Changes to B.C. wine rules means consumers will get a better idea of regional flavours

KELOWNA – Some new changes are coming to B.C. wine labels.

The provincial government is making it easier for B.C. wineries to better define where a wine officially comes from by making it easier for sub-geographical regions to be recognized. Currently there is only one sub-geographical area: Golden Mile Bench.

The creation of smaller areas inside a geographic area like the Okanagan Valley or one of the six other wine regions in B.C. will allow for consumers to have a better idea of where their wine is coming from and producers to promote area specific characteristics, according to a B.C. government media release.

Additional regulation changes mean wines labelled from a specific region won’t be required to have specific characteristics associated with that region.

The changes follow the government’s Wine Appellation Task Group and a B.C. wine industry plebiscite discussing changes to the industry which generate $300 million in sales annually.

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