Wine awards entries soar
B.C. blends take spotlight in national competition
It’s bits and pieces this week in what has become an annual mid-year effort to find the top of my desk.
• The 15th National Wine Awards of Canada begin in Ontario on Tuesday and if entries are any indication, it should give us the best single snapshot yet on the current state of the Canadian wine industry. About 1,450 wines have been entered, almost double the number at the first tasting in 2001.
Almost all the growth is in the blended category, both red and white, with other big jumps in Pinot Noir and Riesling entries. The B. C. contingent is now the largest in the competition, reflecting the aggressive growth in wineries across our province over the past decade and no doubt it has something to do with the quality of the 2012, 2013 and 2014 harvests. It should be a fascinating week of competition as we look for the best wines and wineries in the country. Stay tuned.
• Speaking of harvest, the 2015 Okanagan crop is tracking 2-3 weeks ahead of normal, which is an exciting prospect for growers. If the weather continues to co-operate, we could see some grapes harvested in August and most, if not all, of the crop in the house by the middle to end
of October. With sugar ripeness coming early, the extra hang time to achieve phenolic or tannin ripeness could lead to an outstanding vintage. Time will tell.
• Meanwhile in government retail liquor stores, international wineries and local wineries along with their distributors are still struggling to come to grips with recent changes that have created a convoluted, pricing mess whereby no one in the trade has any way of knowing what the final shelf price of any wine is until it’s on the shelf. Talk about dumb and dumber.
Under the new perverted “levelplaying-field” rules, drawn up by the guys who own 198 government retail stores, restaurants are only allowed to buy wines from BCL Stores, giving the government’s retail stores a massive advantage over private-sector wine shops. So much for modernization and a free and open market. Meanwhile the continent’s most expensive wine continues to rise in price under a wildly flawed wholesale tax system that prevents just about everyone from competing with government stores, which now hold all the cards.
• Now for some good news. Local wine producers have formed the B.C. Wine Appellation task group to explore the future of wine regulations across the province. In play are possible changes to the now 25-year-old VQA wine regulations and the more recent, and mostly useless, Wines of Marked Distinction legislation. More important will be which decisions are made regarding the origin or appellations of British Columbia wine and the authenticity of each bottle.
We have talked much about appellations in this space and this is our chance to make it right once and for all. The world’s greatest wines come replete with a specific/appellation on its label. If we are to take our place among the world’s best we need to be definitively certain about the origin of wines and its authenticity from the vineyard to the bottle.
In an unprecedented gesture from any wine region I know, the B.C. Wine Appellation task group is seeking your input to inform recommendations to improve its system of appellations and certification of wine produced from 100-per-cent B.C. grapes. The survey will seek opinions regarding appellations ( geographical indicators), certification of origin, B.C. VQA, tasting panels and audits. At the end, there is space for your additional thoughts and comments.
This survey is being conducted by an independent B.C. consulting firm, on behalf of the B.C. Wine Appellation task group. All responses will be anonymous and confidential. No one from the group will have access to individual responses. The survey will take no more than 10 minutes to complete.
A final report from the B.C. Wine Appellation task group will be released on Sept. 30. To be involved, log onto www.bcwinetaskgroup.ca