About BC Wine...  Winemaking in BC has a long and distinguished history that brings to mind names of wine pioneers like J W Hughes, the Casorso and Rittich brothers and the Dulik, Schmidt and Capozzi families.  It dates back to the arrival of Oblate missionaries Father Pandosy, Father Richard and Brother Surel in the Okanagan in October 1859.  The missionary settlement, near present-day Kelowna, was surrounded by acres of flatland close to Okanagan Lake.  The original vineyards were planted there in the 1860s.  Some 70 years later, in the 1930, the first winery operation was established in the Okanagan.

 

As winemaking expanded from the Okanagan Valley to other areas of the province, so did the types of grapes and wines produced.  These were the beginnings of a highly successful industry that has continued to attract winemakers from all over the world.

 

The 1980s and the 1990s ushered in a new era in BC’s wine industry, characterized by extensive experimentation aimed at developing superior varieties.  The industry responded to free trade agreements with the US (the GATT) with improvements in quality, the removal of hybrid vines and the introduction of the premium cultivars.

 

About VQA... The British Columbia Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) medallion displayed on British Columbia VQA wines certifies that they have been produced according to a standard of quality – from vineyard to bottled product.  The BC VQA wine standards system lays down the following requirements for all wines bearing this symbol:

• 100 per cent of the grapes used must be grown in BC.

• Growers must be committed to maintaining optimum growing standards.

• An expert panel must blind taste and approve the final product.

• Wine categorizations and product descriptors such as those indicating the wine as “single varietals”, “Dual” or “blended” must conform to minimum content specifications.  Descriptors on sugar content and sweetness must also be accurate.

• Stipulated processing standards that conform to acceptable brix levels at harvest, enological practices and other winemaking processes (such as those related to the making of Icewine) must be maintained.

 

The British Columbia Wine Institute sets and monitors BC VQA wine standards.  It does this through a number of ways including winery audits, laboratory audits, label reviews, an evaluation panel that conducts blind tasting of wines, packaging reviews, and independent wine audits.

 

© 2005 Bellevue Wine Company