Celebrate the Wines of British Columbia provides a quarterly review of Wine Growers British Columbia (formerly BC Wine Institute) activities, including marketing, communications, advocacy and more. This newsletter is targeted to the BC wine industry, including all BC wineries, grapegrowers, government and other industry stakeholders and anyone else involved in the industry.
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FISCAL 2021: THIRD QUARTERLY REVIEW
Celebrate the Wines of British Columbia reviews the work of the BC Wine Institute (BCWI) and its member wineries during each quarter of the fiscal year. This third quarterly review covers activities that occurred during October, November and December 2020.
Miles Prodan, President & CEO
Since the start of the pandemic and culminating in Q3, the BCWI has worked to advocate to help ensure the survival of our industry. In addition to keeping members informed there have been several policy changes made during the COVID-19 crisis that are in direct response to the advocacy work of the BCWI, the Business Technical Advisory Panel (BTAP) and our industry partners that include:
While many of these policies are temporary, the BCWI is following up to ensure those that support our industry are continued, if not permanently, where appropriate.
COVID-19 Impact
Since the onset of COVID-19 restrictions in March 2019, provincial total (all) wine litre sales have averaged 5.1% growth/month with the most recent reporting month of November 2020 a record high this year at 5.84%.
While provincial BC VQA litre sales have also increased over the sale period, BC VQA market share growth continues to decline and trend lower than the All-Imports market share growth with April 2020 the first time negative since March 2012.
BC Liquor Distribution Branch (BC LDB) Wholesale Hospitality Price
While we continue to be fully supportive of BC hospitality during the pandemic and of BTAP and government’s measure to provide support through the current BC LDB temporary hospitality pricing change, it is important to recognize that not only have BC wineries lost considerable sales due to restaurant closures and restrictions, but at a fixed wholesale price, profit margins are significantly reduced in what little hospitality business remains.
New Provincial Cabinet
In early December a new provincial cabinet was sworn in with the following impacting the BC wine industry:
Going forward, the BC wine industry now falls under at least five distinct ministries of which four ministers are new and whom we look forward to getting up to speed on our advocacy issues.
Finally, as we look forward to a brighter, more hopeful 2021, I want to again acknowledge the strength and perseverance of our industry. Just like grape growing and wine making itself, last year presented challenges that required patience, innovation and above all resiliency.
Specifically, I want to recognize the BC Wine Institute Board of Directors committee members and team, each of whom has made huge changes to their work and personal lives as we, like so many others, have had to find new ways to continue to support the BC wine industry.
Kim Barnes, Marketing Director
Q3 was filled with exciting, innovative initiatives as our programs were reinvented to acclimate to our current environment. In celebration of the 30th anniversary of BC VQA the BCWI teamed up with the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS) to develop a new Chef Meets BC Grape competitive program — Somm Smackdown — resulting in the first-ever Wines of British Columbia Top Sommelier. Colour, BC VQA Fall Release Tasting was reimagined as Local Flights to comply with the provincial health order guidelines on large events receiving rave reviews from attendees. The October is BC Wine Harvest Month and Holiday campaigns brought local wine, hospitality and tourism partners together for a stronger future and to keep ‘support local’ top of mind.
First-Ever Wines Of British Columbia Top Sommelier 2020
In celebration of the 30th anniversary of BC VQA, the BCWI teamed up with the (CAPS) BC to recruit and challenge the best and brightest sommeliers in BC and Alberta to compete in a three-part innovative competition series involving written exams, blind tastings of BC wine, virtual dinners and the ultimate BC wine pairing challenge.
The winning sommelier from each virtual event travelled to the Okanagan to compete in a three-round finale, pairing BC wines with plates created by acclaimed BC winery chefs throughout wine country over three days.
The sommelier finalists included:
Judges, including the event emcee, Christopher Waters, Wine Columnist of The Globe and Mail, voted via ballot for what they believed was the “Best BC Wine Pairing” at each days’ event. Votes were accumulative over the three days, with Forsyth coming out on top with the highest overall percentage of votes across all three rounds.
“It feels amazing to win, especially with the extraordinary palates I had judging me and the two talented somms that I got to compete against, it’s an incredible feeling,” said Forsyth.
“The pairings this week have been really effective, it’s hard to isolate just one because every meal has been memorable,” said Waters. “One of the things that make BC wines so successful is that they all have this clean sweep of acidity that freshens your taste buds so a lot of them work with food and that’s where the art of the sommelier comes in. The magic of wine and food pairings is that the wine gets better, the food gets better, the experience is elevated, and that’s what makes a successful pairing.”
