very interesting stat

[vandan]

according to blue mountain website b.c'ers largest consumers of wine (per capita) in north america

[*Deborah*]

Wow, we have a higher yuppie/redneck ratio than Ontario?

[Andrew Morrison]

Hiccup...

I just spent the last 2 weeks bouncing back and forth between the Okanagan and Vancouver. I've already consumed my quotas thru 2008.

Edited September 2, 2005 by editor@waiterblog (log)

[vandan]

yes and can you believe the ratio is even more favourable compared to alberta and saskcatchewan wohoo!!

[vandan]

oh and appalacia

[Paul B]

As an ex-Torontoian, I believe the statistics. Toronto is about about serioius boozing while Vancouver is about pleasure. I know that since I moved here, almost 18 years ago, my consumption of wine has increased an my consumption of the hard stuff has gone way down. It's a good thing.

[kurtisk]

I find the whole thing interesting. A few years ago, while travelling wine country in Australia, they were poised to take over France and Italy as the biggest global wine consumers 'per capita' (or whatever the actual stat was). It certainly fits in with the Aussie lifestyle, and is much respected as a nice finish to your day, night cap, lunch compliment, what have you.

So here in BC, it's certainly not a shock, but definitely worth a glance to see the stat in question. I think it speaks volumes as to how far our local wine industry has come. Also, I think we're extremely fortunate as to the selection and range of wines we have available to us. In California most lists and stores are 80% California wines, in Australia, same deal. Over in London and so on, it becomes about 70% French (I'm speaking extremely generally), which makes the diversity and options we have locally quite impeccable.

I think this is a great thing, and the increasingly global outlook we have on wines lends itself quite nicely to local production, not being bound to a specific style or grape.

This AND the best weed in the world (which I have to say is claimed by pretty much every one of the couple dozen countries I've been to), we are truly fortunate (and probably pretty chilled) people.

k.

["T"]

oops

Edited September 3, 2005 by "T" (log)

[winegeek]

This AND the best weed in the world (which I have to say is claimed by pretty much every one of the couple dozen countries I've been to), we are truly fortunate (and probably pretty chilled) people.

k.

←

[Andrew Morrison]

This AND the best weed in the world (which I have to say is claimed by pretty much every one of the couple dozen countries I've been to), we are truly fortunate (and probably pretty chilled) people.

I once had a guy sell me (tried to... ) stuff in central Africa calling it "Malawi Wowie...the best in the world."

Not so (from what I heard ).

Doubly, we have the best terroir.

[BonVivant]

that's good to hear although i'm not surprised. have been away over 8 years and the last time i was in YVR was in 2001....and let me tell you, there are days it hits me hard when i want a nice bottle of wine from Okanagan. i drink lots of wines from everywhere but i still like the stuff from BC from time to time, which is not to be found here in Europe! [yeah, people laugh in my face...'are you joking? nice wine from Canada?' 'impossible!']

[jamiemaw]

that's good to hear although i'm not surprised.  have been away over 8 years and the last time i was in YVR was in 2001....and let me tell you, there are days it hits me hard when i want a nice bottle of wine from Okanagan.  i  drink lots of wines from everywhere but i still like the stuff from BC from time to time, which is not to be found here in Europe!  [yeah, people laugh in my face...'are you joking?  nice wine from Canada?' 'impossible!']

←

A similar reaction in 1994, when a 1992 Mission Hill Reserve Chardonnay won the Avery Trophy for Best Chardonnay in the World. The judges, a number of whom were French, couldn't pronounce the word 'Okanagan' and when they found out which bottle they had put forward for the award, insisted on a retasting. Same result.

Since then, it's happened several more times, most notably when a Calona Artist's Series won Best White Wine at the Los Angeles County Fair several years ago, besting thousands of bottles, some over $100. Cost: $8.95.

So maybe that's why we drink above our weight.

[barolo]

I wonder where Blue Mountain gets its statistics. All the stats I have seen suggest we are second after Quebec. And if you are looking at value rather than volume then Quebec spends a quite a lot more on wine per capita than BC. Not to suggest that spending more necessarily equates to drinking better, just noting there's a whole lot of stats out there and lots of ways to interpret them.

[Memo]

editor@waiterblog,Sep 1 2005, 11:36 PM - Doubly, we have the best terroir.

Bio-terroirism.

Memo

Edited September 13, 2005 by Memo (log)

[vanderb]

If the stats are correct I think it's a marvellous number for BC, and I hope sometime that stat could show consumption of wine based on country/region of production. I'd like to know how much of that wine being consumed in BC is BC produced.

In Alberta it is patently obvious wine is not on the minds of many folks and the liquor stores demonstrate that daily. Even at a large food/wine/spirits event such as the Rocky Mountain Food and Wine Festival there are rarely line ups at the wine booths, where as the beer/spirit booths can be a few people deep.

I would really like to see more emphasis here in Alberta by the (ALCB - liquor control board) on fairly pricing BC and Ontario wines so we can get a greater exposure to them here. Albertans are all about price and if prices on BC wines were brought in line here there would likely be higher consumption. Case in point down the street Township 7 Cab Sauv, is $28/bottle, good wine but that price is outrageous.

My two bits.

[lauraf]

At a BC Wine Institute function this summer they announced - I think - that 20% of wine consumed by British Columbians is BC produced. Anyone else recall that?

[Daddy-A]

This comes from Wine BC's 2005 Annual Report:

Market Share in Litres in British Columbia by Country of Origin

(12 month period ending March 31)

Country    2004/05      2003/04      2002/03      2001/02

Canada      36.04          37.32          37.92        27.98

Australia    15.65          13.04          10.24          8.31

BC VQA      13.44          12.30          11.70        10.82

USA            9.79            9.07          9.96          11.31

Italy            6.94            8.70          9.01            8.06

Chile            6.06            6.63          7.27            7.36

France          4.72            5.46          6.48            7.02

Other            7.36            7.45          7.34            9.14

So assuming that some of the wine from Canada is non-VQA BC wine, 20% sounds about right.

Full report is HERE.

A.