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Recent Articles Archive of National Post Articles
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Fruit
Wines Squeezed out by the LCBO
It’s
amazing how some things are always with you. As a 9-year-old, I would make a
beeline to a neighbor’s house whose Easter ritual involved opening his
treasured bottles of homemade wine. And they weren’t any old wines, but
delicious sweet fruit wines – perfect harbingers of Spring and all the good
things to come. Unfortunately,
he is no longer with us and I have lost touch with his son - my buddy
‘Eddie.” My thirst for the nectar of our local fruit, however, still
remains. In spite of the LCBO’s massive growth of new stores over the past
decade, finding these treasures has not become an easier task It’s
tragic that with the massive increase in Ontario fruit wines (produced by more
than 30 wineries), they still are almost impossible to find. A glance at my
local liquor store shelves reminds me of old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard. And
when I ask the manager about this absence, his answer is that “nobody buys
them.” “Well of course nobody buys them,” I reply, “you don’t sell
them!” Unfortunately,
the LCBO is now more determined than ever to reduce consumer choice. Head office
recently forced many store managers to arbitrarily remove 20% or more of
existing selections. Instead of spreading shelf facings to show more wines, the
monopoly has dictated that there shall be more facings of the same old highest
selling wines. Slow movers are put on the bottom shelves, just a step closer to
the door. The
LCBO suggestion that this diminishing selection represents consumer choice is
pathetic. In fact, it’s simply a matter of LCBO greed – maximizing profits
at the consumer’s expense. And there may well be another agenda as this policy
gives a few large, well-heeled, global wine producers/distributors an iron grip
on sales in this province. “It’s becoming worse than what’s happening in
California grocery chains where a half dozen labels constitute 90% of sales,”
bemoans one agent. “At least there, you can put your wines into the smaller
private stores who care about choice.” “The
LCBO claim that it encourages competition is truly BS,” says another
disillusioned wine importer. “Our company has been waiting patiently for more
than two years and we are still unable to get a single case of consignment
warehouse allocation space. It’s a closed shop!” Obviously
this is also a terrible problem for our local fruit wineries that cannot gain
access to the market. Retail locations are desperately needed immediately. And
yet the when it comes to selling wine, our provincial government seems incapable
of acting quickly or doing the right thing. A year ago I complained that the
LCBO Price Book didn’t have a fruit wine section and, as of today, nothing has
changed. The
answer would be to immediately sanction the opening of privately owned stores
dedicated to selling fruit wines complete with a sampling station. It’s done
in Montreal, so why not Ontario? And
what could be better than putting the comprehensive fruit wine store in St.
Lawrence Market? Imagine being able to drop by today and sample delicious,
locally-made fruit wines and then selecting the perfect one for your Easter
dinner? Not
only will the government be increasing profits through these sales, but these
badly needed retail outlets will provide a real solution helping dozens of small
Ontario businesses succeed. Of course, it will only work if bulk, imported,
“Product of Canada” low-cost fruit wine blends are kept off the shelves.
Space has to be reserved for the dozens of genuine artisan producers not just a
few conglomerates who already own most sales. While
there is still a lot of variability from year to year, as well as some
distinctly disappointing bottles, quality has improved immensely from five years
ago. After recently blind tasting some 96 fruit wine submissions at the Toronto
Wine & Cheese Show, 38 received awards which is a much higher proportion
than for regular table wines. Press
Here to see the full list of winners is available on my website).
It
saddens me to report that less than half a dozen can be purchased at the LCBO.
The best of show off-dry fruit wine, for instance, Hernder
2001 Rhubarb at $12.95 for a 500 ml bottle is only available at the
winery. This show-stopper has terrific, sweet but refreshing, vibrant, rhubarb
flavours that bring a smile to your lips - a real smile.
For
cranberry lovers, the best of show was the beautifully crafted Muskoka
Lakes 2000 Cranberry at $12.95, again only available at the winery.
The store, which is located near Bala, reopened on March 23rd. While
this wine would be sheer perfection with a juicy slice of Easter ham, Muskoka
Lakes has yet to receive approval
from the AGCO (Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario) permitting them to ship
the wine. See http://www.cranberry.ca/winery2.html
So if you need a bottle today, you will have to check out Vintages where the
bronze medal winning Stoney
Ridge 2000 Cranberry is available at $12.95 (CSPC
392191).
Coming Up:
The
California Wine Fair featuring 70 wineries and
250
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Copyright Food & Beverage Testing Institute of Canada
2004 |
This
lack of availability also applies to the best of show sweet fruit wine 
Seasonal
favourites include the gold medal winning 
Of
all producers, Southbrook Winery has consistently made Canada’s best. All five
2002 submissions got medals, including three golds - 
wines arrives at Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York on April 10th.
For information call 1-800-558-2675. Also