Sip Sip Hooray

British Columbia (B.C.) wineries win awards at national and international wine competitions each year. In 2019, they won more than 1,000 medals.

British Columbia wineries won their first International Wine & Spirit Competition Avery Trophy in the 1990s for Best Chardonnay in the World.  In just three decades, B.C.’s vibrant wines have burst onto the global wine scene, establishing a reputation for excellence and producing beautifully crafted wines, each reflecting the unique character of the province’s distinct and ideal growing regions.

B.C. Wine Country is rich with spectacular, diverse, and extreme landscapes ranging from moderate coastal, maritime climates to higher altitude, sun-drenched, warm, and semi-arid deserts. B.C.’s wine country spans nine distinct geographic grape growing regions, including the Okanagan Valley, Similkameen Valley, Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, Thompson Valley, Lillooet, Shuswap, and the Kootenays. Did you know that the vineyards of B.C.’s Okanagan Valley receive an additional two hours of sunlight per day than the Napa Valley during the peak July and August growing season?

Each bottle of B.C. wine showcases the unique flavour and terroir of the individual vineyard and growing region. British Columbia’s Vintners Quality Alliance (BC VQA) standard is stamped on bottle labels and provides domestic and international consumers’ a guarantee that they are purchasing wine made from 100% B.C. grapes. Today, BC VQA wines dominate domestic wine sales in Canada, and it’s no surprise that our wines are winning over both critics and consumers internationally.

B.C. is home to 284 grape wineries, more than 10,499 acres (4,249 hectares) of planted land and over 80 grape varieties. For all those vino tourists, B.C. Wine Country should be on their radar once Canada reopens its borders to welcome back international travel safely. Wine tourism thrives in British Columbia and helps diversify and grow the sector through linkages to tourism, creating opportunities for diversification, growth, and financial success. Before the pandemic, B.C.’s wineries attracted over 1,000,000 visitors annually for tours, tastings and purchases.

If you would like to know more about buying or international investment opportunities in British Columbia’s exceptional wine sector, contact Trade and Invest BC.

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