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International News

Innovation, Pierre Fitzgibbon, in a news release The support from local customers has been a life-
about the program. line for the winery, and has inspired Bressan’s fami-
ly to make a significant effort to buy from local pro-
In British Columbia, officials continued the tradi- ducers as well—especially when it comes to wine.
tion of officially decreeing April “wine month” with
a social distancing twist: urging consumers to buy “We love wine, but now we only buy local wines
100% British Columbia wine to enjoy at home. from Ontario and Quebec. It’s also good prac-
tice for us to learn and see what other people
In a press release issued by the B.C. Wine are doing, and develop our palate for wine from
Institute, Agriculture Minister Lana Popham called cold-climate grapes,” she said.
on consumers to choose locally made products to
keep small wineries from folding.

“Many B.C. winemakers depend on sales within
our province to keep their businesses running, and
our support for them and all B.C. farmers and busi-
nesses during this pandemic will help the resiliency
and future of food and beverage production in
British Columbia,” Popham said.

Back at Vankleek Hill Vineyard, Bressan said she
has noticed many of her friends, neighbors and cus-
tomers are making a point of buying local. Moving
forward, she thinks this trend will continue.

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