LCBO / The Beer Store

[just east of the creek]

Port….for those interested in a 20 year old port, may I suggest Fonseca Tawny 20 Year Old. Exceptional. Available in QC, probably the LCBO as well. You can mull over Portugal, Wellington, Napoleon while sipping, and it certainly mellows out your UT posts. Well recommended.

 

[Northern Light]

Port….for those interested in a 20 year old port, may I suggest Fonseca Tawny 20 Year Old. Exceptional. Available in QC, probably the LCBO as well. You can mull over Portugal, Wellington, Napoleon while sipping, and it certainly mellows out your UT posts. Well recommended.

The above is this:

After the fine description, it seems unfortunate to report, but it is not currently listed by the LCBO.

 

[just east of the creek]

The above is this:

View attachment 628653

After the fine description, it seems unfortunate to report, but it is not currently listed by the LCBO.

The unfortunate fact that it is not currently listed will only reinforce my need to be in this province from time to time....and perhaps export a bottle or two from the SAQ home.

 

[Towered]

I am frustrated/pleased to report that this is finally on shelves:

Only problem is, this is a classic Christmas beer to be enjoyed during the holidays, not after. Unfortunately due to the LCBO strike, it's only now flooding store shelves, well after the season has wrapped up

 

[max]

I am frustrated/pleased to report that this is finally on shelves:

View attachment 628702
Only problem is, this is a classic Christmas beer to be enjoyed during the holidays, not after. Unfortunately due to the LCBO strike, it's only now flooding store shelves, well after the season has wrapped up

With the high ABV, I would think it will keep for next season.

 

[Towered]

With the high ABV, I would think it will keep for next season.

I bought a couple yesterday and fully intend to drink them in short order.

 

[Bayer]

I have been trying more Canadian wines lately, and yesterday I had this Norman Hardie skin-fermented Gewürztraminer. It is probably the least offensive orange wine I have tried, but it didn't really work with the Kung Pao tofu dish I made. Never again, said my spousal unit.

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

Where's the wines and other alcohol products from British Columbia or Québec on LCBO shelves? Do they have a tariff on them?

Until June 2019, inter-provincial shipment of alcohol directly to the consumer was forbidden under federal legislation but then the legislation was repealed. It was now possible for provinces to pass enabling legislation to permit this practice. Unfortunately, the majority of provinces chose not to and currently, only BC, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan allow direct-to-consumer alcohol shipments into their jurisdictions. Ontario has recently amended its laws to prohibit the possession of wine that has been imported from other provinces unless the transaction was handled via the LCBO.

The result is that it is currently impossible for the Ontario wine consumer to support small local wineries in another province even though direct-to-consumer sales have become their lifeblood. Even if you can purchase wines from other provinces, the LCBO will charge you the same import duties as if the wine came from a foreign country.

From https://www.torontowine.com/ontario-wine-politics

 

[lenaitch]

Where's the wines and other alcohol products from British Columbia or Québec on LCBO shelves? Do they have a tariff on them?


From https://www.torontowine.com/ontario-wine-politics

A "tariff" per se is a levy on importation at the national level. There are no tariffs between provinces but there are trade barriers that some observers have monetized into the 'equivalent of a tariff. According to a CBC article, there are currently 245 exemptions, carve-outs and restrictions under that Canada Free Trade Agreement Act.

 

[Fritter]

At this point, is Ontario's wine industry in such dire circumstances that allowing BC or Québec wines to be sold freely here mean Ontario wine industry downfall? Or will allowing Alberta Craft Beer mean the disappearace of Ontario's craft industry ?
This all reeks of fifedom protection and just continuing of measures that may or may not have made sense in the 1930s.
I really don't know why the elimination of internal trade barriers, which in my mind is a no brainer, is such a hard thing for the confederation to implement.

 

[TossYourJacket]

At this point, is Ontario's wine industry in such dire circumstances that allowing BC or Québec wines to be sold freely here mean Ontario wine industry downfall? Or will allowing Alberta Craft Beer mean the disappearace of Ontario's craft industry ?
This all reeks of fifedom protection and just continuing of measures that may or may not have made sense in the 1930s.
I really don't know why the elimination of internal trade barriers, which in my mind is a no brainer, is such a hard thing for the confederation to implement.

I think a lot of it is that there has been no urgency to remove barriers, so you end up with local industries lobbying to keep barriers up, and governments going along with it. Now that an urgency to open up inter-provincial trade exists, there might be more of an appetite to finally do something.

 

[Northern Light]

At this point, is Ontario's wine industry in such dire circumstances that allowing BC or Québec wines to be sold freely here mean Ontario wine industry downfall? Or will allowing Alberta Craft Beer mean the disappearace of Ontario's craft industry ?
This all reeks of fifedom protection and just continuing of measures that may or may not have made sense in the 1930s.
I really don't know why the elimination of internal trade barriers, which in my mind is a no brainer, is such a hard thing for the confederation to implement.

No Ontario's wine industry would not be adversely impacted.

**

That's not the reason the barriers are there. They are there to ensure the LCBO collects all the profit on the sales of said wine (excise tax, fees, mark up), so the first concern is potential revenue loss; the second is precedent, with reference to various free trade agreements. The LCBO has the exclusive right-to-import; if that is removed for other provinces, does it have to be removed for the U.S., the E-U? etc

For clarity I support removing the barriers and long have......I'm just stating the reasoning they haven't come down.

 

[torontowest91]

I really hope the LCBO can bring in cool spirits again... they cut it all back with RTD takeover. Now that RTDs are at costco/grocery.. clear some out of the LCBO. I remember how much more selection of spirits was around in 2010 vs now 2025.

 

[Bayer]

I really hope the LCBO can bring in cool spirits again... they cut it all back with RTD takeover. Now that RTDs are at costco/grocery.. clear some out of the LCBO. I remember how much more selection of spirits was around in 2010 vs now 2025.

If US wines and spirits are eventually removed from LCBO shelves, I'm half expecting them to be replaced with walls of vodka instead of new products.

 

[Northern Light]

If US wines and spirits are eventually removed from LCBO shelves, I'm half expecting them to be replaced with walls of vodka instead of new products.

I think a modest, structural move would make sense. I say modest, because at some point I would expect U.S. product to return and you don't want to build up alternative businesses just to displace them.

As such, I think a reasonable goal would be to displace 20% of all U.S. wine (the worst sellers) with BC product mainly, and a bit more Ontario; and likewise to set aside ~20% of the shelf space for Bourbon for both more Canadian Whiskey, and more variety in spirits broadly, with the intent that this space is not returning to U.S. products in the next 5 years.

Then you use the remaining space as 'hype' space for both Canadian and non-U.S. imports you think under-sell, and you give them a showcase for however many weeks anything lasts, hopefully providing a permanent boost.

Meanwhile, the LCBO should also give notice that its going to cut back its plonk/blended wine section in favour of more VQA from Ontario, and BC and comparable Nova Scotia product, starting with a freeze on new listings in this category and then a goal to reduce its shelf space by 20% over 5 years as stores under go re-lines and renos.