“CAPS BC and the BC Wine Institute share a philosophy and a vision to enhance the exposure of sommeliers and their role within the BC wine industry,” said Mark Taylor, President, CAPS BC and judge for the event. “A competition like this educates and raises the profile of the sommelier, and it provides something for the somm community to get excited about.”
Access the full Somm Smackdown overview here and media release here.
Wines of British Columbia Local Flights VIP Trade Tasting
To align with provincial restrictions on in-person events, the BCWI created Local Flights, a reimagined version of the Colour fall release tasting event. Sixty-four BC wineries registered with 126 BC wines showcased to a coveted list of industry decision makers. Fifty-Nine trade registered to attend this new format, with 100% of attendees providing positive feedback, requesting more tastings be available following this format in the future.
The BC Hospitality Foundation (BCHF) provided 16 industry members who volunteered their time to provide a high-quality experience for attendees (their peers).
The safety of all involved was a key priority for us. We enlisted the expertise of Connect Seven, leaders in event planning and members of the work group who wrote the BC Meetings and Events COVID-19 Safe Restart Guidelines – to ensure this event followed all COVID-19 restrictions and requirements as we navigated through the ever-changing environment.
“I really enjoyed the revamped format of the fall tasting.” Commented attendee Kurtis Kolt, wine writer and sommelier. “The particular attention to safety and COVID protocol by the BCWI allowed for a comfortable atmosphere where proper focus, and enthusiasm, could be given to the wines.”
Local Industry Collaboration to Bolster Local Support
To encourage local support and help strengthen the collective industry, the BC Wine Institute partnered with Destination British Columbia, the BC Hotel Association, BC Restaurant and Food Association, BC Dairy Association and BC Seafood Alliance to collaboratively honour and celebrate the British Columbia harvest season and a brighter future for all industries going forward. The campaign’s aim was to bring local wine, hospitality and tourism partners together to ensure a strong future for all of us, keeping the ‘support local’ message top of mind as we brought the challenging year of 2020 to a close.
“Restaurants are an important place for people to experience how awesome BC wine is — especially when paired with BC seafood and beautiful locally-produced cheese plates,” says Ian Tostenson, President and CEO, BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association. “We’re excited to encourage people to experience all the harvest tastes BC has to offer.”
“Over recent months, we’ve witnessed how exceptionally few industries in our province have been left unscathed by the impacts of our current global crisis, proving it is more essential than ever that we work together” says Ingrid Jarrett, President & CEO of the British Columbia Hotel Association. “The accommodation community is proud to partner on this uplifting campaign as we collectively forge ahead on our road to recovery.”
Learn More: BC Harvest Month and Sips & Trips
Please see Marketing Manager Report for the full account on Q3 campaign and promotional initiatives.
Candice Tipton, Marketing Manager
The BCWI had a busy quarter, kicking it off with the ambitious October is BC Harvest Month, followed by BC Liquor Stores (BCLS) Boutique Wines from BC in November overlapping with the Holiday campaign. Our website pageviews increased by 112% compared to Q3 last year and for the month of October we hit a monthly record with 37,200 users which we had set back in 2018 in the inaugural launch of April BC Wine Month.
October is BC Harvest Month
BC Harvest Month was a multifaceted campaign with goals to create awareness of BC wine harvest, inspire people to visit BC wine country through the Wines of BC Explorer App trip planning features and engage with our Harvest Sips and Trips Contest. As mentioned by our marketing director we worked with several partners. Our efforts included sponsored media articles, influencers, social media, Google Ads, advertising with Narcity, Pattison, Gismondi on Wine, Global TV, Castanet and Post Media as well as a print ad in Vancouver Sun and point-of-sale materials placed in Save-On-Foods wine departments.
Total campaign reach was 47.6 million, 304,672 of those engaged further. Other notable campaign numbers include 2,543 new downloads of the Wines of BC Explorer app and 114,757 clicks within the app, the Harvest Sips and Trips contest had 13,714 entries with approximately 30% of those entries signing up for the Wines of British Columbia consumer newsletter The Vine, and the website as a whole saw pageviews increase by 98.74%. Average time on page increased 19.4% and bounce rate decreased by 30%.
