Cheers to fall and happier days. Royce Sihlis photo courtesy of Wines of British Columbia

I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’ve had enough bad news for one year. I’m looking across the border at an election campaign that’s all about joy, and thinking yes! That’s what we need. More joy, and plenty of it, stat.

Now, I don’t want to underplay the challenges so many people in wine country are going through. I know it’s tough right now, and that it will be hard for the next couple of years at least. My heart aches for everyone in our battered wine-growing/making/selling/serving community. But we can, I hope, still take a moment to pause and think of all that is good in our world, too, and at the top of that list is the reason we’re all reading this issue of Vitis.

My most joyful moments almost always include wine. Celebrating that big accomplishment or landmark event with a bottle of bubble. Gathering the people I love around my table for a long and leisurely feast. Taking time to catch up with an old friend—or make a new one—during happy hour. Even just sitting quietly in my garden with a glass of rosé and a good book amid the lavender and bumblebees.

Groups like Wine Growers BC point out the economic benefits of our province’s wine industry. Among them: It generates approximately $3.75 billion annually, employs more than 14,000 full-time workers and its approximately 350 licensed grape wineries welcome nearly 1.2 million visitors each year. Those are important, and impressive, numbers for sure.

But the real benefits are slightly less tangible. Wine makes our food taste better. It motivates us to understand and care for the environment that produces it. It is part of a cultured life that also includes art and architecture and music and living well. Most of all, it connects us, making conversation flow and friendships easy. And it’s not just the alcohol (which, of course, should always be consumed in moderation). It’s the ritual, the grace, the merry little ting! as we clink our glasses together.

So raise a glass, support our growers and makers, and bring a little liquid joy into your life.

—Joanne Sasvari, editor

Joanne Sasvari

Joanne Sasvari is editor of Vitis and The Alchemist magazines. She also writes about food and drink for WestJet and Vancouver Sun, and is author of the Wickaninnish and Vancouver Eats cookbooks.