Some B.C. wine makers have had to sacrifice clusters of grapes by picking them early so remaining ones ripen faster.
The moves come during a year that will be remembered for some of the worst winemaking weather in decades.
Mission Hill Family Estate Winery owner Anthony von Mandl, however, was quick to point out at a British Columbia Technology Industry Association luncheon this week, that investing in technology will save the year for his vineyards.
“This year we are one month behind in our latest-ever harvest – all down North America right down to Napa Valley,” he said. “If it wasn’t for the technology, we wouldn’t be able to manage our vineyards to deliver what we will deliver; some incredible wines this year.”
Some of the technology includes probes in the vineyard and weather-tracking satellite technology.
He warned aspiring entrepreneurs against entering the wine business because of so many obstacles in addition to the risk of adverse weather.
“For every dollar of sales you need four dollars of capital,” said von Mandl whose company’s revenue, according to Business in Vancouver estimates, is around $415 million. That was good enough to be No. 33 on BIV's latest list of B.C.’s largest private companies.
Von Mandel said other huge risks for wineries include:
“I laugh when I see competitors for toothpaste or you look at Coke and Pepsi. Big competition – two guys. You know how many wineries there are in the world? More than one million.”