Local wine merchants and distillers say unless they get their hands on the containers piling up at backlogged Port Metro Vancouver (PMV) terminals, local drinkers will soon have to find alternative social lubricants.

Canadian exporters of agricultural products such as beef, pork, canola and grains will be among the winners in the free trade deal with South Korea, but the benefits to Canadian consumers may not be as striking. However, International Trade Minister Ed Fast told CBC News Network's Power & Politics on Tuesday that the elimination of tariffs would be good for Canadian consumers.

The Canadian Vintners Association (CVA), the national voice of the grape and wine industry, applauds the Government of Canada's conclusion of the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement (CKFTA). On March 10, 2014, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Park Geun-hye, president of the Republic of Korea, finalized negotiations and announced the historic agreement.

Beginning next year, British Columbia grocery stores will be allowed to sell beer, wine and liquor, the Times-Colonist reports. Justice Minister Suzanne Anton announced the change last week as she introduced amendments to the province's liquor laws. The law would establish a "store-within-a-store" to sell alcohol through separate cashiers within a grocery store. Anton said the law would enhance convenience while providing an economic boost to retailers.

Ontario's auto sector fears "one-sided" trade flow, but industries like aerospace and food producers are more optimistic.

A Canadian beverage company is set to launch a new protein-filled ale marketed as a post workout sports drink.

After announcing in 2013 that British Columbians may soon be able to buy alcohol with their groceries, the provincial government outlined today (March 6) its plan for grocery store liquor sales. The B.C. government is moving to implement a two-part model that will be in place by early 2015.

The B.C. government is permitting beer, spirits and wine to be sold in local grocery stores through separate cashiers by 2015. B.C. Justice Minister Suzanne Anton says expanded liquor sales will also be allowed in other places.

The VQA Promoters Awards for 2014 were announced Saturday at the "experts tasting" hosted by Brock's Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute.

Freezing temperatures across Ontario have damaged vines in the Canadian province's vineyards, with some producers reporting bud loss of around 90 percent.

Wirtz Beverage Group is to become Diageo's exclusive national broker in Canada, after signing an agreement last week.

Diageo, the world's leading spirits, wine and beer company, and Wirtz Beverage Group, a leading distributor of the world's top luxury and premium wine, spirits and beer brands, today announced that they have signed an agreement naming Wirtz Beverage as the exclusive national broker for Diageo beer, wine, spirits and Ready to Drink (RTD) brands in Canada.

Repeated thermometer plunges near or below -20°C in Niagara - conditions not seen in years - are taking a toll on Ontario's orchards. And Vineland Estates, winemaker Brian Schmidt says it's cold-averse varieties like Merlot, Sauvignon blanc and Syrah that have suffered the worst. These varieties can endure bud damage at readings of -19°C or lower.

Wirtz Beverage Group, led by Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz, on Monday said that it will soon become Diageo's exclusive national broker in Canada

Fruit winemakers still want to be included in the Ontario government's plans to launch wine sales at farmer's markets this year, but so far they continue to be shut out.

This Saturday, as they have for the past 25 years, the Ontario wine industry and supporters will come together to taste wine. Over time, the by-invitation gathering, dubbed the Experts Tasting, has looked at specially selected wines grouped by theme to gain better understanding of which styles best express Ontario's growing conditions and how local wines compare with benchmark bottles from around the world.

The new head of NB Liquor doesn't expect to see beer and wine for sale in New Brunswick corner stores any time soon. Brian Harriman has been on the job as the president and chief executive officer for about a month and has launched a review of the Crown corporation's retail strategy. ?Harriman says he'll look at the idea of sales in convenience stores, but he doesn't expect it to happen

British Columbia Wine Institute says wider sales threaten local wineries. "Our biggest concern is a grocery store getting hold of a liquor license, frankly," said Miles Prodan, president and CEO of the B.C. Wine Institute, at a seminar held by Law Seminars International this week to review legal issues associated with the wine business in B.C.

Jennifer Cockrall-King of the Okanagan Food and Wine Writers' Workshop has just announced the facilty for this year's event, and hallelujah, Anita Stewart is going to be there.

The report contains a total of 73 recommendations that touch on everything from how alcohol is sold and purchased to how it's licensed and distributed, and the Province has announced that it fully supports every one of them.