As the summer tourism season approaches, British Columbia’s wineries, breweries, cideries and distilleries are gearing up to offer enhanced tour and service experiences for visitors.

“Recent years have been difficult for wineries and tourism across the province, and we are taking action to support these valuable businesses,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “The changes we are making will create better experiences for visitors of wineries and liquor manufacturers across the province, helping them – and all of B.C. – to be a more competitive and desirable destination for visitors. ”

In response to industry feedback, the Province has implemented a suite of policy changes to enhance visitor experiences at wineries and other liquor-manufacturing sites this summer.

Improvements to the customer experience include:

• allowing people to sit and enjoy samples while on a guided tour;
• allowing packaged liquor sales in more places on site, including tours;
• allowing more flexibility around sampling so liquor manufacturers can customize sampling experiences for visitors; and
• allowing manufacturers to sell and promote their products in picnic areas and host visitors more effectively.

These changes reflect the Province’s commitment to strengthening tourism and supporting the liquor industry. By partnering with liquor manufacturers, government aims to ensure the long-term sustainability and success of an industry that is vital to the province’s economy and identity.

Quotes:

Pat Bell, chair of New Wave Wine Society, representing fruit and mead wineries in B.C. –

“Fruit and mead wineries appreciate the work done to allow for a better, more seamless visitor experience at our wineries. Each of our wineries host thousands of visitors each year and creating flexibility in the delivery of our services will continue to build the experience fruit and mead wineries want to deliver.” 

Christine Coletta, founder, Haywire Winery, Summerland –

“For wine owners, our top priority is for visitors to have a great experience at our winery. These changes are very welcome and will give us the flexibility to provide visitors a perfect experience when they visit.”

Ken Beattie, executive director, BC Craft Brewers Guild –

“We're excited about the new opportunities for guided tours, sampling and sales, which will allow us to showcase our products and hospitality in even more innovative ways. These changes will not only benefit our industry but also contribute to the growth of tourism in British Columbia. We're grateful for the Province's responsiveness to industry feedback and look forward to welcoming visitors to our breweries this summer.”

Tyler Dyck, CEO and head of operations, Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery; president, Craft Distiller's Guild of BC; president, Canadian Craft Distillers Alliance –

“Another great outcome highlighting what happens when government works collaboratively through the Business Technical Advisory Panel process on modernizing liquor policy in B.C. We look forward to continued collaboration and modernizations over the next few years.”

Miles Prodan, president & CEO, Wine Growers British Columbia –

“Wine Growers BC appreciates these practical updates to improving the visitor experience at a B.C. winery. Wine tourism is a critical contributor to a winery’s bottom line and an economic impact that is felt across the province.”

Learn More:

More information for liquor manufacturers about guided tours and sampling, packaged liquor sales can be found in Bulletins 24-02, 24-03 and 24-04: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/business/liquor-regulation-licensing/about-lcrb/bulletins

To learn more about on-site store endorsements, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/business/liquor-regulation-licensing/liquor-licence-permits/liquor-resources-information/on-site-store-endorsement

To learn more about picnic area endorsements, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/business/liquor-regulation-licensing/liquor-licence-permits/liquor-resources-information/picnic-area-endorsement