Final Report

Download the final report from the Appellation Task Group. Note, this report has been amended to include the April 2016 updated recommendations. A summary of activity for the 2016 wine industry consultation is available here: Plebiscite Campaign Final Report.

Table of Contents

Introduction……5

Foreword…… 8

Message from the Chair…… 9

Executive Summary…… 9

Task Group Members…… 12

Strategic Plan…… 13

Task Group Meetings…… 13

Meeting Summaries…… 13

March 31st, Kelowna…… 14

June 2nd, Summerland…… 14

July 13th, Penticton…… 14

September 8th, via teleconference…… 15

October 26th, via teleconference…… 17

New Appellations…… 18

Category Explained: What is “British Columbia VQA”?…… 19

BC VQA Wine Content Requirements…… 19

Category Explained: What is “British Columbia Wine”?…… 19

Consultation Process……. 21

Industry Town Halls…… 21

Social Media & Communications…… 21

Website…… 21

Email Campaigns…… 22

Social Media Quick Stats…… 23

Earned News Coverage…… 23

Key Themes from Industry Consultation…… 25

On Appellations…… 25

On Mandatory Certification…… 26

On Taste Panels & BC VQA…… 27

On Audits and Red Tape……. 27

Industry Stakeholder and Consumer Survey…… 30

About the Respondents…… 30

Areas of Consensus…… 31

Support for an appellation model in BC…… 31

Support for certification of origin…… 31

Satisfaction with tasting panels…… 31

Streamlining audits…… 32

Areas for Further Exploration (no clear consensus)…… 32

Sub-appellations…… 32

BC VQA and tasting panels…… 32

Appellation Sub-Committee…… 34

Sub-Committee Meetings Summary…… 34

BC’s Emerging Wine Regions…… 36

BC Wine Appellation Task Group Recommendations…… 38

Going Forward Strategy for Recommendations…… 40

Implementation Timeline…… 40