Canada Slowly Opens It's Provincial Borders To Wine Shipping

Canada Inches Toward Wine Direct Shipping -- Wine Spectator

Parliament repeals national ban, giving provinces the choice to allow shipping, but few have decided so far.

Canadians who want the right to order wine directly from wineries won a big victory this summer when their parliament voted to end a nearly century-old ban on direct shipping between provinces. But the new law has created confusion, because it puts the decision in the hands of provincial governments. While British Columbia quickly voted yes, Manitoba quietly said OK, and the rest of the provinces are still debating the issue.

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My Comment: I live in Quebec .... and I am not optimistic that Quebec will embrace the idea of its citizens avoiding their provincially run liquor stores and buying directly from a winery in BC.

Canadians Will Soon Be Able To Buy Wines From Other Provinces

The Long And Winding Road Too Free Canadian Grapes -- National Post

Federal-provincial jurisdictional issues are not usually on the minds of most Canadians while they savour a glass of wine. However, over the past few months, wine commentary has been intermingled with discussions on the right to sell and ship wine across provincial boundaries by Canadian wineries and consumers alike. Domestic, international and social media have been aflutter with comments about Bill C 311, An Act to amend the Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act (interprovincial importation of wine for personal use).

There has been much speculation as to what, when and how Bill C 311 will alter both a winery’s right to ship wine to consumers in another province, as well as the ability of consumers to legally transport wine inter-provincially.

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My Comment: As a Canadian .... I say this is long overdue and welcomed by almost everyone.

Canadians May Soon Be Permitted To Ship Wine Beween Provinces

Wine Should Flow Freely, MP Says -- The Province

Okanagan-Coquihalla riding's Albas wants provincial barriers removed

Canadians are still living with a 1928 law that often makes foreign wines easier to find and cheaper to purchase than a bottle of wine produced in another province.

Conservative MP Dan Albas, whose Okanagan-Coquihalla riding is in the heart of B.C.'s winemaking region, wants to change that and give Canada's small wineries the ability to uncork national markets rather than limit them to selling their product provincially.

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Update: Open provincial wine barriers -- Vancouver Sun/Ottawa Citizen

My Comment: As a Canadian who lives in Quebec but loves BC wine .... I say FASTER PLEASE!

Enjoying Good Wine And Good Food In Canada's Okanagan Valley

Wine Country Cuisine Flourishing In Okanagan -- Vancouver Sun/Calgary Herald

OKANAGAN VALLEY, B.C. — B.C.’s Okanagan Valley has always been known for its bounty: the cherries, peaches and apples that thrive in the irrigated, fertile soil; the more than 65 grape varietals that ripen in the hot summer sun before being turned into award-winning wines; the astonishing cornucopia of vegetables, meats and cheeses found in local farmers’ markets.

Those lucky enough to live in the valley eat well; many grow prolific gardens, canning, drying and freezing their own tomatoes, peppers and plums, or turning them into salsa and jam. There is so much food, residents almost take it for granted. Sometimes, it’s literally falling on their heads. Ask a local with fruit or nut trees in their backyard, and they might beg you to come pick the stuff.

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My Comment: I agree with this article. Been to the Okanagan Valley twice .... and on both occasions enjoyed the good food and the good wine.

Canada's British Colombia's Wine Scene

Mission Hill, British Columbia’s most famous winery, overlooks Lake Okanagan. (Mission Hill)

Canada’s Wine Scene Is Taking Root -- BBC

Next to California’s sun-dappled Napa and Sonoma Valleys and Oregon’s rain-soaked Willamette Valley, the lakefront Okanagan Valley, just across the US border from Washington, is largely unknown outside of Canada.

There are 196 wineries in British Columbia, ranging from small family-run operations on Vancouver Island to sprawling estates in the Okanagan Valley, and recent International Wine and Spirits Competition awards for local wineries like Mission Hill and Jackson-Triggs have put the area on par with other vino-heavyweights, such as France, South Africa and Argentina.

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My Comment: Mission Hill and Burrowing Owl are two excellent wineries. I have tasted their 'higher end' wine, and it's very good.