Ontario's wineries aren't the ones keeping the corks in free trade between the provinces. Though British Columbians can order a case of Ontario ice wine or gamay, Ontarians still can't get a pinot noir shipped in from the West.

Visitors to the 63rd annual Niagara Wine Festival will learn about the region's winemaking history through gourmet food, cheese and wine pairings, live entertainment, grape stomping competitions, and individual events hosted at wineries across the region.

Craft beer now accounts for 6% of the Canadian beer market as the craft brewing boom takes further chunks out of "big beer".

Since opening his store three years ago, the Brockville, Ont., native has been working to raise the profile of Canadian wine in Japan

Canada's premiers are in Charlottetown for their annual Council of the Federation meeting and once again the apparently catastrophic issue of interprovincial trade barriers ranks high on the agenda. Most premiers would rather talk about a real problem, like lack of infrastructure money, but western provinces and the federal government see their moment to change the conversation for reasons no one is being honest about.

Economic Development and Infrastructure Minister Brad Duguid extended an olive branch to the Prairie province, which is threatening to impose retaliatory trade barriers on Ontario if it doesn't scrap rules that give local companies a head start when bidding on infrastructure projects.

The Nova Scotia Wine Development Board will highlight opportunities, identify barriers and provide advice on legislation, regulation and policy development. Agriculture Minister Keith Colwell will lead the board, which will also include representatives of the province's farm wineries, grape growers and support services.

Ontario's governing Liberals are shrugging off a new report claiming consumers could pay less for booze and the province could brew more profit from alcohol sales if the government opened up the business to more retailers.

A new C.D. Howe report released Wednesday revived the debate over the oligopoly that controls booze sales in Ontario. But what would a liberalized regime actually look like for the consumer? Ontario could look to other provinces - or its own (ignored) expert report - for a few ideas.

The recently released report by the C.D. Howe Institute calling for major change in Ontario's alcohol retailing system agrees with the Wine Council of Ontario's position that lack of competition is resulting in less choice for consumers and reduced government revenues.

Professors at Okanagan College have conducted extensive research to find out what motivates wine visitors to come to the valley, and what is needed to ensure they return. Along with the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society and the British Columbia Wine Institute the team discovered the "greatest influence on visitor motivation."

A provincial pilot project to sell VQA wines at farmers' markets may need more flexibility to be beneficial, local wineries say. "Everybody, all the members are committed to it, and we're sticking with it, but I think it's going to take some time," said Ann Wilson, president and general manager of Oxley Estate Winery.

A new Harris Decima poll shows that Canadians want the federal government to remove the limitation on importing wine from other provinces. About half of Canadians say they drink wine at least occasionally and nationally 17 per cent say they drink wine regularly, while 36 per cent say they drink wine occasionally.

The fallout from this year's harsh winter may allow a Lambton County winery to sell wine next year at farmers' markets.

Breaking down Ontario's prohibition-era liquor laws to allow local stores to sell alcohol would lower prices while generating more revenue for the government than current "quasi-monopolies," according to a new report.

Another alcohol brand has looked beyond glass to offer a new line in PET packaging. Andrew Peller Limited has introduced skinnygrape spritzers in a 330ml barrier PET bottle from Amcor Rigid Plastics. The beverage was previously only available as a low-calorie wine in a 750ml glass bottle

Thanks to a new agreement between Ottawa and the European Union, Canada and the EU appear to be opening up freer trade terms than what's currently in place between the provinces. Provincial wine and craft beer monopolies that control and restrict distribution in their jurisdictions are arguably the most discussed impediments within Canada's tangle of internal trade barriers, according to experts.

"You simply turned on a tap, and the water went down the drain, and that's all you had to know about water management 20 years ago."

Western provinces with more competition had seven per cent more per capita in provincial alcohol profits than those with government-run monopolies, according to the report written by two economists

Canada's wine industry could face new restrictions within its own borders, if a leaked EU trade deal turns out to be accurate.