Anthony Gismondi: Weather, regulations wreak havoc on B.C. winegrowers

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You may have heard there’s trouble in B.C. wine country. The source was a deep freeze in early January, which caused significant damage across most of the Okanagan and Similkameen Valley vineyards and orchards. Even though we can’t know the depth of the damage just yet, early investigations have some people using words like catastrophic. We will know more as we head into spring and whether any of the vines return to life, but it doesn’t look promising.

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This is the second deep freeze weather event in consecutive years, and the combination of the two has challenged local growers and the many ancillary businesses that depend on a reliable supply of wine to sell every year. It has also set off some difficult conversations about where we go from here and what, if anything, can be done to rescue the current situation and plan for a secure future.

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As has become the norm, wineries, investors, owners, workers, and just about everybody connected to the wine business is asking the government to step in and save the industry with cash injections, but that is unlikely to happen at the level wineries would like.

B.C. will have very few grapes to harvest in 2024, following a tiny 2023 harvest, which means output in 2025 and 2026 will be limited. Wineries are in full scramble mode, looking into buying foreign grapes from Washington and beyond to fill their needs. In truth, all grapes growing outside of B.C., including in the rest of Canada, are deemed foreign for tax purposes, and for this writer, that’s where the rubber meets the road.

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It’s insane that B.C. land-based wineries cannot deal in grapes from anywhere else in Canada and vice versa, as the large commercial wineries do. They can become a commercial winery, but that means losing vital financial advantages accorded land-based wineries.

Ontario and B.C. have muddled along for over three decades with slightly different Vintner’s Quality Assurance (VQA) rules that were never conceived to regulate all Canadian wines. The differences are petty and pretty much nonsense, but it is all part of the silo-building that Canadian wine regions seem to thrive on. As extreme weather events become normalized, the lack of national regulations has come back to bite everyone in the rear that is growing grapes in Canada.

I was never comfortable with the assurance aspect of the VQA regulations, which should only be about where the wine originates, ensuring consumers that it’s 100 per cent Canadian, or 100 per cent B.C. or 100 per cent from Ontario, Nova Scotia, Quebec, or anywhere else in Canada, end of story. Consumers can judge the quality independently as long as they are assured of the wine’s provenance.

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A mantra among winegrowers says that growing grapes on the edge is where the best wine is made. True enough until it implodes from a deep freeze, a sustained drought, a wildfire or one of many insidious moulds or insects that can damage the fruit. It is especially damaging when no mechanism allows one part of the country to help another and perhaps save the day.

Alberta has barred the sale of B.C. wine while refusing to create a simple method to collect the lost tax they’re whinging about — a tax B.C. producers have long offered to pay. Ontario and Quebec have refused to allow B.C. wineries to sell directly to Canadian consumers residing in those provinces for reasons they will not disclose. Undaunted by its protectionist government, Ontario wine growers say they have plenty of surplus grapes to sell to B.C. wineries to get them through tough times. But the taxing of foreign grapes makes it uneconomical for land-based wineries, and that’s before you deal with the rules prohibiting them from importing grapes from outside the region. If you are still following me, it’s insane.

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There are a few signs that change could be coming, but for now, we advise you to get on a wine club list or buy any B.C. wines you can find to support local producers, although it must be said, B.C. consumers have done more than their fair share of supporting the locals since the pandemic. It is time for all Canadian wineries, big and small, to get in a room and sort out this mess before we all go completely insane.

Weekend wine picks

Rapitalà Grillo Organic 2021, Sicily, Italy

$16.99 I 89/100

UPC: 8002010675423

Grillo, a native Italian grape variety, has grown at Rapitalà since the early 1970s. The organically certified white gets a brief classic ferment in stainless steel before aging on its lees in the tank for a short time to keep it fresh and lively. How good is this wine? My colleague Geoffrey Moss says it is a compelling expression of Grillo at an even more compelling price. Look for a ripe mix of melons, peaches, and lime blossoms with a dusting of seaside salinity. It tastes like summer, and it tastes like more. Bring on the bites. On sale until March 2.

Frind Estate Big Red 2021, B.C.

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$23.99 I 88/100

UPC: 626990415299

Behold a B.C. red that is fun to drink, well-made, and affordable. I love complex wines, but there are days, many more than you think when a well-made wine with soft tannins, florals, and ripe red plum with a dash of dried spice is exactly what’s needed. Merlot dominates the 62/29/4/3/2 Merlot/Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah/Grenache that spends a year in French and American oak barrels. Beef tacos, hamburgers, meaty pizza, and grilled winter vegetables would all be good pairings.

