B.C. VQA Wines Sales See a Boost

British Columbia is known for mountains but it’s also known for wine.

The Okanagan Valley has been named as one of the 10 best wine destinations of 2015 by Wine Enthusiast Magazine, USA Today ranked the Okanagan as the second best wine region to visit, and the valley was ranked as the number one wine region in the world by The Huffington Post.

Not only is the wine being recognized by media around the world but sales are up from 2014 too. B.C. VQA Wine sales are up 8.96 per cent from last year and 30 per cent of sales are directly from cellar doors.

"Wine tourism is still relatively new in British Columbia, though more and more people are expressing an interest in it, evidenced by many of BC's wineries expanding their guest experiences to include more than simply wine tasting." noted Maggie Anderson Marketing Director for the British Columbia Wine Institute.

275 of the 320 wineries in the province offer more than just wine tastings now too. They offer on-site restaurants and shops, wine and food pairing, cooking classes, tours of vineyards, concerts, and accommodations.

Although the summer is the busiest season for wineries in the Okanagan this winter CedarCreek estate Winery and Jackson-Trigg Okanagan Estate Winery will be offering wine and food pairing tours this winter.

"We are excited to extend our winery hours and provide our visitors with an experience that is otherwise hard to offer in the busy summer months." Said Anahita Pouget Marketing Manager at CedarCreek Estate Winery.