Aged by Time Perfected by Wine
The Holiday campaign in partnership with BC Dairy worked to keep local BC wine and BC cheese a priority, reaching new customers and staying front of mind with returning customers. Tactics included influencers, social media, Google Ads, plus advertising with Pattison, Taste Magazine, Food Network and Globe and Mail. In addition, this campaign utilized the seasonally high foot traffic to expand our point-of-sale materials to include 180 grocery (with wine and without), 125 BC Liquor Stores and nine Sobey’s. BC wine and cheese infographics were sent out to 600 wine and cheese seminar attendees through The Canadian Cheese Ambassador. The BCWI also created this video for Food Network ads based on footage filmed during the Chef Meets BC Grape Somm Smackdown Competition to title the first Wines of British Columbia Top Sommelier.
The campaign had a wide reach with assets targeting audiences interested in après ski, direct shipping, wine as gifts, pairing and recipes. The main webpage for the campaign was the pairing page which saw a 64% increase in pageviews compared to the previous year. The total campaign reached 82 million and engaged 208,000. The media recall for retail signage and social posts combined was 32.6%.
BC VQA Leaning Week
Boutique Wines from BC
This is now an ongoing quarterly program with BC Liquor Stores. It offers new listing opportunities to smaller lot wines and an opportunity for consumers to taste new wines. In November, the wines were featured in approximately 28 BC Liquor Stores. A blog written by wine expert, Kurtis Kolt, about the 10 selected Boutique Wines performed very well. It was one of WineBC.com’s top three blogs of 2020 and the average time on page was an impressive 3:27.
Wines of BC Explorer App
The Wines of BC Explorer app continued to see excellent growth and is proving to be an important tool not just for wine tourism but also for consumers to explore and discover new-to-them wines. This quarter saw 3,084 new downloads and 133,653 total clicks. Some of the top clicked curated lists include red wine, white wine, special events and award-winning wines.
Laura Kittmer, Communications Director
Communications Director Report
Following up on the strategic research and partnerships developed during the second quarter, Q3 saw the exciting implementation of innovative new formats, best practices, research and planning that allowed us to connect and engage with media, trade and stakeholders in meaningful and effective ways while keeping us on track to achieving our Fiscal 2021 strategic objectives
Brand BC: Build And Promote A World-Class Brand
Wine Intelligence Research
During Q3, the BCWI partnered with Wine Intelligence to conduct proprietary research measuring trade and consumer perception and awareness for Wines of British Columbia. The surveys were in field October through November resulting in 1,000 regular wine drinker respondents and 382 wine trade respondents in Canada. This survey will be conducted over a three-year period and will establish key performance benchmarks for driving trade and consumer perception change as a measurable objective in the BCWI annual operational plan. This important KPI will support Wine BC 2030’s strategic pillar, to build and promote a world-class brand for the Wines of British Columbia. The research results from these surveys will be presented at the BC Wine Industry Insight Conference on March 18, 2021.
Somm Smackdown Familiarization Tour
Since the beginning of our current fiscal, how we promote and market wine domestically and internationally has significantly changed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue working with Destination BC, governments, stakeholder partners, Wine Growers Canada (WGC) and other regional associations to be flexible, innovative and responsive to media and trade opportunities, and deliver activities and engagements that are appropriate to the prevailing conditions.
Through thoughtful planning, a comprehensive COVID-19 safety plan and cooperation from our member wineries, we were able to proceed with an innovative familiarization itinerary that allowed us to safely and successfully host an intimate group of 15 key media and trade in-region for our Chef Meets BC Grape Somm Smackdown Grand Finale October 19 to 21. The health and safety of our guests, staff and wineries were a top priority. We worked with Connect Seven Group to implement protocols to mitigate risk and ensure the familiarization tour abided by all provincial COVID-19 restrictions and requirements. Media and trade guests travelled in groups of six and remained in their groups for the duration of the fam tour. Vineyard visits took place before 11:00 AM, followed by outdoor tastings whenever possible. Staggered arrival and departure times were scheduled, and meals were organized to allow for social distancing. Visitations with winery members were limited to ensure the total encounters during the three-day tour did not exceed the provincial restriction of 50 patrons.
The opportunity to connect with the people, places and culture of our breathtaking province helps ensure that visitors leave as advocates and ambassadors for BC wine and share our stories with their audiences. When COVID-19-related travel restrictions are lifted, we will once again look forward to bringing key influencers and media to BC, immersing them in our wine regions, to create a positive and lasting impact.
Building Digital Media Partnerships to deliver positive messaging for Wines of British Columbia
With a corresponding reduction in media and trade familiarization tours and in-region events in response to the measures taken to limit exposure to COVID-19, our communications and media mix have been modified to allow a greater emphasis on digital and social communications and media partnerships to help grow the knowledge and perception about BC wine and wine regions.
