How to get the dirt on B.C. Wines for free
Learn what makes B.C. wines unique – from the quality of the soil to micro-climates and its history – en route to becoming a certified wine ambassador.
Wines of B.C. is launching its Ambassador Program with the first level being an online program that is designed for the consumer as well as those in the industry.
It’s valued at $75, which may be a bit pricey for the average consumer, but it’s free through B.C. Wine Month to the end of April.
It was developed in conjunction with Okanagan College and is curated by Master of Wine, Rhys Pender.
“There is some pretty exciting stuff happening in B.C. wine and it seems the world is taking notice,” Pender said in a news release promoting the program. “The unique climate here in the extreme of wine extremes is proving to make some vibrant, lively, complex and interesting wines."
The Level One certification program comes with a 60-page brochure that includes a detailed history of the industry, statistics on B.C. vs global acreage (B.C. has 0.6% of the world’s vineyards, with most of them being in the Okanagan) along with detailed information about each region.
View the program and register here by using the promo code BCWINEMONTH.
Level Two is comprised of two-hour, in-person sessions that include wine tasting. Wine is provided for the sessions, which are valued at $199, but participants have to supply their own wine glasses.
There are four sessions scheduled for Kelowna, on March 28 and 29, and one in Kamloops on April 25, along with other B.C. locations.
For more information and to register, go here.
Level Three is a more comprehensive program that will offer “in-region experiences” for accepted applicants each year.
The Ambassador Program is designed as part of the industry’s Wine B.C. 2030 strategy to “build a world-class brand for B.C. wines,” showing the province to be a “premium wine region that is unlike anywhere else in the world,” the news release states.
For more on Wines of B.C., go here.
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