BC Wine Task Group wants to change province's wine industry
An independent wine makers advocacy group wants to make some changes to B.C.’s wine industry.
The BC Wine Appellation Task Group has developed a set of 13 recommendations for the provincial government, most notably to create four new appellations.
For those who aren’t aware, appellations are the technical term for the geographical region a wine comes from. For the time being, B.C. has five appellations: Okanagan Valley, Similkameen Valley, Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island, and Gulf Islands. The Task Group wants to see the following regions added to the list:
- Thompson Valley
- Lillooet-Lytton
- Shuswap
- Kootenays
The group feels knowing a more precise location where the wine is produced will be beneficial to consumers.
“Around the world today wine makers and wine enthusiasts are increasingly interested in the soil and climate conditions of where the wine is grown,” said Ezra Cipes, Chair of the BC Wine Appellation Task Group in a statement.
“Our recommendations will help to strengthen a sense of place for our wines that is uniquely about British Columbia.”
Other recommendations made by the Task Group are creating a framework for 15 sub-appealltions within the Okanagan Valley, harmonizing the audit process among government agencies to enhance quality standards, and end the use of taste panels to access faults.
The report released by the group includes town halls from other winemakers, and describes efforts to reach out to stakeholders in every wine producing region in B.C.
To read the full report, click here.
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