As we continue to navigate these uncertain times surrounding COVID-19, BC wineries are doing what they can to ensure the community and industry remain strong, which is why the Wines of British Columbia welcome the return of BC Wine Month in April to encourage buying local while respecting physical distancing.

At the same time wave of panic buying boosted demand

The team at CHV went from a traditional winery that relied on restaurant business, tours, and tastings on-site to an almost entirely virtual existence. The transformation now has a focus on home delivery and drive-in pickups but also includes an entire campaign.

Chagall Design, who typically designs and builds store fixtures for grocers, is taking steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 by offering new solutions to reduce person-to-person contact during checkouts. Chagall's team of designers and engineers have developed three new partition solutions that offer additional protection between cashiers and customers.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause significant uncertainty and risk to public health around the globe, the International Cool Climate Wine Symposium (ICCWS) 2020 Advisory Organizing Committee has made the decision to postpone its upcoming conference until 2021.

Smurfit Kappa, leader in Bag-in-Box packaging solutions has entered the soft-drinks market with its new QuickConnect Vitop (QVC) tap.

In response to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 updates, the BC Wine Institute (BCWI) supports the government's continued efforts to minimize the risk and spread of the COVID-19 virus. Following the direction of the Province and Provincial Health Authority, we have postponed and/or cancelled the following BC wine consumer and industry events , including BC VQA wine store tastings, in an attempt to help flatten the curve.

More than 35 Facebook groups have been set up in 72 hours to serve communities in places including Ottawa, Halifax and Annapolis County in Nova Scotia, with more than 30,000 members between them.

Brock University is suspending face-to-face classes and exams for the rest of this academic term and is working on a plan to move to alternative forms of class and exam delivery, including online. The academic term is not at risk.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau will have further announcements this afternoon, Trudeau said.

Researchers at Canada's University of British Columbia in Kelowna, where fires have been problematic in recent years, believe they have a potential solution in a product used in cherry farming. The team had been working with Okanagan winemakers to find ways to detect potential smoke taint in wine grapes before fermentation so that winemakers don't continue pouring money and labor into a crop that is likely doomed. Current tests for smoke taint precursors are unreliable. Grapes can seem fine, but smoke taint emerges months later in the finished wine.

The owner of Canada's Mission Hill winery and founder of seltzer brand White Claw, Anthony von Mandl, has bought Liquidity Wines in British Columbia for C$12.5 million. As reported by Business in Vancouver, von Mandl has strengthened his foothold in the Canadian wine market, adding to his portfolio of wineries which make up the Iconic Wineries of British Columbia group. These include Mission Hill Family Estate, CedarCreek Estate Winery, CheckMate Artisinal Winery, Road 13 Vineyards and Martin's Lane Winery.

Quails' Gate Winery is pleased to announce they have been named a 2020 winner of the Canada's Best Managed Companies Program. The prestigious Best Managed designation is the mark of excellence for Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $25 million. With consecutive wins for the past 4 years, Quails' Gate has been elevated to a Gold Standard winner in 2020.

Outshinery, the premier creator of high standard images for the wine industry, has released numbers illustrating disruptive growth since its inception in 2016. Outshinery provides photography that is faster, better, and smarter to wineries, creative directors, and online retailers.

Magnotta, a winery with 13 locations in Ontario, Canada, introduced an aluminum bottle last week.

Terrafina Restaurant at Hester Creek Estate Winery is reopening for the season on March 4, under the new direct management of Hester Creek. The Restaurant will be led by a talented new team -- executive chef Adair Scott and Paul Henbury, Restaurant Manager.

Santiago Cilley, CEO of Phantom Creek Estates, announced today at the Vancouver International Wine Festival the winery's collaboration with internationally renowned vintner Philippe Melka. Melka will serve as the consulting winemaker for Phantom Creek's red wine program working closely with winemaker Francis Hutt.

Black Hills Estate Winerywinemaker Ross Wise is Canada's newest Master of Wine. Only the seventh to be awarded the honour in Canada, and the fourth in British Columbia.

The Vancouver International Wine Festival announced the 2020 trade competition winners on Friday at Celebrating Excellence: 17th Annual Awards Lunch Featuring France, presented by ContainerWorld. The Celebrating Excellence program is part of the three-day Trade Days Conference; the program honours those professionals who contribute to this region's exceptional wine and food culture. Guests enjoyed a meal prepared by Vancouver Convention Centre executive chef Mark Massicotte, exquisitely matched with a selection of 32 wines from France's iconic wine regions.

Representatives of twenty-nine Canadian wineries from British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Ontario will gather at the Consulate General of Canada in New York on Tuesday, March 24th to showcase over 200 cool climate wines to area media and trade. The event, comprised of a grand tasting and three flash seminars on Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Wild Card Wines, will also include xx wineries seeking importer representation.