If there’s one thing that goes with good fresh food, like that which you’ll find at the Whistler Farmers Market, it’s wine. And we have some outstanding wine vendors selling delicious BC wine.
We will briefly explain the laws in regards to selling wine at the farmers market. Lastly, we will introduce you to a few wine vendors that will be attending our farmers market events.
First, let’s get acquainted with wine in BC.
Wine in BC
Making wine in British Columbia is nothing to yawn at. It’s a major player in the BC economy, bringing nearly $3 billion every year to it.
There are five official wine regions in BC:
1. Okanagan Valley
2. Similkameen Valley
3. Fraser Valley
4. Vancouver Island
5. Gulf Islands
Of these five, Okanagan is the premier growing region for grapes. But all five collectively contain the 929 vineyards and wineries that bring in 1 million visitors to BC every year.
Selling Wine at the Farmers Market
It was declared on June 21, 2014, that all legal forms of alcohol – beer, wine, cider and spirits – can be sold at BC farmers markets, right alongside fruits and vegetables.
Both the licensees and the markets have legal requirements to meet so that wine can be sold at the farmers markets.
All sampling and sales of any liquor, wine included, must take place within the defined sales area at the market where the wine will be sold.
Fort Berens
Immigrants from Holland, Rolf de Bruin and Heleen Pannekoek founded Fort Berens in 2005 and fully launched the vineyard in 2009, which made it the very first in Lillooet.
Their vision is to make Fort Berens one of the leading wine producers in Canada. Whistler Farmers Market is thrilled to have them as one of our vendors
BC Wine Studio
Winemaker Mark Simpson had a vision for BC Wine Studio: “to create a special place for sharing wine best practices, encouraging creativity and producing high quality, distinctive hand-crafted wines.” (Quoted directly from their website)
When it comes to techniques, it offers the latest ones, along with a vast, trusted network of growers and suppliers – another exciting addition to the Whistler Farmers Market.
Forbidden Fruit Wine
Forbidden Fruit Wine has the distinction of being an organic vineyard, ever since its inception in 1977. It was officially certified as such in 1984.
The quality is also indicative of where the grapes are planted: A sloping hill that borders the Similkameen River. Well-watered and protected from the commercial farms, makes their fruit some of the best around, and it has been that way for four decades.
Though the word “forbidden” is in their name, they won’t be forbidden from the Whistler Farmers Market.
Summary
These are just a few of the wine vendors at our farmers market. Whatever your taste for food, wine or music, we are confident you will enjoy yourself at the Whistler Farmers Market. We hope to see you there!
