Loblaws, Walmart, Sobeys, Metro, and a slew of independent grocers will be the first supermarkets allowed to sell beer in Ontario.

Get into the holiday spirit early with a visit to some of BC's best wineries. Between November 27th and December 6th you can find a great selection of open houses, events, light ups, tastings, gift ideas and more at the cellar doors of the wineries from six regional winery associations.

Kelowna residents could see wine in local grocery stores early in the New Year as VQA wine stores announce their support to move within the store.

Longstanding BC VQA Wine Stores, Discover Wines in Kelowna and the BC VQA Wine Shop at the Kelowna Wine Museum announced their support to move into grocery stores today with the Overwaitea Food Group anticipating BC VQA Wines to be showcased and sold for the first time in Kelowna grocery stores pending BC Liquor Control and Licensing Branch approval.

Pacific Rim government officials met this week in Adelaide, Australia to streamline import-export requirements and save grape growers and winemakers millions of dollars. More than 80 wine regulators and wine industry representatives from 17 Pacific Rim economies convened at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Wine Regulatory Forum's 2015 Technical Meeting to share good regulatory practices on wine certification, analysis and winemaking practices in the growing trade region.

The urban winery-which is pretty much exactly as it sounds, a fully functioning winery within city limits-is a trend that's been around for several years in the US. It's also a phenomenon that was quite common prior to Prohibition, when most wine was made in warehouses on the edge of town. But in the decades since then, wineries moved out of the city and into the country, only recently returning to urbanity in a new form.

The Canadian Culinary Championships in Kelowna, B.C., will for the first time include two Nova Scotia wines.

The B.C. Wine Appellation Task Group's seeks the establishment of four new wine regions: Thompson Valley, Lillooet-Lytton, Shuswap, and Kootenays. That's in addition to the five officially designated regions: Okanagan Valley, Similkameen Valley, Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island, and Gulf Islands.

Similar to organic wine but with specific treatments like burying cow horn stuffed with manure

"Around the world today wine makers and wine enthusiasts are increasingly interested in the soil and climate conditions of where the wine is grown," says Ezra Cipes, chair of the B.C. Wine Appellation Task Group. "Our recommendations will help to strengthen a sense of place for our wines that is uniquely about British Columbia."

Restaurants and bars in B.C. want the provincial government to cut them a deal on the price they pay for wine, beer and spirits. Right now, they're required to buy liquor only from government stores and they must pay the same price as everyone else.

In a national "report card" released Monday, Restaurants Canada gave B.C. a C+ despite the province's efforts to modernize liquor policies.

The Okanagan is getting even more international attention with three wineries making their debut on a Lifestyle TV series set this air in New Zealand.

Saskatchewan received a poor grade from a restaurant lobby group that looked at booze laws across the country. Dwayne Marling with Restaurants Canada said the provincial score of D+ reflects a number of realities.

B.C. task group completes review of rules, recommends new indications

On the heels of a study indicating a growing consumer preference for Ontario-produced wine, Grape Growers of Ontario has uncorked a vigorous campaign to get more of those wines on tables across the province and grow the domestic wine market.

The cost of cigarettes goes up by $5 a carton. A case of 12 beers goes up 24 cents and a bottle of wine is increased by 18 cents.

Industry aims to reduce beverage calories in the Canadian diet by 20% over the next 10 years

Get ready to pay more for your sins - taxes on cigarettes and liquor are going up for the second time this year

Sommelier/photographer Tarynn Liv Parker's self-published book, Okanagan: A Celebration of the Canadian Wine Region provides a thoughtful and artful snapshot of British Columbia's Okanagan Valley.