Wine war could cost B.C. businesses millions

Western Canada’s “wine war” could cost small family owned farms millions of dollars, says an advocate for British Columbia’s wine industry.

Premier Rachel Notley announced Tuesday that her government is banning B.C. wine in a spat between the two provinces over the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline.

Independent producers will bear the brunt of the prohibition, said Miles Prodan, president of the B.C. Wine Institute.

The Alberta government isn’t aiming its anger at multinational corporations with shareholders, Prodan said.

“They’re harming actual small farmers, which is ironic coming from a province like Alberta that understands agriculture and farming and all that goes into that. Why they’re picking on fellow farmers is hard to understand.”

Alberta is the second biggest wine market for the industry outside of B.C. itself, selling an estimated retail value of $160 million each year, Prodan said.

Jan Nelson with Tinhorn Creek Vineyards near Oliver, B.C., said they send about 15 per cent of their production to Alberta every year and the ban will cost them about $100,000 per month.

“In the short term, I’m pretty sure we can find a happy customer to enjoy the wine. But that’s not a sales strategy, so I’m hoping this turns around pretty quickly,” he said.

Tinhorn Creek gets about 40,000 visitors each year, about 25 per cent of those tourists come from Alberta, Nelson said.

“I’m sure it will affect some people in the long term, but I’m hoping most people will be able to look past a political issue and just enjoy the wine that they’ve come to love,” he said.

Jason Ocenas with Township 7 Wine said his products are sold in liquor stores and shipped directly to customers in Alberta, and finding another market will be difficult.