SAN FRANCISCO - For the second year in a row, the Province's international trade and investment network and the British Columbia Wine Institute are teaming up to promote B.C. VQA's award-winning wines and vintners at one of the world's most prestigious food and beverage shows.

Last year, during the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, a guided tasting of select VQA wines resulted in a partnership between the British Columbia Wine Institute and Good Company Wines based in Sonoma, California, giving U.S. consumers access to premium B.C. wines. Currently, four B.C. producers are listed on the company's website WineBCUSA.com: Black Hills Estate Winery, Laughing Stock Vineyards, Meyer Family Vineyards and Painted Rock Estate Winery.

Following on the success of last year's showcase, select VQA wines from B.C. will be featured again this year at a key gathering for the California wine trade for sommeliers, restaurateurs and media. Tonight's event will include a multi-course dining experience featuring British Columbia ingredients paired with award-winning B.C. wines. The event will be guided by B.C. executive chef Trevor Bird of FABLE Restaurant and Food Network's Top Chef Canada, and will include remarks from Cassie Doyle, Consul General of Canada, San Francisco-Silicon Valley.

The event is co-hosted by the B.C. Wine Institute, which builds and markets the Wines of British Columbia brand, and the Province's trade and investment office in Palo Alto, California. British Columbia's international trade and investment network works to open and expand markets for the province's goods and services. California is a key market for B.C. VQA wines and the United States is the world's largest retail wine market - and one of the fastest-growing. Americans consumed over $34.6 billion worth of wine in 2012, the 19th consecutive year the market expanded.

The three-day Winter Fancy Food Show, which draws over 18,000 attendees and features 80,000 of the world's finest foods and beverages, wraps up today.

The promotion of B.C. wines and food at the show received funding from the federal and provincial governments under the Growing Forward 2 agreement (2013-18), a $3-billion investment in innovation, competitiveness and market development in Canada's agriculture sector. The funding includes $2 billion, cost-shared on a 60:40 basis, for programs delivered by provinces and territories (a 50 per cent increase in cost-shared funding), as well as $1 billion for federal-only strategic initiatives.

Quotes:

Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz -

"Our government remains focused on the economy and on creating opportunities for Canadian farmers and businesses to grow and prosper. The wine and grape industry generates more than 10,000 jobs in B.C. alone, and this showcase will help fuel the growing international demand for high-quality Canadian wines."

Minister of International Trade Teresa Wat -

"B.C. wines are becoming more popular among wine-lovers around the world. Our international trade and investment network and this partnership with the British Columbia Wine Institute allow us to continue to win over consumers and export our high-quality wines."

British Columbia Wine Institute executive director Miles Prodan -

"Once again, we're thrilled to be showcasing British Columbia's standout VQA wines at this year's Winter Fancy Food Show. BCWI's partnership with Good Company Wines especially allows us to promote our wines to U.S wine and travel writers who, until now, have been reluctant to showcase product unavailable to their readers."

Learn More:

To find out more about British Columbia's international trade and investment network, visit: http://www.BritishColumbia.ca

B.C. VQA is an appellation of origin system that guarantees authenticity and quality standards for B.C. wines: www.winebc.com/

For more information on provincial Growing Forward 2 programs, visit: www.agf.gov.bc.ca/apf/GF2/GF2.html

For more information on Growing Forward 2, visit: www.agr.gc.ca/GrowingForward2

Media Contacts:

Media Relations
Ministry of International Trade
Minister Responsible for the Asia Pacific Strategy and Multiculturalism
778 997-0298

Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613 773-7972
1 866 345-7972