April declared BC Wine Month to counter Alberta wine boycott

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Many BC wines will soon be showcased at all government-run liquor stores. April has been proclaimed BC Wine Month to help stave off possible losses linked to Alberta’s boycott.

“It’s a great first step for sure. I mean, the immediate impact of the boycott is real and we’re seeing it impacting our wineries, so anything that we can do to continue support from our great BC customers is well appreciated,” says Miles Prodan, President and CEO of the BC Wine Institute.

Prodan says he’s pleased with how quickly the BC government has responded.

“Not just for the effects of the boycott today, but remind people about BC wine and there’s a tremendous choice to be had.”

BC is home to 929 vineyards (3,900 hectares), including over 350 licensed wineries. Provincial producers grow over 60 different grape varieties, including Merlot, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewurztraminer, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc.

“It’s not a matter of demand. The demand’s there. It’s just the access, so being able to get it into stores like BC Liquor stores is fantastic and we can build a promotion around that for awareness and make it literally front and centre in the store.”

Along with this month-long promotion, the provincial government is providing more funding for local vineyards to market outside of Canada.

While Alberta’s boycott will take its toll on the wine industry, the top markets for BC wine (according to a 2016 study) were China (54%), Taiwan (23%) and the United States (11%).

In 2016, BC saw $9.7 million in wine products shipped to 17 international markets. Icewine exports were $1.8 million of that total.

Numbers produced by the Ministry of Agriculture show the industry–which employs 12,000 workers–is worth almost three billion dollars a year to the BC economy.

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