"When our current structure was put in place there were 131 grape wineries in BC, today there are 235. While that growth has propelled the BC wine industry to contribute $2 billion a year to the BC economy, the current board of directors believes now is the time to give pause and ensure the BCWI is structured properly for our continued success in the future."

an Ontario-born vintner with a master's degree in enology from Adelaide University in Australia

Statistics Canada has released a report about the year ending March 2013, and says Canadians spent $21.4 billion on alcoholic beverages, up 2.2 percent. Beer still has the biggest part of the market at $9.1 billion, little changed from a year earlier. Wine sales of $6.8 billion, on the other hand, were up 4.9 percent.

A group of community-based organizations came to Queen's Park today to tell MPPs from all three political parties that when it comes to alcohol sales deregulation, it's just not worth the risk. "Our stand against privatization/deregulation goes back to 1994; we strongly oppose the retailing of beer, wine and alcohol at convenience stores or gas stations," said arrive alive DRIVE SOBER Executive Director Anne Leonard.

The Tasty Grape Wine Store and owner Cindy Holland are suing the British Columbia Wine Institute for allegedly unreasonably denying an application to sell the BC Vintner's Quality Wine Store to Liquor Barn.

The Beer Store is trying to turn Ontarians against the idea of alcohol sales at the province's convenience stores and gas stations, warning it could increase the risk of sale to minors. "I think we all have a responsibility to look out for Ontario's kids and to protect our communities," The Beer Store manager and world curling champion Glenn Howard says in a new ad launched Monday. "At The Beer Store, it's a commitment we take to heart." The 30-second spot is the latest step in in an ongoing battle between The Beer Store and the Ontario Convenience Stores Association (OCSA), which has been lobbying MPPs to bring beer and wine into corner stores.

The Essex Pelee Island Coast, known as EPIC, Winegrower's Association announced the election of Steve Mitchell, President, Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery, as the association's new President during the recent Annual General Meeting.

Currently, the price for a pack of 24 of popular beer brands are $10 less at Ontario Beer Stores than average prices at private retailers in Alberta or B.C. Statistics Canada data also shows that alcohol prices increased by 16.9 per cent in B.C. and 28.2 per cent in Alberta more than Ontario between 2002 and 2013.

A Canadian company that recently scooped up a fifth of the remaining prime land in Washington's smallest wine grape growing area is the new owner of two vineyards in the state's largest. Aquilini Brands bought almost 700 acres of vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills for almost $7 million earlier this week.

Another grape-growing and wine-producing season is on us in British Columbia and there is little to suggest the vast Okanagan Valley will be carved into a number of smaller, sensible sub-regions that relate to the origin of where grapes and wines are produced before the next harvest. A small band of estate winery owners are indignant that the word Canada or the term Canadian appears on an enormous number of wine bottles sold in Canada that contain little or no Canadian-grown fruit.

On Tuesday, big grocery chains heralded the news: LCBO Express kiosks were coming to select grocery stores. On Wednesday, they were equally enthusiastic, but mum as to which of their locations - if any - fit the explicit terms and geographic limits outlined in the Request for Proposal document on the LCBO's website:

Finance Minister Charles Sousa announced Tuesday that the first LCBO Express stores will appear in large grocery retailers by the end of 2014. "This pilot will begin with 10 stores and we expect to have these up and running within a year."

"We are very pleased with the decision by the VQAC to recognize the CVA as the organization best positioned to protect the VQA and Icewine trademarks in Canada and abroad," said Tony Stewart, President of Quails' Gate Winery in British Columbia and CVA Chair.

"I've always believed in trying new things," Macfarlane told Gulf Island Mail, "I know a lot of people are going to make a lot of jokes about it but I say 'why not?' I'm already pushing the boundaries with biodynamics, why not push them further?

The province is providing $111,000 through the Local Food Fund to help organize and promote the Gananoque Brewing Company Harvest Festival. The month-long celebration will start in late August and will feature brewery, winery and farms tours, hop picking, mill visits and a country market. The festival will attract visitors, boost tourism in the region and strengthen the market for local food and beverages.

The B.C. government has proposed major changes to the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC), opening the door for East Kootenay farmers to gain permission to use their properties for non-agricultural uses.

Simone Castellarin grew up in the vineyards of Northern Italy. Now he wants to share his wine-growing knowledge with B.C. growers

The USA, Canada and China are to remain top investment targets for importers for the next 20 years according to a report by Wine Intelligence.

American wine exports - 90 per cent of which are from California - reached a record high $1.55 billion in revenue in 2013, up 16.4 per cent compared with the previous year. In all, California exports one fifth of its production and is on track to reach its goal of $2 billion in exports by 2020.

Surprisingly, despite the relatively warm summer temperatures, one of the consistently outstanding qualities of both red and white wines was their lively acidity, which definitely made them more like our wines than those from either Washington or California