Growing and producing world-class wines is the focus of the province’s first Grape and Wine Networking Conference on Saturday, April 21, in Wolfville.
“Revenue generated by Nova Scotia wines reached $20.7 million in 2016-17, including sales from the province’s farm wineries, liquor corporation and exports,” said Minister of Agriculture Keith Colwell.
The conference is expected to be a learning opportunity for the entire industry and its stakeholders. More than 120 vintners, researchers and policy-makers will meet during this Department of Agriculture sponsored event.
“Grape growers and winemakers are often very busy year-round so this will be a good opportunity to take time together to build understanding,” said Bruce Wright, president of the Grape Growers Association of Nova Scotia.
The agenda consists of speakers from Perennia, the Nova Scotia Wine Development Board, the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC), and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and wineries.
Sessions will focus on:
— the latest research on the wine industry
— capacity building for bottling
— NSLC marketing efforts
— information sharing about harvests
— two panel discussions.
“We are committed to working with industry to expand vineyards and wineries, target research for innovation, develop export markets and enhance quality and efficiency,” said Mr. Colwell.
Nova Scotia had close to 1,000 acres of vineyards and 94 grape growers in 2017. The province’s grape and wine industry supports about 650 jobs in rural communities.
Source: Release