Tasting rooms at wineries across B.C. may reopen this summer, but chances are things won91裸聊视频檛 look the same.
On Thursday (May 14), over 60 stakeholders with the BC Wine Institute met virtually to brainstorm ways winery owners can safely ease back into normality.
Taking the protocols suggested by the B.C. government for restaurants, the institute is now developing a list of suggested best practices which will be presented back to industry, and to government, for review.
Re-defining how wineries think about tasting rooms could be key for their recovery, according to the BC Wine Institute. In addition, a reservation system, and allowing product sampling outside, have been suggested as ways to both satisfy health protocols and improve the experience for the consumer.
Will all staff in the serving room wear a mask? Will winery visitors be required to wear masks? The institute president says this may be up to the individual establishment.
91裸聊视频淲e believe that as long as we can provide a safe environment, and respect those tenants of COVID, we should be good,91裸聊视频� said BC Wine Institute president, Miles Prodan.
91裸聊视频淔or us we actually see it as being a positive; if we do this properly, we can cover off what we need to do for COVID, but we can also provide a really great education experience to our visitors.91裸聊视频�
Prodan told Black Press Media that he believes there91裸聊视频檚 some trepidation and worry with grape growers about what reopening will look like; some are worried protocols may take away from the overall wine tasting experience.
He explained that wineries will have to slow down, limit the amount of people allowed in at a time, and respect social distancing protocols.
91裸聊视频淲hat we see happening is perhaps a reservation system, where you book in advance,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淵ou come in, you sit down, somebody meets you, what91裸聊视频檚 called a curated experience, where they bring the wine to you.
91裸聊视频淭hey sit down and they spend some time actually going through the whole wine experience.91裸聊视频�
The institute came up with the following recommendations for best practices, to help B.C. wineries recover, which will be presented to industry next week:
- Encourage outdoor experiences
- Educate more consumers about B.C. wine
- More intimate relationships and customer knowledge
- More wine club members
- Tiered tastings experiences, (tastings of varying length, complexity, to attract a wider audience)
- More control over the flow of visitors; where they go, while respecting social distancing protocols.
Impact of closures on B.C. wineries
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic an order has been in place prohibiting wineries from serving wine, however, they have been able to continue selling it. Some wineries in the South Okanagan said in conversation with the Western News that the tasting room accounts for between 35 and 75 per cent of their annual revenue.
91裸聊视频淭he ability to serve wine in a tasting room is critically important for us,91裸聊视频� said Prodan.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e in deep, deep trouble,91裸聊视频� said Quinta Ferreira owner, John Ferreira. 91裸聊视频淓specially if this COVID thing keeps our wine shops closed, where do we get the money from?91裸聊视频�
Prodan echoed this statement.
91裸聊视频淕enerally the rule is, the smaller you are in size of winery, the more dependant you are on a winery visit,91裸聊视频� said Prodan.
Wineries have been promoting online sales since tasting rooms closed but this hasn91裸聊视频檛 been working for all businesses.
Quinta Ferreira, a family-owned winery located in Oliver, is a smaller-scale business which relies heavily on tasting room visitors. Ferreira said it accounts for 75 per cent of their revenue. They have been producing fruit since 1979 and wine since the turn of the century.
91裸聊视频淧eople that are out there, they kind of stick to their wine club, so they don91裸聊视频檛 venture into others. So if you don91裸聊视频檛 have a big wine club, like the big outfits, we can91裸聊视频檛 compete with the big outfits, we91裸聊视频檙e in deep, deep trouble.91裸聊视频�
It91裸聊视频檚 mid-May, and most wineries are either suckering, trimming focused on removing unwanted leaf growth, or planting new vines.
Ferreira called upon the B.C. government to further assist farmers through the summer.
91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 basically the only way that91裸聊视频檚 going to keep us going,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淚s if they cover us for the 75 per cent of our labour. Because we91裸聊视频檙e not getting any money. We send out the odd case here and there, but it91裸聊视频檚 not enough to cover the expenses.91裸聊视频�
Just around the corner, Ferreira said growers will have to start bottling, which means a further investment to purchase the bottles.
91裸聊视频淎nd where91裸聊视频檚 the money?91裸聊视频� he questioned.
COVID-19-related worker shortages affecting small businesses
As growing season has begun, worker shortages due to COVID-19 has also challenged fruit growers.
For Ferreira, his regular workforce of year-round workers help, but only account for about 50 per cent of his workforce. Right now he has five workers, but could use ten.
The Oliver winery relies heavily on seasonal workers to make up their workforce, and May is usually the month they start to arrive in town.
91裸聊视频淎nd I don91裸聊视频檛 see too many of them around,91裸聊视频� said Ferreira.
The Loose Bay Campground, a seasonal facility catering to mainly agricultural workers in Oliver, is open for the summer and accepting visitors who must be assessed before entering the premisis.
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Although the Western News was not able to gain access to the campground, several cars, including some from Quebec, were seen arriving at the site. It is unknown how many are staying there currently.
