I N D U ST RY N E WS
orchards in Summerland. Shelley is from
a farm in the Fraser Valley, and the couple
now lives in Abbotsford with their family.
These B.C.-born roots are why the Mayerts
are so passionate about the sustainability
of the region.
Before entering the wine industry, Ron
was a co-founder of Petcurean Pet Nutrition,
Old Yale Brewing, Napa Vineyard Inn, now
shifting his focus to grapes and hospitality.
“We are honoured to join the B.C. wine
community and are excited about making
world-class wines from one of the most
unique and beautiful wine valleys in the
world. Our family grew up appreciating the
spirit and neighbourly hospitality from the
people of the Okanagan Valley; we want
to instill that spirit in everything we do,”
said Ron.
Christa-Lee is looking forward to
this new future for the winery. “It’s been
a massive challenge since last year. The
Mayerts could not be more perfect people
to join the winery and bring both the
experience and wines to the next level.
We’re excited to continue to be a family-run
winery,” she said.
“We are thrilled that Christa-Lee and
Darrien will stay on to help us continue to
grow Time Winery,” said Ron. “Our family’s
vision is to always strive to be dreamers that
create amazing, cutting-edge wines to be
enjoyed with family and friends, one glass
at a time. It is our guarantee to you that our
wines will be handcrafted in small batches
from our family with a friendly approach
that exemplifies the highest standards in
the industry.”
Ron and Christa-Lee are excited to be
working with Campbell to bring a unique
culinary experience to the Okanagan Valley.
With Campbell’s passion and creativity,
their goal is to expose each guest to local
products and leave them with unforgettable
memories celebrating tasteful experiences.
New wine producing region
recognized on Vancouver Island
British Columbians shopping for a bottle of
B.C. wine will see a new area recognized for
its grape-growing and winemaking on the
label – the Cowichan Valley.
The Cowichan Valley is being recognized
as a new sub-geographical indication (sub-
GI), an official and protected term under
B.C. law used to help consumers identify B.C.
wines’ origins. The Cowichan Valley sub-GI
is roughly defined as the area between the
Cowichan watershed, the eastern coastline
from Mill Bay to Maple Bay, and the western
area of Cowichan Lake.
“The Cowichan is home to family-owned
and operated wineries and grape
growers who have been part of the valley
for generations,” said Lana Popham, B.C.’s
Minister of Agriculture. “They take pride
in the wines they produce and recognizing
their hard work, skills and growing
reputation on the B.C. and international
stage is overdue. They make great wine in
the Cowichan from the grapes grown in the
valley and the designation both respects and
promotes that.”
Defining geographic zones on wine
labels connects consumers with the unique
geographic area the grapes are grown
and the wine is made in; and increases
exposure to the region for both wine and
tourism businesses.
“Officially recognizing the Cowichan
Valley as a distinct and unique wine grape-growing
region in B.C., is a testament to
the hard work, passion and dedication of
the many local entrepreneurs and staff in
the wine industry,” said Sonia Furstenau,
MLA for Cowichan Valley. “This is a well-deserved
accomplishment for all those
involved in producing exceptional wines
and memorable winery experiences.”
Wines labelled with geographical
indications and/or sub-GIs commit to
consumers that the wine was produced with
a minimum of 95 per cent of grapes grown
from the specified region.
There are nine official geographical
indications in the province and five sub-
GIs. The Cowichan Valley is the first sub-
GI outside of the Okanagan and joins the
Golden Mile Bench, Naramata Bench,
Okanagan Falls and Skaha Bench in the
Okanagan Valley.
Township 7 Vineyards &
Winery celebrates two
decades of excellence
Township 7 Vineyards & Winery is proud
to announce their 20th anniversary. To
celebrate their two decades of success,
the winery collaborated with the BC
Hospitality Foundation (BCHF) to establish
a new British Columbia Wine Industry
Scholarship & Education (BC WISE) fund.
“Our story began on July 7, 2000, in the
seventh Township of Langley. I’ve been
Photo courtesy of Blue Grouse Winery
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