The BCWI continued to build on our strategic relationships with media partners including Narcity, Vancouver Sun, Global News, Gismondi on Wine and Castanet to encourage local support, and deliver positive messaging and awareness for BC wine in celebration of the BC harvest. These media and communications efforts resulted in 80 highly targeted editorial pieces including one broadcast segment, and eight Zoom videos for a total reach of 26 million generating $240,958 in advertising equivalency with a 3:1 return on media coverage. See media section below for highlights.
2021-2023 BCWI Wine Export Strategy
The final 2021-2023 BCWI Wine Export Strategy was presented to government on November 30, 2020 and shared with member wineries and stakeholders in the BCWI Weekly Update and CEO Update. Written in collaboration with the BCWI Export Strategy Task Group, the three-year strategy was developed and framed to mitigate the risks identified while determining best strategy and opportunities for BC wineries to effectively enter international markets and build demand for BC wine in priority export markets. The strategy aligns with the previous Wine Growers Canada Long-Term International Market Strategy (LTIS) and Wine BC 2030 Plan. This allows BCWI to continue to work collaboratively with the WGC in the future and will result in a “Brand BC” that reflects and aligns with the existing “Canada Brand”.
The BCWI Wine Export Strategy 2021-2012 is available at WineBC.com.
We look forward to bringing international wine trade and media visitors to our spectacular wine regions when we can, so that we can create a positive and lasting impact with our wines and the people, stories and places behind them.
MEDIA REPORT | Q3 SUMMARY OF COVERAGE
Direct and indirect media coverage of the BC Wine Institute, its members and the Wines of British Columbia reached 282.9 million readers and viewers from October 1 through December 31. Value for media coverage totalled $2,617,345.
MEDIA-RELATED EVENTS
Chef Meets BC Grape Somm Smackdown Familiarization Tour
Highlights in the news from October 1 through December 31:
Global News | Saturday Sips: Harvest wine pairings with Kelowna’s Waterfront Restaurant
Globe and Mail | What can I expect from the Okanagan’s 2020 vintage?
Narcity | 9 Regions In BC That Are Perfect For Your Next Fall Country Getaway
Vancouver Magazine | Somm Smackdown 2020
Global News | The BC Wine Institute reveals survey results that paint bleak outlook for industry hit hard economically by the pandemic
Gismondi On Wine | BC Grape Harvest 2020
Decanter Premium | Michaela Morris: My top fine wines of 2020
PRESS RELEASE ROUND-UPFor the full Q3 Media Report, click here.
To ensure the Wines of British Columbia stay top of mind in key markets and to make sure consumers and industry remain informed on issues affecting the wine industry, the BC Wine Institute regularly issues press releases to a group of more than 300 national and international media.
You can find all press releases issued in Q3 in the Media section of WineBC.com
Ashley Spilak, Content Manager
Content Marketing Manager Report
Amid the on going management of the COVID-19 pandemic, content strategies in partnership with digital advertising and social media continued to play a critical role in generating positive sentiment and driving a “Buy BC” message in what is a growing, competitive online environment.
Over Q3, content marketing consisted of a multi-media mix of branded visuals with tailored key messages, social media consumer contests, blog narratives, new photo stock, credible third-party influencer voices, paid online media partnerships and a variety of videos both long-version and social to expand both audience reach and engagement. Throughout, all Wines of British Columbia content remained sensitive to and respectful of COVID-19 regulations as per the directives of BC’s leading Provincial Health Officer.
During the third quarter, the Wines of British Columbia developed and executed a record 1,134 pieces of high-quality digital marketing content across eight digital platforms targeting consumer, trade and industry audiences. Additional content included contracted third-party influencer social media posts and paid media partnerships that incorporated branded banner ads and sponsored campaign articles.
Throughout Q3, BCWI promoted four major campaign themes; October is BC Wine Harvest Month, Somm Smackdown, the BCLS Boutique Wines from BC program and Holiday Pairing Recipes with Save-On-Food promotions. In optimizing audience insights and retargeting, BCWI once again took advantage of Facebook’s ad platform to amplify exposure on key assets.
Another strong partnership saw Wines of BC join forces with national award-winning author of BC Wine Lover’s Cookbook, Jennifer Schell. Jennifer worked with Wines of BC to develop six interview-style video blogs featuring local recipe demonstrations, photos and various recommended BCWI member wine pairings. The second of the two-part series featured the Okanagan Valley and Vancouver Island wine regions.
To further connect and support the health and professional development of the BC wine industry, the BC Wine Institute continues to offer membership training webinars on digital marketing topics. Close to 70 industry took advantage of November’s webinar which spoke specifically to Influencer Marketing for BC Wine Brands.
