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Winemaker Andrea Lee of Chaberton Estate Winery joined Vanessa and me on Pulse Mornings. Chaberton is a real local gem that sits on 55 acres in South Langley and produces some of the finest wines BC has to offer. Head over to the Pulse FM audio page to hear the entire interview. April is BC Wine Month. So, with that in mind, I thought I’d share some quick fun-facts with you:

* British Columbia is home to 929 vineyards, including more than 350 licensed wineries.

* According to the BC Wine Institute, B.C. wineries won over 2,000 medals in national and international competitions in 2017, more than ever before.

* There are 4,130 hectares of wine grapes grown in B.C.

* More than 60 grape varietals are produced in the province, including Merlot, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewürztraminer, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc.

* 58% of B.C. residents consider their province an appealing wine touring destination, and 37% are likely to engage in wine touring in B.C. in the next two years.

* In 2016, B.C. wine exports increased 4% over the previous year to $9.7 million, and were shipped to 17 international markets.

* The top international markets for B.C. wine in 2016 were China (54%), Taiwan (23%) and the United States (11%).

* B.C.’s wine industry employs about 12,000 people and contributes approximately $2.8 billion per year to the B.C. economy.

Cheers,

Ian Power

@ianonair

ian@pulsefm.ca