Wine growers in British Columbia are calculating their losses from a bitter cold snap in the province last winter that has devastated vineyards.
Industry representatives are at a Kelowna winery today outlining the effect on vineyards, harvests, revenues and jobs after December’s freeze that saw temperatures in the Okanagan dip to minus 30 C.
Wine Growers B.C. president Miles Prodan says in a statement that the “climate-change related” cold snap had the potential to cut this year’s grape and wine production by between 39 and 56 per cent, with direct revenue losses of up to $145 million.
He cites a grower’s survey that says the impact of the freeze could result in the loss of 381 jobs, representing a 20 per cent reduction in the industry’s workforce.
They’re shameless.
They couldn’t make ice wine?
only thing drinkable in the array of BC plonk .
The grapes supposedly most impacted are all red varietals. Okanagan producers have been world leaders in CCW (cool-climate white) wine grapes, which may not have experienced the same losses.
And I assume that the nod to “climate change” was positioning, so’s they can go cap-in-hand to the government (ANY level of government) and ask for money. Not only does the grift continue, but it appears to have become a semi-conscious knee-jerk “explanation” for anything bad that happens to growers/farmers.
Here’s how it was promoted in another article:
“The provincial support programs provided relief for some, however, with the widespread impact of climate change we require concerted government efforts in order to sustain the livelihoods of these important local businesses,” said Christa-Lee McWatters, chair of Wine Growers BC.
Aaaaaaand there it is.
As a former winegrower in the Okanagan I can say I agree whole heartedly. I had no illusions that we may ‘revert to the mean’ and get a cold winter. It had happened many times before. It is the reason the industry is so young.
I always accepted that the temporary warming we were experiencing was not going to last and I planned for it .
Btw Miles is not well respected in the industry. Me thinks govt. doesn’t have much use for him either.
I have admonished others using the ‘climate change narrative to grift for govt. funded pointing out that they will only use this whining (hahaha) to justify higher taxes
It’s not a difficult propaganda technique to understand :
– if weather produces anything that can be spun as a negative event then it is climate change
– if weather produces a neutral or positive event then it is ignored or called “just the weather”
What’s shocking is the amount of people who are oblivious about how they are being deceived.
When the Wine Growers President said “climate change related” My “Don’t Give a Shitometer” went off scale.
But I’m sure he feels compelled to mouth those shibboleths to curry favour from the grape juice swilling politicos.
Good doggie, Mr.Prodan. Now beg. No wait…you just did.
Likely hoping for a government bailout because anything climate change deserves $$$$$. As you said – begging.
My thriving grapes in northern Alberta all died about 4 years ago. Six weeks of 30 to 40 below did them in. Is this another example of global warming? They are berry sized Manitoba grapes but I like to pretend. I’ve got more started.
We’re all gonna die.
BC does not have the right climate for growing grapes. Period. In my opinion, BC wines are overrated, overpriced swill. If I want a good, reasonably priced wine, I choose a Chilean, Argetininan, Spanish, or Australian wine.
Couldn’t agree more. Best wine I ever had was from Spain.
And no, I’m not a wine snob.
exactly!!! BC wines are over-priced and over-rated. I also choose white wines from the countries you mentioned.
Nothing that some taxpayer-funded largesse won’t cure.
They really have to stretch a weak narrative to get that cold snap to fit climate change theory, but in any case the winter of 1949-50 was colder so what does that say? Natural event with less than 100 year return period sort of looks obvious to a sane climatologist (and that’s why they blacklisted me, sane, can’t be employed in Cana-duh).
Who cares what caused the freeze. It’s a massive hit to growers there.
Think of it as Pig Latin.. A bunch of awful people who never liked you anyways have developed as language to alienate you.. I don’t know what they are talking about but Im heading off to the gallows anyway..
Not the first and not the last.. Nothing changes in this crappy world we live in.. NOTHING..
This should be interesting.
The wine industry is the most BOURGEOIS of BC businesses. It is antithetical to socialist NDP values. If anyone has seen or been to the ritziest of the wineries, they are not exactly hurting…….
Will the commies be sympathetic to the rich? We shall see. If they are, it will be done without a sound.
In 1990 we bought some land in the Okanagan valley of BC. We contemplated planting some grapes but were advised by the local government advisory people that the valley was unsuitable for growing grapes other than a few white varieties that might get intermittent crops.
We have lived in the valley ever since and really nothing much has changed especially the weather patterns that swing wildly from minus 30C to plus 40C in most years.
A large amount of money has been invested in grape growing and wineries in the last 30 years. Most of it being invested as tax shelters.
The bulk of the wine should be used for pickling. Just another trough filled with tax dollars.
You can say that again, Bob.
In 1990 we bought some land in the Okanagan valley of BC. We contemplated planting some grapes but were advised by the local government advisory people that the valley was unsuitable for growing grapes other than a few white varieties that might get intermittent crops.
We have lived in the valley ever since and really nothing much has changed especially the weather patterns that swing wildly from minus 30C to plus 40C in most seasons.
A large amount of money has been invested in grape growing and wineries in the last 30 years. Most of it being invested as tax shelters.
The bulk of the wine should be used for pickling. Just another trough filled with tax dollars.
LOfriggin’L Bob!
Lived there in the deep south for a time. Just a mile north of the border.
Helped with planting new vineyards picked grapes and bottled the wine. In retirement for something to do. Picking grapes is most fun, you will meet so many geniuses, they know everything, that’s why they pick grapes.
The guy I was helping had nothing but trouble getting his plants through the bureaucracy, eventually he had to go and get the damn grape plants hisself. They came from France and were sitting at some federal/provincial place for elongated quarantine, completely unnecessary.
Was told by the neighbor that if the grape plants have enough time to hibernate, they will be ok.
And don’t bloody argue the point, the grower knows whereof he speaks and knows better than you. It’s his livelyhood.
The way it looks, though it is not necessarily so, some of the growers are looking for other people’s money.
The NDPz can make hay on this by hoong DOFO and open up all the fsiled vinyards to developers for more immigrant houzing, the kind from elsewhere in Canada.
The large majority of vineyards in BC are failed orchardists. Apple growers who couldn’t compete.
They convinced the BC ndp to put a freeze on selling agricultural land to developers. As a result when they couldn’t compete with their overpriced fruit, and they couldn’t sell their land except to another ag pursuit they turned to grape growing.
Most of these ‘farms’ are 3 to 5 acre plots that had value far below the real estate market because of the land freeze they had lobbied the government for.
Enter the wine business. These guys knew nothing about growing grapes or making wine. They exist on government money and produce a overpriced product the marketplace doesn’t want.
Napa valley is the only place in NA where the climate is right to produce grapes suitable for making wine. That is where the ‘industry ‘ in both BC and Ontario get their grape juice. They then blend it (up to 80% concentration) and call it Canadian wine. At one point Ontario vintners lobbied their government to raise the concentration to 90% but were turned down.
Canadian wine should be sold in 5 gallon pails for $5