There is fairly wide awareness among the wine trade – and knowledgeable consumers – in British Columbia that the BC government’s implementation of its Liquor Policy Review changes are controversial in the eyes of several of our major wine-producing trading partners. What do we really know about the issues, and how can we assess the […]

On March 30, 2015, the BC Ministry of Agriculture announced the approval of BC’s first sub-appellation: the Golden Mile Bench. The 11 wineries who operate on the Bench were surely popping corks to celebrate the culmination of seven years’ work to scope the definition of the Bench, conduct the scientific studies, develop (and maintain) the […]

As the BC government lurches toward the April 1 2015 launch of major changes to how wine and liquor are priced and where they may be sold in this province, the whole process is taking on an ever more Alice-through-the-looking-glass quality. Bearing in mind that the goal is a level playing field and a more […]

As part of the BC government’s ongoing wine and liquor reforms resulting from its Liquor Policy Review, a new wine wholesale price structure was announced in December 2014. The changes rested on two premises: that the price structure would “level the playing field” among various categories of retailer (licenced retail stores – LRS, private wine […]

Part 2 – What about the non-economic impacts of wine tourism?  As studies of established and emerging wine regions around the world have shown, rapid increases in tourism to regions whose appeal depend on their “viewscapes” (in our case “winescapes”), rural character and the sustainable produce of the region can kill the goose that laid […]

Part 1 – What are the economic benefits? The advance trickle of endorsements by the BC government of uncontroversial recommendations from the Liquor Policy Review continued in mid-December. Several of these were warmly welcomed in BC wine tourism circles.  Among the tourism-friendly announcements (also applicable to craft breweries and distilleries) were: streamlining producer licenses to […]

With the delivery of Parliamentary Secretary John Yap’s report on the BC Liquor Policy Review last week to Attorney General Suzanne Anton, it’s a good time to reflect on one of the hotter issues that emerged from the stakeholder (but definitely not public!) consultation.  The words “taxes” and “hot” don’t usually go together – nor […]

October 28, 2013 Hon. John Yap Parliamentary Secretary for Liquor Policy Reform Province of British Columbia, East Annex, Parliament Buildings Victoria, BC  V7V 1X4 Via email to http://engage.gov.bc.ca/liquorpolicyreview/ Dear Mr. Yap: Re:  Comments to British Columbia’s Liquor Policy Review The initiative taken by the Province to review BC’s antiquated liquor laws is welcome – for […]

Two recent political developments have caused BC wine enthusiasts – and winemakers – to get excited about the prospects for the industry.  On the heels of the BC Liberal re-election, the first took place in the heart of the Okanagan, when MLA and winery proprietor Ben Stewart stepped aside for Premier Christy Clark to contest […]

Absolutely we should care! First, a bit of background:  A few agreements already govern Canadian – European trade in wine, including broad international trade protocols relating to taxation, duties and agreements on intellectual property, and more specifically  the 2004 Wine and Spirits Agreement that offered better protection for “geographic indicators” – terms that designate origin […]