What wine would best accompany food grown, raised or caught in British Columbia?
The B.C. Wine Institute will use $100,000 from the provincial government to offer advice on that question and to promote the Buy Local program.
An April 3 news release about the grant indicated B.C. wines will be part of a consumer campaign encouraging purchase and consumption of food originating in the province.
It will include a “virtual meeting place” where consumers can discuss wine and food pairings, recipes and food in general, as well as a general media campaign.
Read Also
Alberta harvest wrapping up: report
Harvest operations advanced to 96 per cent complete in Alberta as of Oct. 7, with only a few late-seeded cereal and canola fields remaining, according to the latest provincial crop report.
Events featuring B.C. foods and wines are also planned in Victoria, Vancouver, Kelowna and Whistler.
Funding of $100,000 is the maximum provided through the Buy Local program to launch or expand food marketing campaigns, said the news release.
B.C. agriculture minister Norm Letnick said the provincial wine industry employs more than 10,000 people and it is expanding.
In 2011, exports of B.C. wines had an estimated value of $5.8 million, an increase of more than 300 percent over 2008.
The wine industry said in the release that for every bottle of wine produced in B.C., there is $42 worth of economic impact.
For more information, see www.gov.bc.ca/agri/buylocal.html.