Rocca di Montegrossi Chianti Classico Organic 2021, Tuscany, Italy

$35.99 I 92/100

UPC: 8032956630040

The Rocca di Montegrossi estate is in Monti in Chianti, part of Gaiole in Chianti. The high-altitude plateau, with its stony, calcareous soils, is known for its elegant and harmonious Chianti Classico. Experts have recognized the 2021s as among the very best ever made in the region. At Montegrosso, they blend minor amounts of local varieties like Colorino and Canaiolo with 90 per cent of Sangiovese. This wine has a beautiful depth, a testament to the vintage and the rising star of Chianti Classico. Harmonious and long, it is simply impressive for the money. Mushroom pasta continues to be a brilliant match. Wonderful value.

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Fontanafredda Barolo 2019, Serralunga, Cuneo, Piedmont, Italy

$42.99 I 89/100

UPC: 8000174200024

Fontanafredda is known to be the largest volume producer in Barolo. Still, in reality, they produce much less wine if only because it is Barolo, and Barolo is a small region with minimal production. That said, Fontanafredda is a well-known name in Canada with a long sales history. The 2019 platinum label sticks to the program, delivering well-made, authentic Barolo that is easy on the pocketbook. It’s a bit brighter and more aromatic than 2018, pitching red fruits (cherries and currants) mixed with earthy floral undertones streaked with classic leather and tar with firm but non-invasive tannins. Perfect for raw beef, pick your favourite recipe or maybe a rack of lamb. It is affordable but without some complexity and appeal for the connoisseur.

Frescobaldi Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino 2018, Tuscany, Italy

$60.99 I 92/100

UPC: 8002366089264

CastelGiocondo has long been an elegant expression of Brunello, and in 2018, a cool vintage heightened that aspect of its regal history. For some reason, this wine is always comparatively cheap for Brunello, but I will take it. A mix of blueberries and red berries joins a sweet floral to open. Look for spicy licorice up front on the palate, with more red fruit, sweet tannins, adequate structure, and a refined mineral back end. As noted, this is a good value. A mushroom ragu is the ticket here. CastelGiocondo sits over varied terrain with many expositions on its galestro, clay, and Pliocene sands. Fermentation occurs in stainless steel tanks and is then aged in wood for five years plus another 9-12 months in a bottle.

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Calendar items

As the Vancouver International Wine Festival wraps up in Vancouver, we update you on the evolution of global wine consumption by colour courtesy of the statistics department of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine from 2000 to 2021.

Global red wine supply and demand have significantly decreased in the last 20 years. In 2021, production has declined by 25 per cent since its peak in 2004 and now accounts for about 43 per cent of consumption. White wine has increased in 2021 by 13 per cent since its lowest level in 2002. It overcame red wine production in 2013, rising from 46 per cent of the world total to 49 per cent. In the last 20 years, rosé wine has grown significantly in terms of supply and demand at the world level. Global production has seen an increase of 25 per cent between 2001 and 2021. At the beginning of the century, rosé wines represented between 6 and 7 per cent of the world’s production, while in recent years, they accounted for more than 8 per cent on average.

B.C. wine of the week

Church & State Wines Trebella 2020, Okanagan Valley, B.C.

$21.65 I 89/100

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UPC: 840098116937

Trebella blends a third of Roussanne, Marsanne, and Viognier in a Rhône-like white blend from fruit grown over the sandy gravels of Coyote Bowl Vineyard on the Black Sage Bench. The nose is inviting and fresh with a scent of lees while pitching a ripe, lush, peachy apricot palate with some perfectly bitter lime rind in the back end to keep it all balanced. Full-bodied and fully flavoured but with enough restraint to start at the dinner table. Treve says Thai green curries, and I would add squash ravioli or chicken in a lemon cream sauce. Trebella spends eight months in French oak before bottling.

Value wine of the week

M. Chapoutier Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Blanc 2021, Côtes du Roussillon, France

$16.99 (SP) I 89/100

UPC: 3391180003101

I love the lean, watery texture that brings freshness with notes of citrus, pear, lemon grass, and quince. Almost gulpable, this is a delicious everyday white, and at its markdown price, it is a stellar bargain few, if any, of its competitors can beat. The Chapoutier team suggests an apricot tagine of stuffed squid or chicken — stock up; there is amazing value here. The Blanc is a Roussillon blend of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne, and Macabeu from vines spread across the limestone, clay, and gneiss in the Agly Valley, as well as granite soils on higher, later ripening sites (at 500 metres).

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