SEATTLE, Sept. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Whole Foods Market is proud to announce its exclusive partnership with Wines of British Columbia, making eight handpicked BC VQA wines available to shoppers at the 15 Whole Foods Market stores across Washington and Oregon, starting October 1.

Wines of British Columbia, which is made up of 134 member wineries and 15 grape-grower partners, is best known for its premium quality BC VQA (100% BC grown & produced) wines that have increasingly been receiving international accolades.

This new wine program offers a selection of red and white wines, at a variety of price points, curated by Erez Klein, Whole Foods Market Wine Buyer of the Pacific Northwest region.

St Hubertus Estate Winery - 2013 Pinot Blanc
This terrific Pinot Blanc has notes of honeyed citrus and is clean and focused. It's that perfect cocktail wine for pairing with your favorite seafood.

Quails' Gate Estate Winery - 2012 Pinot Noir
This Pinot Noir is grown along the slopes of Lake Okanagan. Leather and spice highlight a core of red and black fruits. Perfect for salmon and roast turkey.

Tinhorn Creek Vineyards - 2013 Pinot Gris
A full-bodied dry Pinot Gris that is a perfect appetizer wine, but is so good it shines with salmon, roast chicken, pork, and grilled veggies.

Tantalus Vineyards - 2013 Riesling
This is world class Riesling impossibly balanced and with great length. Excellent with seafood, soft cheeses, sausages, and turkey dinner.
Nk'Mip Cellar - 2012 Merlot
This is full-bodied Merlot. Hints of smoky oak, baking spice and ripe red and black fruit are sure to delight. Enjoy with firm cheeses, steaks and roasts.

Meyer Family Vineyards - 2012 Chardonnay
This Chardonnay will have you wondering if it's Burgundy, Santa Barbara, or Oregon.

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery - 2011 Cabernet Franc
An earthy essence balances ripe fruit in this full-bodied wine.

Black Hills Estate Winery - 2012 Nota Bene
A rich and bold frame supports this Bordeaux-style red. Perfect with steak or roasts.

Previously, BC wine has been extremely limited in the Northwest.

"Whole Foods Market has a long-standing commitment to bringing our customers high-quality wines," said Klein. "This partnership with Wines of British Columbia provides another way for us to satisfy and delight our very passionate wine shoppers. We hope our customers try something unexpected and fall in love the way we have."

"Bringing BC VQA to the US market, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, is really an obvious next step for the Wines of British Columbia as this is our closest neighbor," says Miles Prodan, President and CEO of the British Columbia Wine Institute, which supports and markets the Wines of British Columbia. "Furthermore, the Whole Foods Market is a natural partner for us, as it is committed to selling premium quality products that are sourced and produced locally, which is tantamount to the mandate of the Wines of British Columbia."

Giving further credence to the quality of BC wines, well known and respected UK-based wine journalist Jamie Goode, of Wineorak, visited British Columbia in June 2014 to judge the WineAlign Canadian National Wine Awards and had high praise. "I found plenty to love, and this confirms the impression that I'd gained from previous travels in wine country, that Canadian wines are going places."

For more information on Whole Foods Market, please visit: wholefoodsmarket.com. To learn more about Wines of British Columbia, visit: www.winebc.com.

About Whole Foods Market(®
)Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com, NASDAQ: WFM), is the leading natural and organic food retailer. As America's first national certified organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named "America's Healthiest Grocery Store" by Health magazine. The company's motto, "Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet"(TM) captures its mission to ensure customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Thanks to the company's more than 69,000 Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in America by FORTUNE magazine for 15 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2011, the company had sales of more than $10 billion and currently has more than 325 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

About Wines of British Columbia & the British Columbia Wine Institute
Since 1990, the BC Wine Institute has played a pivotal role in taking BC's wine industry from a vision to an internationally recognized niche region producing premium wines and providing quality wine tourism experiences.

Representing 134 member wineries throughout the province, the BCWI supports and markets the Wines of British Columbia (BC VQA), which gives consumers assurance they are buying a wine that is from 100% BC grapes. BCWI membership represents 95% of total grape wine sales and 94% of total BC VQA wine sales in British Columbia.

The BCWI also markets the wine regions of BC; delivers quality trade, media and consumer tastings; and acts as the voice of BC's wine industry by advocating to government on behalf of its members.

SOURCE Whole Foods Market