(Wines&Vines) - British Columbia wineries have voted to close ranks and tightly regulate the use of geographical indications.

A recent poll of the 252 eligible wineries in the province saw 180 vintners representing 90% of the province’s wine production consider 11 recommendations from the B.C. Wine Appellation Task Group, convened in 2015 to consider structural issues within the industry (see “B.C. Eyes New Wine Appellation Rules”). 

Among the key issues at stake in the May 20-July 1 referendum were labeling and membership in the B.C. Wine Authority (BCWA), a body established by provincial statute in 2008 to oversee regulations governing the industry.

Regulation was previously the purview of the B.C. Wine Institute (BCWI), which also was charged with advocacy and marketing. Some wineries considered this a conflict of interest and urged for a separation of the two functions.

However, both the BCWI and the BCWA are voluntary organizations. While wineries must belong to the BCWA in order to use one of the seven geographic indications (GIs) specified in legislation, neither organization enjoys support from all wineries in the province.

At the time of the plebiscite this summer, for instance, the BCWA claimed 174 member wineries, while 78 wineries were non-members. (Six years ago, by contrast, there were 126 member wineries and just 17 non-members.)

Now, thanks largely to the clout of BCWA members representing approximately 94% of the province’s wine production, non-member wineries (the majority of which voted against mandatory membership, although 35 non-members didn’t even participate in the vote) will have to become authority members in order to continue operating.

This will enforce a tighter discipline within the industry—including a new provision restricting the use of GIs to wineries participating in the B.C. Vintners’ Quality Alliance program.

The sole recommendation shot down in the vote was a proposal to identify any wine in the province as being from a specific geographical area.

Participating wineries voted to restrict the use of GIs to wines made solely from B.C. grapes and bearing the BC Vintners’ Quality Alliance mark, a measure approved by a majority of wineries (144 for vs. 36 against) but rejected by BCWA members representing approximately 54% of the province’s wine production. This was backed up by approval for a ban on the use of unregulated GIs.