Premiers Open the Door to Direct Wine Sales.
Now Governments Must Finish the Job
Wine Growers BC welcomes national framework but says true free trade requires simple consumer access without new markups, fees, or red tape.
Wine Growers British Columbia welcomes the agreement reached by nine provincial Premiers to expand direct-to-consumer alcohol sales across Canada, calling it an important breakthrough toward a more open domestic market for Canadian wine.
The Operating Agreement on Direct-to-Consumer Sales of Alcoholic Beverages transforms last year’s commitment from a statement of intent into a framework that participating provinces can use to establish or maintain direct-to-consumer sales systems.
“This is meaningful progress on a barrier our industry has been working to remove for years,” said Jeff Guignard, President and CEO of Wine Growers British Columbia. “The Premiers deserve credit for recognizing that Canadians should be able to buy Canadian wine directly from Canadian wineries, regardless of provincial boundaries.”
While the agreement establishes an important framework, Wine Growers BC cautions that it does not, by itself, create a truly open national market.
Participating provinces must still determine how they will implement the agreement and may adopt separate registration, authorization, reporting, and remittance requirements. The agreement also allows provinces to impose liquor board markups, fees, and other charges on direct shipments.
“A national framework is not the same as a national market,” said Guignard. “The real measure of success will be whether governments use this agreement to remove barriers, or simply replace existing barriers with new fees, markups, and bureaucracy.”
British Columbia already allows Canadian wineries to ship wine directly to consumers in the province and has committed to extending that approach to all beverage alcohol categories by February 2027.
Wine Growers BC says implementation must preserve existing consumer access while creating a simple, affordable, and reciprocal system across Canada.
“A Canadian should be able to visit a BC winery, discover a wine they love, return home, and continue ordering it directly,” said Guignard. “They should not face a maze of provincial rules or pay additional charges to a liquor board that played no role in purchasing, warehousing, marketing, distributing, or delivering that product.”
Direct-to-consumer sales are especially important for small and medium-sized wineries that have limited access to provincial retail systems. These sales enable wineries to maintain relationships with visitors, grow wine club memberships, and reach consumers seeking Canadian products.
That opportunity is more important than ever as Canadian wineries face increasing uncertainty in international markets and as consumers look for more ways to support domestic producers.
Wine Growers BC is calling on participating governments to implement the agreement quickly and commit to:
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No liquor board markups on Canadian direct-to-consumer wine shipments;
- No unnecessary annual registration requirements or per-shipment fees;
- Mutual recognition of licences issued by participating provinces;
- Consistent and streamlined reporting requirements; and
- Protection of existing direct-to-consumer access.
“We suport the direction governments have chosen and want this agreement to succeed,” said Guignard. “Success will not be measured by how many Premiers signed the agreement. It will be measured by whether Canadians can actually buy Canadian wine simply, directly, and affordably.”
“Canada needs the free movement of Canadian goods within Canada, not nine new provincial toll booths. The framework is now in place. The job is not finished until Canadians can enjoy genuine free trade within their own country.”