Wild Goose Vineyards in Okanagan Falls received two best of class awards - including one for Riesling - at the 2015 British Columbia Best of Varietal Wine Awards.
While retailers say they welcome the province's first steps to bring beer to supermarkets, some big chains are struggling with restrictions that will limit beer sales in each store to about $1-million a year and keep package sizes to six-packs.
Ontario's decision to allow grocers to carry beer in their stores has left retailers divided about the potential new source of business and uncertain about its effects
Recently, the owners, Michael Lightfoot and Jocelyn Allen, started the development agreement process for their Lower Wolfville land. They want permission to build a tourist commercial operation at 11137 Highway 1. The proposal includes constructing a banquet hall that will hold 150 people, a commercial kitchen and wine tasting rooms.
Wines of British Columbia, Tourism Calgary and the Alberta Culinary Tourism Alliance Showcase the Best of the West in a Winery & Chef Collaborative Lunch and Dinner at the James Beard House in New York for the Very First Time
"This is a monumental day for craft brewers and for all consumers in Ontario," said Cam Heaps, co-founder of Steam Whistle Brewing and chair of Ontario Craft Brewers.
Ontarians will soon be able to buy beer in some 300 supermarkets, but the more complicated expansion of wine sales in grocery stores is going to take longer to uncork, the Star has learned
Last month, Ontarians were toasting news that the province would soon allow beer and wines sales in some grocery stores, but now oenophiles have been told to put a cork in it.
By now you've seen and heard about the April 1 launch of BC Wine Institute's first "wine on grocery shelves" BC VQA wine store: Wines of British Columbia Save-On-Foods South Point in South Surrey. It represents the first time in BC that a BC VQA wine store operating agreement has been granted to a grocer, which we believe is a positive step forward in enhancing the effectiveness of these unique, direct from farm retail sales licences.
It's a new year in the Okanagan and as the sap begins to push, the dreams of most producers turn to thoughts of the best growing season ever. Much has changed over the last decade but if you are thinking the wines are better than ever it is more than that
"I would say the Shores of Erie, that weekend is as good as a month of sales here in retail," said Stephen Mitchell, the president of the Sprucewood Shores Winery and the Essex and Pelee Island Coast Growers Association. Kelly O'Rourke, the director of the festival, said the economic benefit on the region was $2.8 million in 2014, based on the Ontario Tourism Regional Economic Impact Model (TREIM).