Changing BC Wines in 2025.

Guests:

Rhys Pender – Master of Wine/Little Farm Winery  (Similkameen)

Kathy Malone – Winemaker at Hillside Estate  (Naramata Bench)

 

Kathy Malone Hillside

The SHOW

There are so many elements in play during the 2025 BC wine growing season. AND it’s just started.

Two cold snaps that damaged or killed many vines and vineyards over the past two Winters.

It caused many growers to consider planting  more winter proof varietals and adjust vineyard locations. Some just got out of the business entirely.

 

Then came news that an agreement had been reached between Wine Growers of BC and the BC provincial government.

While the new plantings were taking hold, in order to help farming families survive, for one year BC wineries could source their grapes from out of the province. Many headed for Washington. Some to Oregon, California, Ontario, the Frazer Valley and Vancouver Island.  They  were not hit by the cold.

Some wineries flatly refused to use non-BC fruit.

 

We’ll all start to see labels that say something like  “Washington grapes crafted in BC” and have fun tasting the blends and varietals that we’ve never seen here before.

 

We’ll be doing a series of specials on how various wineries and growers have decided to survive and what their new direction may be.

There’s no denying it – BC Wines will be changing but there will be wines!!!

 

Enjoy the conversation between myself and Master of Wine Rhys Pender and Winemaker at Hillside Estate on the Naramata Bench Kathy Malone.  

Rhys Pender

 

www.hillsidewinery.ca

www.wineplus.ca

www.littlefarmwinery.ca

 

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON

 

The story of 2025

New out of province wines

Vancouver Wine Festival

Victoria Whisky Awards

Hester Creek

Fort Berens

The Hatch