Premiers David Eby of B.C. and Danielle Smith of Alberta have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at cooling a wine war that has been brewing between the two provinces since the beginning of this year.
In January, Alberta’s liquor wholesaler told B.C. winemakers it would stop selling their products in retail stores.
The move was made because the agency which regulates the sale of wine in Alberta believed wineries in B.C. were allowing consumers in Alberta to order wine directly, rather than buying it in stores.
“Our investigation found tangible evidence of [your winery’s] involvement in [direct-to-consumer] shipping of wines across provincial borders in Alberta,” said one of the letters, which was shared with the Canadian Press at the time.
“To maintain the integrity of Alberta’s liquor model and to protect the interests of Alberta retailers and liquor agents, AGLC will not accept any inbound shipments from [your winery] from this date forward.
“We will resume acceptance of inbound shipments if, by way of written notice, [your winery] agrees to immediately cease [direct-to-consumer] shipping operations to Alberta.”
The move came at a time when B.C. wineries were already struggling with catastrophic weather including record-breaking heat, destructive cold snaps and out-of-control wildfires leading to back-to-back years of losses in the southern Interior, with up to 99 per cent of crops being wiped out.
350 B.C. grape wineries
Tony Stewart of Quails’ Gate Winery in West Kelowna told CBC News the loss of direct-from-Alberta buyers represented a $100,000 a month loss to their sales, which had been built up over decades.
He said at the time that his business was being “strong-armed.”
A wine war is sloshing over the B.C.-Alberta border. It has to do with inter-provincial trade restrictions and, as Brady Strachan reports, it’s caught wine producers off guard.
The deal announced Tuesday from premier’s meetings in Halifax should give Quails’ Gate and other B.C. wineries a path back to direct-to-consumer sales in Alberta.
According to a release from B.C. government, the two provinces have agreed to once again allow B.C. wineries to ship directly to Alberta, “reopening a vital sales and tourism channel.
“Today’s agreement ends the temporary ban on direct sales to customers in Alberta, and that’s a win for B.C.’s grape growers and wineries, as well as a win for Albertans who have excellent taste in wine,” Premier David Eby said in a written statement and in prepared remarks at a news conference from Halifax.
Speaking at the same conference, Smith highlighted the “strong ties” between B.C. and Alberta, adding that her government has “long been an advocate for reducing red tape and reducing barriers to inter-provincial trade.”
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” she said.
The prepared comments ended with Eby presenting a bottle of B.C. wine to Smith.
The B.C. government said there are approximately 350 grape wineries in B.C., with the greatest concentration of them in the Okanagan-Similkameen region.