There are several organizations within British Columbia and Vancouver Island that are dedicated to the art of fine winemaking. This is by no means a full listing of sources, but is a selection of organizations that are partners with the Saanich Sommeliers in a common goal.

BC Amateur Winemakers Association – BCAWA is the affiliation of artisanal winemaking clubs located throughout British Columbia. Facilitates the annual BC Provincial Wine Competition and organizes winemaking related seminars for all member clubs.

Nanaimo Winemakers – Our sister club in the Nanaimo area.  We often pool resources for grape procurement from US and BC vineyards, and share equipment and expertise in the crafting of fine wine.  An excellent source of reference material and members’ hands-on experience in winemaking.

Amateur Winemakers of Canada – The AWC, founded in 1971, is a national coordinating body for all provincial winemaking organizations within Canada.

BC Guild of Wine Judges – The purpose of the guild is to train members to become wine judges who will evaluate wines entered into amateur competitions hosted by wine clubs throughout BC, the Provincial Competition as well as the National Competition.

Wine Island Growers Association – WIGA is an incorporated non-profit society whose mission is to educate, support and promote viticulture and oenology in the Vancouver Island region of BC

British Columbia Wine Institute – BC VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) is the appellation of origin and quality standard for the wines of British Columbia.

WineMaker Magazine – The leading publication for the serious home winemaker. Special rates available to Club members.

Scott Labs Fermentation Handbook – Excellent technical source for information on fermentation techniques, yeasts, additives, and troubleshooting. Must have Adobe Acrobat installed.

Winemaking Calculator – Online calculators for common winemaking tasks such as conversions, SO2 and acid additions, chaptalization and dilution calculations, etc. 

Starting Wine Workflow -This is a convenient summary sheet to help us get started each year. One can adjust as to their requirements.