Drink local: April marks BC Wine Month, giving people a chance to learn about the liquid from the ground up

Spring is bud break in the province’s vineyards

SPRING IS BUD break in B.C. vineyards, and April is officially BC Wine Month. Now in its fourth year, the provincial-government proclamation encourages people to support local.

B.C. has nine wine regions, from Vancouver Island to the Thomson Valley, and four sub-regions. The province is home to 929 vineyards, with more than 400 independent grape-growers and 280 licensed grape wineries. The sector employs some 12,000 people and contributes $2.8 billion in provincial economic growth annually.

To celebrate this year, Wine Growers British Columbia (formerly British Columbia Wine Institute) has launched a campaign called A Year in the Life. Its goal is to give wine lovers a glimpse of everything that goes into a bottle, literally starting from the ground up, through the seasons.

The Wines of BC Explorer App is a way to discover new B.C. releases and stay up to date on virtual or in-person winery experiences throughout the province.

For more information or to enter A Year in the Life contest for a three-day BC wine adventure for two, visit Wine Growers BC.

Featured

Gail Johnson

Gail Johnson is a Vancouver-based journalist who has earned local and national nominations and awards for her work. She is a certified Gladue Report writer via Indigenous Perspectives Society in partnership with Royal Roads University and is a member of a judging panel for top Vancouver restaurants.

Articles

Dancing on the Edge announces 2024 lineup featuring more than 30 performances of cutting-edge works

36th annual festival of contemporary dance to present world premieres, Western Canadian debuts, and works-in-progress throughout Metro Vancouver from June 13 to 22

North Van Arts announces Anna Lynch as new executive director

The textile and visual artist has been a driving force in the Sea to Sky arts scene for more than a decade

Israeli-Canadian photographer Dina Goldstein removed from group exhibition

Internationally acclaimed visual artist says she is being pulled from an exhibition due to concerns raised about her support for Israel, but CICA gallery says she was one of three taken out for curatorial and financial reasons

Five Pacific artists selected for prestigious 2024 Sobey Art Award longlist

The award is considered one of the world’s most generous privately funded prizes for contemporary visual artists

Winners announced for screenings at inaugural Sundar Prize Film Festival, June 15 and 16

New showcase of cinema that inspires social change to highlight nine films from Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. at Surrey City Hall

Arts community mourns producer, creator and Left Right Minds consultant Allyson McGrane

She worked with hundreds of artists and arts organizations across Metro Vancouver, helping them raise funds through grant-writing

Federal budget aims to double funds for arts-fest and performance presenters over two years

Advocates welcome boost from $8 million to $15.5 million per year, but call for longer-term funding

221A's Cultural Land Trust aims to provide B.C.'s arts scene with vital real-estate support

Nonprofit needs $15 million in seed funding in order to kickstart property-management initiative that could be the key to sustaining artist spaces

Annual Audain Gala raises record-setting $1 million for Whistler's Audain Art Museum

Event’s live auction featured works by Manabu Ikeda, Martha Sturdy, Robert Davidson, and Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, among other artists

Sasha Velour speaks to "The Big Reveal: Why Drag Matters" at Phil Lind Initiative series

When the RuPaul’s Drag Race winner hits the Chan Centre at UBC, she’ll talk politics and draw heavily from her book The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag