assistance.

“Through compiling the Wine Grape Crop Report since 2008, we have been fortunate to be able to expand our knowledge of industry issues and increase our appreciation of the determination and efforts of BC’s grapegrowers, winemakers and proprietors,” states Ken Davidson, Partner with BDO. “BDO is proud to support the BC Wine Industry.”

To view the complete report, visit www.winebc.com/publications.php

*Tonnage reported in short tons. Note, participation in this survey is voluntary; therefore the tonnages reported here may differ from actual industry tonnages.

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 119 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.

About BDO Canada LLP
BDO is the sixth largest accounting and advisory firm in Canada with 95 offices nationwide. Our professionals have the expertise to serve owner-managed businesses, large enterprises, mid-market public companies, communities and non-profit organizations in a broad range of industries.

BDO Canada Limited is an affiliate of BDO Canada LLP. BDO Canada LLP, a Canadian limited liability partnership, is a member of BDO International Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, and forms part of the international BDO network of independent member firms.

BDO is the brand name for the BDO network and for each of the BDO member firms.

The combined fee income of all the BDO member firms, including the members of their exclusive alliances, was $5.03 billion in 2009. The global network has 1,138 offices in 110 countries and more than 46,000 people provide advisory services throughout the world.

For more information about BDO Canada LLP, contact:
Lisa Werstiuk, BCom
Regional Business Development Manager (Western Canada Region)
LWerstiuk@bdo.ca
www.bdo.ca