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B.C. Wine Stats B.C. currently boasts 71 licensed wineries, five licenced fruit rot wineries (rapsberry wine, etc.) and 16 wineries with pending licenses. Another 12 wineries are in development.
Pique Newsmagazine Staff

B.C. Wine Stats

B.C. currently boasts 71 licensed wineries, five licenced fruit rot wineries (rapsberry wine, etc.) and 16 wineries with pending licenses. Another 12 wineries are in development. The majority are located in the Okanagan Valley, while others are located in the Fraser Valley, Similkameen Valley and Vancouver Island.

  • In 2002, the wine industry harvested 15,500 tons of grapes, compared to 14,137 tons in 2001 and 10,022 tons the year before. Most B.C. growers have at least doubled production since 1997.
  • The 9 th annual Okanagan Spring Wine Festival in June hosted 26,000 wine tourists over four days, and wine sales from member wineries is estimated to be around a half million dollars from that event alone.
  • The VQA labels on B.C. wines stands refer to the Vintners Quality Alliance, a wine standard system that has been widely adopted by B.C. wineries to ensure quality and enhance the province’s reputation outside of the province.
  • The number of international and domestic awards won by B.C. wines has risen every year since 1994. In 2002, B.C. wines and wine and grape workers received 950 medals and awards.

    • For more information on B.C. wines, visit the B.C. Wine Institute at www.winebc.com.

    The David Mitchel Wine Group

    The David Mitchel Wine Group offers winery tours, focusing on the Okanagan Valley area. Based in Whistler, owner and sommelier David Foran guides a variety of wine tours from Whistler, the Sea to Sky Corridor, the Lower Mainland, and the U.S., offering both package tours and custom tours of the area.

    A wine tour can be as short as a day, including flight, and tours are open to singles, couples and groups, beginners and experts.

    Along with wine tours, the David Mitchel Wine Group facilitates wine events and receptions at upscale Whistler houses and properties. For example, they can put together a seven-course paired dinner at your house with a personal chef, accommodating large groups of four to 16 people.

    For more information and a look at the kind of package tours available, visit www.winesandtours.com, or contact David Foran at 604-905-8710, or david@winesandtours.com.

    Coastal Mountain Air

    Coastal Mountain Air is based out of Pemberton Airport and offers a wide variety of excursions, including wine tours to the Okanagan Valley through the David Mitchel Wine Group. Other popular trips and destinations include sport fishing locales, whale watching, Victoria, Tofino and Long Beach, whitewater rafting, bungy jumping, horseback riding, Butchart Gardens, and a wide variety of aerial sightseeing and glacier tours.

    Owner Dan O’Brien also offers limousine service to and from Vancouver, as well as pick up in Whistler for air tours, with a fleet of new Chevy Suburbans.

    For more information, visit www.cmairours.com, or contact 1-800-953-7755, or info@cmairtours.com.