The Executive Director of the BC Wine Institute is pleased with the easing of alcohol importing rules into the province for personal consumption.

But Miles Prodan says he is waiting for the day when BC wineries will be able to ship Canadian wine directly to customers across the country.

Prodan says the industry is not worried about people bringing alcohol in for personal consumption.

“B.C. was one of the first to allow wines to be shipped directly to you at home from a Canadian winery a number of years ago,” he said. “Bringing alcohol in on your person is one thing, but what we’ve been striving for is direct to consumer delivery of wine and that is really important to us.”

Prodan says right now B.C. wineries are only able to ship wine to customers in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Nova Scotia.

“Really that represents 19 per cent of the entire market here in Canada so we would like some of the other provinces, like Alberta or Ontario, it would be nice if they could be able to go back home and continue to receive their favourite wine through a direct delivery.”

He says Ontario wineries are able to ship into B.C., and notes work has been underway for some time to see similar reciprocity from other provinces.

“That what really inter-provincial trade, free trade, Canadian free trade is all about. Why are we restricted from doing that?” noted Prodan. “That’s really what we are talking about, and that’s what we think will make a big difference to a lot of these small, family owned wineries in the Okanagan and across B.C.”

(Photo via BC Wine Institute)