91裸聊视频淎griculture in the South Okanagan is key to food security, and economics in the area,91裸聊视频� said Town of Oliver mayor Martin Johansen.
Farmers having the ability to get their crops harvested in a timely manner, when they91裸聊视频檙e ripe, and get them handled appropriately by motivated people who know what they91裸聊视频檙e doing, he said is invaluable.
91裸聊视频淲orkers coming here, whether it91裸聊视频檚 foreign workers coming from Mexico, or domestic farm workers coming from other provinces, they91裸聊视频檙e key to the whole process working, and key to the economic stability in the whole South Okanagan.91裸聊视频�
COVID-19 especially challenging for small businesses
Sukh Bajwa, owner of Eau Vivre winery in Keremeos, said they also rely heavily on walk-in traffic to make ends meet.
Sales on shelves have been challenging as well. A smaller, newer winery to the area, Bajwa admitted many consumers tend to choose the product of a more well-known winery, over his.
In their third year of operation, the business is focuing on new ways to promote their name and prepped hard to make 2020 their best year yet, but when COVID-19 hit, it took the wind of their sales.
Asked what the key to recovery is, Bajwa said they will simply have to, 91裸聊视频渞ide the wave.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淗opefully tasting rooms will open soon, I91裸聊视频檓 hearing positive feedback on that. And then hopefully people will support us,91裸聊视频� he said.
With wineries being closed for two months, Bajwa theorized that reopening could bring with it a wave of support from the community.
91裸聊视频淢aybe we91裸聊视频檒l be better off by the end of the year, or maybe we won91裸聊视频檛 be91裸聊视频� we91裸聊视频檒l just have to brace ourselves and hope that we are doing the right stuff, just wait and see,91裸聊视频� he said.
Despite challenging financial times, Bajwa said he supports the governments decision to shut everything down.
91裸聊视频淚 support the decision that they did shut everything down,91裸聊视频� he said.
By the same token, Bajwa said that some believe it was an overreaction.
91裸聊视频淵ou can91裸聊视频檛 really say much about it, I think our government did the right thing, we just have to work with it.91裸聊视频�
He said we will never know the alternative result, and for this, he91裸聊视频檚 glad.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 so glad that we will never know about it, it could have been way worse, or it could have been nothing. That91裸聊视频檚 something that I don91裸聊视频檛 even want to know,91裸聊视频� said Bajwa.
Reinventing the tasting room
A reinvented tasting room, Prodan explained, could satisfy both provincial health protocols, and give consumers a better experience in their visit.
This iniative, he said could serve as a way for wineries to also reinvent some traditional practices, which could benefit them in the long run. He said the opportunity to reset is a positive thing.
91裸聊视频淭hese are things that we91裸聊视频檝e been talking about for years, about how do we improve the winery experience, and this could help to facilitate that,91裸聊视频� said Prodan.
An issue that the BC Wine Institute plans to raise with government is how a winery license currently works with regards to tastings.
Currently only in tasting rooms can wineries serve samples, something Prodan said needs to change. Allowing tastings outside on the winery property, he suggested could more easily allow patrons to be physically distanced, and improve their overall experience.
However, he said there91裸聊视频檚 challenges with this.
91裸聊视频淓veryone wants to deliver the best experience that you possibly can, but that comes at an expense,91裸聊视频� Prodan explained.
Less traffic coming into the winery due to social distancing protocols, and increased cost to train staff on the education side of things, could make this idea of a winery experience impossible for some.
This challenge, Prodan explained, is compounded by the fact the majority of workers at wineries are seasonal. This could prove problematic when a grape grower considers investing in their wine education.
For this reason, proposals by the wine institute for industry, will simply be suggested best practices, and not mandatory. From the consumer91裸聊视频檚 perspective, not all will appreciate a reservation system. Some, Prodan suggested, may prefer to stick to a spontanous wine tasting on a sunny day. He said the institute respects this as well.
91裸聊视频淣obody wants these (best practice suggestions) to be mandatory,91裸聊视频� said Prodan. 91裸聊视频淥ur role is about how to best market BC wine, and we think of this as one of the ways of doing that91裸聊视频� it91裸聊视频檚 not a one size fits all.91裸聊视频�
The key to bouncing back
Since the start of the pandemic, South Okanagan wine owners admitted wine sales online have increased slightly, and that support from the community has been steady.
In B.C., Prodan said the wine industry is fortunate.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e fortunate in the B.C. wine industry, we get tremendous support from locals,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淏y far the majority of our wine is consumed within the province, people buy our wine and enjoy our wine.91裸聊视频�
In the meantime, Prodan explained, while wineries await opening, smaller businesses will need to continue to focus on direct to consumer (online) sales.
When wineries do eventually reopen, Prodan encouraged locals to expand their horizons, and visit a new winery.
91裸聊视频淲e (in the Okanagan) don91裸聊视频檛 have to rely on people coming from Vancouver or the Albertains, I mean we do, they91裸聊视频檙e very important to us, but realistically we need to focus on our friends and neighbours.91裸聊视频�
editor@pentictonwesternnews.com
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