Image Credit: Contributed by Harper's Trail

By Jill Sperling

Wine Time

Local wine industry adapting well to COVID-19 guidelines

Jul 31, 2020 | 5:04 PM

KAMLOOPS — Many businesses have struggled to keep afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, but certain businesses have been doing quite well. Local wineries are enjoying a season that nearly resembles summers past.

For Harper’s Trail Estate Winery, it’s almost business as usual. However, while they drink in this summer’s successes, Tasting Room Manager Carrie Neal says they’re well aware of the global pandemic.

“We’re trying to keep it – I hate using the word ‘normal,’ but as normal as it can be in the time of the pandemic,” Neal said, “obviously adhering to all the COVID guidelines and standards, but still trying to make it memorable and fun.”

Customers can still enjoy wine tastings, but the tasting lounge has moved outside and reservations are strongly recommended.

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“Groups can’t be bigger than six, and we only have four tables that we can seat groups at, so whether it’s one person or six people, that’s a table,” Neal said.

Harper’s Trail opened to the public at the beginning of June, but was managing to sell product prior to that.

“We’ve had so many people take advantage of our online store, especially when we went into lockdown in quarantine time,” said Maureen Boynton, who does sales, marketing and events at the winery. “Myself and Vicki, the owner, were busy around the clock fulfilling orders, some would be coming in at 2:00, 3:00 in the morning, and by 8:00 we’d be shipping them off to FedEx or Canada Post to get them to everybody in B.C.”

Due to guidelines around occupancy, the winery has had to turn people away on busy weekends.

Wine tours, such as the ones TasteFull Excursions run, have also been pretty well booked up.

“We’re turning bookings away,” said co-owner Maatje Stamp-Vincent, “obviously weekends are the busiest for everybody, so all three vehicles are booked up for this weekend.”

TasteFull Excursions has limites the size of groups in its tours, and after a tour member mistreated staff at Mittz Kitchen earlier this month, the company is ensuring everyone complies with its guidelines.

“We make sure they get our COVID procedures in advance and agree to it, if they don’t agree to it, then we’re not going to book them.” Stamp-Vincent said.

Staff at Harper’s Trail and TasteFull both note it’s not often the out of province visitors causing issues.

“Don’t point to Alberta somehow as being the culprit, because that’s just not the way it’s going down at all,” Stamp-Vincent said, “from what I can see, the locals have to behave themselves as well.”