The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival (VPIWF) has a history of boosting sales in B.C. for wines that it showcases at its annual extravaganza.
It will have work to do, however, to increase sales of fortified wines following this year’s event on March 28 through April 3.
“People are mortified about fortified,” festival director Harry Hertscheg told Business in Vancouver last week. “I know a lot of people who say, ‘I don’t like sherry. It’s too sweet,’ or, ‘I had a bad experience when I was younger.’”
He and the festival’s board members select a wine style to focus on to stop it being “misunderstood,” Hertscheg said.
Fortified wine sales in B.C. are small and getting smaller.
Overall domestic aperitif, dessert and fortified wines in B.C. fell 4.32% in the quarter that ended December 31, according to the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch. Import versions of those wines grew by less than 1% in the quarter.
The two best-known international fortified wines are likely Spanish sherry and Portuguese port.
Spanish sherry sales in B.C. fell 1.3% to $1.4 million in 2010, compared with 2009. Portuguese port sales fared better than other categories, increasing 5.1% in 2010 to $3.4 million.
Overall wine sales in B.C. grew 3.4% in 2010 compared with 2009.
Hertscheg has watched past global theme regions at the VPIWF increase sales in B.C. far in excess of the overall wine sales growth rate.
Argentina and New Zealand were the theme regions last year.
Argentina wine sales grew 18.2% to $41.2 million in 2010 compared with 2009, according to BCLDB statistics. New Zealand wine sales grew an even more impressive 28% to $19 million.
This year’s theme region is Spain, which saw annual sales of its wines in B.C. grow 10.9% to $14 million in 2010.