Social Media Marketing
Blog Articles
Member Webinars & Training
To review social media top posts and a summary of Q3 digital marketing analytics, click here.
Carie Jones, Communications Manager
In the third quarter, the BCWI continued to find new ways of working to promote the BC wine industry and communicate to our members, trade and media.
Virtual Events
On December 2, the BC Wine Institute hosted the first-ever Virtual Winemakers and Viticulturists’ Forum. The forum helps provide important content for the 2020 Vintage Report which is used to promote and educate trade, media and stakeholders on the 2020 vintage. Typically held as an in-person round table discussion of the recent vintage, we were excited to welcome a panel of six BC wine makers and grape growers to help engage virtual attendees and facilitate a lively discussion even while far apart. Moderated by Rhys Pender, MW, the virtual discussion was attended by 61 winemakers and viticulturists and will help shape the 2020 Vintage Report to be distributed in Q4.
Panelists included:
Karen Gillis, Andrew Peller Limited
Michael Clark, Clos du Soleil Winery
Troy Osborne, Arterra Wines Canada
Severine Pinte, Le Vieux Pin Winery, LaStella Winery
David Paterson, Tantalus Vineyards
Chris Turyk, Unsworth Vineyards
On December 16, 2020, the BC Wine Institute hosted the first-ever virtual BC Wine Institute Industry Recognition Awards recognizing Tim Pawsey, wine and food writer, hiredbelly.com and Robert Smith, Director of Sales, Hester Creek Winery for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the BC wine industry. Fifty-five media, trade and industry attended the virtual ceremony with many recording videos of congratulations in advance of the ceremony to surprise the recipients as they were awarded the recognition.
New members
In Q3, the BCWI was happy to welcome Invinity Sparkling Wine House on Vancouver Island as our newest member. See full list of BCWI members here.
Member and Stakeholder Communications
In Q3, the BCWI sent 12 BCWI Weekly Update member newsletters with an average open rate of 45%, and three BCWI CEO Updates with an average open rate of 45%. Media releases and targeted email communication within the quarter sent to trade, media, members and stakeholders had an average open rate of 39%. The industry standard average sits at 23%.
In the third quarter, the BC Wine Institute quarterly report was updated with the addition of a video of quarterly highlights sent November 20 followed by a member webinar on November 24 with 23 BCWI members in attendance.
Meet BC Wine Institute Board members
The BCWI is governed by a Board of Directors that consists of nine elected voting winery members and two non-voting ex officio members who oversee work of the President & CEO and provide strategic guidance and effective oversight for the organization and industry. While nominated by wineries from a similar size category, once elected, Directors work together on behalf of the entire membership to fulfill the BCWI mission and achieve BCWI goals. Every quarter, members of our Board of Directors are featured to help member wineries get to know the people advocating on their behalf.
Greg Berti
Greg Berti is the Vice President of Global Markets for Andrew Peller Limited and has and has served as a BCWI Board member three times. His most recent Board representation began in 2017.
When asked what excites him about being on the BCWI Board, Greg says, “I love the opportunity to help shape the future of our industry by working with fellow board teammates, staff and government to create the conditions for the success of our industry for years to come. My company has been in business in BC for 60 years – so we have seen a lot of change and recognize the importance of the industry to the BC economy and to so many livelihoods across the province. Wine growing is the ultimate in the agricultural value-add and brings so much to the province, and so much joy to consumers.”
When looking back at the year we had in 2020 Greg says, “COVID-19 has had an uneven impact on the economy – it has been incredibly difficult being both supportive to related industries while looking out for the best interests of our wineries. There is no easy solution. At the same time, we need to be mindful of our international competitors and to be sure not to give them a leg up for the short and long term. It has been a very difficult balancing act – though our leadership team at the BCWI has done an exceptional job of making our needs known.”
Looking ahead to 2020, Greg is hopeful for the continued success of our industry. “I want our industry to be well positioned for the future. We have a great framework in BC 2030 – but it requires building blocks, one year at a time to achieve success. We need to create the conditions so that wineries can succeed in tourism, retail, DTC and on-premise – all at the same time. This while building the brand and reputation of BC wines. Our BCWI leadership team is up to the challenge.”
Q3 Wine Competition Results
Each year, BC VQA Wine and certified 100% BC grape wine are entered into dozens of wine competitions where they show extremely well. BC VQA Wine winners are tracked. A total of 59 awards were received in Q3 from two competitions. See full results here.
