In all, there are about 120 tonnes of grapes to harvest this year at Henry of Pelham. It will be about four full nights of work, said Speck, to complete the harvest. They hope the temperatures keep cooperating, as they've had a new adversary this year in addition to birds and the fear of rot due to warm weather.

The Ontario Liberal Party made the announcement on New Years Eve. Their plan is to launch a pilot project that would see beer and spirits sold at 10 grocery stores across the province. Based on the success of these new outlets the project would then expand to more locations in Ontario.

Ross Harrington says Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. is flexing the regulatory muscle the province gave it two years ago. "In 2011, the government of Nova Scotia gave (the corporation) police powers, which they are now exercising," the owner of Wine Kitz Halifax said Wednesday in an interview.

Thanks to an unfortunate government policy, imported boxed wines, commonly known as bag-in-box, are banned from Liquor Control Board of Ontario shelves.

Despite a federal law allowing wine to be imported across provincial borders for individual use, most of Canada's provinces are refusing to allow the free trade, citing a loss of alcohol tax revenues and sparking a brewing battle over wine.

B.C.'s icewine producers are hoping warm weather doesn't put their planned harvest on ice this week. Producers need a sustained period of temperatures of minus-8 or below to bring in frozen grapes - so far this winter, that's been hard to come by.

The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) office in Ottawa, through its food and beverage alliance, tasteUS!, recently launched a new website that provides Canadians with information on top quality U.S.-grown food and the more than 40 U.S. cooperators whose products are found in grocery stores across Canada.

It's Niagara's reputation as a wine-and-fruit destination that prompted Geoff Dillon to start a spirited new venture here. Dillon learned the art of distilling from his father while studying biology and economics at the University of Western Ontario.

"The public wants to see the LCBO remain a valued public asset that contribute attractive annual dividends to help pay for education, health care and infrastructure." - Warren (Smokey) Thomas, OPSEU President.

A small winery on the northeast coast of Newfoundland is about to expand its production to ship thousands of cases of its products to China.

To help bring wines from smaller wineries to Ontario consumers - not just restaurant owners or wine experts - Mr. Abreu and Mr. Bekhor launched e-commerce site WineWire.ca in October 2012.

Celebration of the new year was short lived at Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery. As the calender page turned over to 2013, the focus of the St. Catharines-based winery turned from celebrating the arrival of a new year to preparing for the annual icewine harvest.

For three weekends, from January 11th through the 27th, the annual culinary event will showcase Niagara's finest wineries and the talents of its best chefs.

"The LCBO changes, in the works for some time, blunt Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak's recent promise for beer and wine in corner stores." That's from a Toronto Star report on the Ontario government liquor concern planning to open 10 "express" outlets in or near supermarkets.

Niagara can reinvent itself and take its rightful place in the global economy. Thankfully, a significant consequence of the seismic global economic restructuring over the past two decades has been a growing recognition of cities and regions as the main centres of economic development and job creation.

The ice-wine grape harvest has begun in Ontario's Niagara Region. The Niagara Falls Review reports that temperatures dropped below minus-10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) earlier this week, which is the point at which the harvest can start.

The union representing more than 7,000 LCBO workers has endorsed the Crown agency's decision to open 'Express' stores in several large grocery stores and to inaugurate boutique outlets for the sale of Ontario quality wines.

For three weekends, from January 11th through the 27th, the annual culinary event will showcase Niagara's finest wineries and the talents of its best chefs. Attend tastings and pairings near this Niagara Falls hotel, and learn from the experts at seminars including All You Need is Cheese, where Deborah Levy from Dairy Farmers of Canada will show you how to pair your favorite cheese with wines and Icewines.

One of the region's staunchest defenders of agriculture has taken issue with a South Okanagan winery's bid to expand its drink menu. The owners of Tinhorn Creek Vineyards near Oliver are seeking a new food-primary liquor licence for their Miradoro Restaurant that would allow them to serve alcoholic beverages other than B.C. wine.

One among the new store formats is LCBO Express stores, which will be smaller in size and will allow LCBO to meet consumer demand for products like Ontario wine, spirits and beer, whereas, the LCBO VQA Destination Boutiques, a full-size LCBO store, will offer consumers an expanded range of Ontrario's VQA wines.