The Penticton Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to the provincial government back in February, calling for changes to manufacturing and licensing requirements after an extreme cold snap decimated the wine industry.
“It wasn’t until just a few days ago that we started receiving confirmation and hearing that this would be coming down the pike.”This year, land-based wineries that experienced crop failure are exempt from producing the minimum 4500 litres of their own wine on site in order to keep their licence. “To see them maintain the revenue streams to see them maintain employment for the tasting rooms, that’s very, very welcomed news and will hopefully be part of a number of measures that will be needed to get our land-based wineries through this latest challenge for sure.”Like many wineries most of the vines at Le Vieux Pin Winery in Oliver were damaged by recent extreme weather events.
“I think it’s still a tough question because we don’t have the full results. If any vineyards are producing, it’s still hard to see how much of the grapes we’re going to get,” said Pinte.