Vineyards at the heart of British Columbia’s wine industry are reeling after two years of climate-related crop losses.
Among these bad weather is the cold snap last January which seems to have almost wiped out this year’s vintage.
The industry needs support to recover, but Vancouver-based sommelier Van Doren Chan says it’s also an opportunity to reshape viticulture and wine production in the province.
Mme Chan says all indications are that only a limited selection of BC wines will be available on retail shelves in the coming years as wineries undertake major efforts to replant vines.
She expects wineries to focus on direct sales and fulfilling orders from their wine club members while they wait for the new vines to mature.
Van Doren Chan, who is a board member of the British Columbia chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers, says the cost of British Columbia wines is likely to increase. But she says revamping the industry is also an opportunity to get consumers excited about local wines for years to come.
Van Doren Chan says this could include a marketing campaign asking BC consumers for their support and patience while wineries experiment with different varieties and grow the next generation of grapes.