Have you started touring BC wine country this summer? I have a two part article about touring BC wine country in 2025, written by Brent Gushowaty. In part one, he covers:
- The impact of the 2023/24 freeze
- Introduction of 2024 “replacement wines”
- Evolving winery business models and tasting innovations
Part Two will focus on the practical aspects for the casual wine tourist or first-time visitor to BC wineries. Let’s get into part one of Brent’s article!
British Columbia winery tasting rooms are open now for the 2025 season and are very much looking forward to welcoming guests. In a typical year, they will be visited by over a million people. You will see a number of changes and innovations for this 2025 season, some driven by evolution and some by circumstance.
To make your wine tasting experience a better one, here are some tips on what you can expect and what is likely to be expected of you when visiting B.C. winery tasting rooms. Some are Do’s, some are Dont’s and a few are Don’t Evers.
2023/2024 Extreme Cold Events Leads to Temporary Sourcing of Grapes From Outside B.C.
Other B.C. wine producing areas such as the Kootenay’s, Thompson Valley, Lillooet and the Shuswap were also affected. Wineries located on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and the Fraser Valley did not experience freezing weather in those years and remain in full production.
To help mitigate the effects of two years of significant crop losses from these cold snaps, the B.C. government allowed B.C. VQA wineries to produce BC wines with imported wine grapes and grape juice for the 2024 BC vintage. The ability to create these “replacement wines” allows wineries to retain jobs and contribute to the economy. Replacement wines using imported grapes or juice will not be eligible to carry the BC Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) label and should state which wines are produced from imported grapes and juice. In B.C. government liquor stores, replacement wines will be found in a separate section called “Crafted in B. C.”.
So, for the 2025 wine touring season, many wineries may be offering replacement wines from the 2024 vintage alongside wines made from B.C. grapes from vintages previous to 2024.
This should be seen as a great opportunity to experience what talented B.C. winemakers can craft with grapes from elsewhere. Having tasted a few dozen of these wines, I have been fascinated with how the wines are distinct, yet also taste in the “house style” of the winery. This would be fun and educational to explore if you are visiting B.C. wineries this Summer.
Tasting Room Experiences & Innovations
Winery Experiences Are More Varied and Tasting Fees Are Increasingly Common
One of the trends that has emerged in wineries in B.C. and elsewhere, over the last few years, driven in part by accommodation to the realities of the recent impact of the freezing events of 2023/2024 is that wineries are offering a wider selection of tasting experiences and more wineries are charging tasting fees for all types of wine experiences. This is common in the U.S. and it has been expanding here, though overall the fees are still fairly modest by comparison, to say Napa which can be $75.00 or more, they have been rising. The fees are usually, but not always, waved with a wine purchase.
Some people gripe at this trend, but if you think about it, where else can you enjoy a hundred dollars or more worth of wine poured by knowledgeable people for a relatively small fee in a short period of time?
“Wine Concierge” & Other New Tasting Experiences
In addition to, or instead of, the usual “come one, come all” tasting bar with a kind of wine bartender, many wineries have created different formats for you to choose how you experience and taste their wines.
Lots of wineries now offer what I would call a “wine concierge” type of tasting where one of their staff will accompany you to a separate area outside or inside and go through the wines with you, providing information and insight on each one. Some introduce the wines and leave you to assess on your own and others stay with you. Depending on your situation, interest and style, this can be a great way to have a quieter, focused time with the wines and to enjoy yourselves.
Yes, the “concierge” is a salesperson too, but I have yet to feel any great pressure to buy in the concierge tastings I have experienced at B.C. wineries. This way you either like the wines our you don’t and the rest is up to you. You may also find VIP versions of this that might include exclusive or library wines, a walk through the vineyards and/or food.
In another scenario, you may sit somewhere separately and staff will bring the tasting wine by wine to your group. The wineries have been very inventive, so there are other variations too. Some wine experiences have to be booked ahead. So, it’s a good idea again to do some online research or call ahead to see what wine experience are offered, what they cost and if they have to be booked.
I have really welcomed these wine experience innovations at B.C. wineries and in wine country elsewhere. It gives you additional choices to the buzz of the wine tasting bar so you can match the wine experience you want to your situation and mood.
Stay tuned for part two of this article.
