Here & There
Our Here & There wines were crafted by our winemaking team in both Washington and Lillooet. Featuring hand-picked grapes from select vineyards in Washington, we made these wines in our style. They represent the spirit of resiliency, following a harsh winter that minimized our estate harvest in 2024.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Why did you buy grapes from Washington?
A: The past winter was devastating for vineyards across BC, including our own estate vineyards, making it impossible to produce a full lineup of wines from BC-grown grapes in 2024. In response, the BC Government allowed wineries to create replacement wines using grapes from other regions to help keep our industry afloat during this challenging time. To read more, check out our 2024 Harvest Update here.
Q: Are these wines Canadian?
A: We sourced our grapes from Washington, but every step of the winemaking process—from picking the grapes to crushing the grapes to fermentation and finally to bottling—was completed by our Canadian team, both in Washington and here in Lillooet. These wines are labeled as “Made in Canada with imported ingredients.” The BC and Canadian governments recognize these wines as “Made in Canada” because a substantial portion of the work of these wines was done in Canada.
Q: When did you start this process?
A: This project was initiated in the spring of 2024, well before the recent political shifts, with the purpose of keeping our employees employed, sustaining our winery, and keeping the BC wine industry alive.
Q: If I buy these wines, am I supporting a Canadian company?
A: By choosing these wines, you are most definitely supporting our winery. Fort Berens is proudly Canadian owned and operated since 2009. By buying these wines, you are helping us navigate one of the most difficult years in our history. To be completely transparent, these wines are crucial in helping our winery navigate this difficult time and continue serving our loyal customers like you.
Q: Do I have any other choices?
A: Like you, our winery and all of us on our team individually are making changes in the way we support local and Canadian businesses, given all that has happened in the recent weeks. You can look at all of our available wines here. All of our 2022 and 2023 white wines, all of our Small Lot and Reserve wines, and all of our red wines are made with 100% BC grapes.
