'Clean slate' to reshape B.C. wine industry, after climate-related catastrophes

The heart of British Columbia's wine industry is reeling after suffering a litany of climate-related hits, resulting in two years of crop losses in the southern Interior.

Record-breaking heat. Wildfires and smoke that repeatedly contaminated grapes. A destructive cold snap in 2022. Then, the hammer blow — another deep freeze this January that is estimated to have inflicted up to 99 per cent crop loss across the province, wiping out this year's vintage.

While vineyards need support, sommelier Van Doren Chan says it's an opportunity to reshape winemaking in the province.

"It's almost like it's a clean slate," she says. "How are we going to structure the next generation of B.C. wine?"