B.C. grape grower left with unsold fruit as wineries allowed to import U.S. grapes (www.cbc.ca)

submitted 4 days ago by HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works to c/canada@lemmy.ca

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In B.C.'s south Okanagan region, some wine grape growers are struggling to find buyers for their fruit, during a year many were hoping to make a solid profit after devastating crop loss in recent years.

After two years of severe winter damage, vineyards across the region produced strong yields this season.

But some farmers say a provincial program that allows wineries to import grapes from the United States is crowding the market and leaving them with grapes they can't sell.

Despite strong quality and sugar levels, Gill said his Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes should have been picked two weeks ago. He's concerned about making his loan repayments.

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[-] Kornblumenratte@feddit.org 7 points 2 days ago

There are grape farmers who don't make wine and wineries which don't grow their own grapes? TIL

[-] BlackAura@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Had a girlfriend from decades ago where her dad started a family owned winery in the Okanagan (though they eventually sold to a larger company, I guess none of the kids wanted to take over?). They would sometimes age and bottle grapes from other vineyards (who didn't have their own equipment) for that vineyard to then sell.

For all I know there are companies that buy grapes off the market, pay a winery to process, age, and bottle them, and then sell it under a brand name that's basically just outsourcing all the work so they could exist in a small office somewhere.

Another example on a brewery tour at Big Rock brewing in Calgary, they would bottle for other companies sometimes. At the time our tour guide pointed out a bottling line that was being used for Smirnoff Ice iirc. Or maybe it was Mike's Hard Lemonade? One of those.