Industry veteran Steven Trenholme will guide you through the intricate process of importing & selling beverage alcohol in Ontario & Quebec. The morning will be focused on understanding the dynamics of the industry and have the know-how to organize private imports for your personal consumption. With this ‘taste’ of what is involved in importing beverage alcohol, you will have the fundamentals to embark on a new or part-time career as an importer. In the afternoon, Steven will highlight the various marketing and distribution channels available to agents in Ontario and Quebec including how to deal with the LCBO and SAQ […]
Wine Law
Bring Your Own Bottle BYOB Wine to Restaurants Tips
Bringing your own bottle of wine to restaurants is now legal in many provinces and states, but what are the rules of engagement? I shared some tips on CBC radio this week on the etiquette of doing so, including the types of wines to bring, corkage fees and tipping. Does the thought of bringing your own wine to a restaurant make you feel cheap and arrogant? Get over it by practicing good BYOB etiquette. 1. Even when the practice is legal, check if the restaurant allows or encourages it. When you make the reservation, ask if you can […]
Wine Jobs and Careers: Wine Course on Importing Wine is Good Training
By Debbie Trenholm Since I began working in the wine industry over 10 years ago, there are two questions that I am constantly asked: “I was away on holidays in ‘wherever’ and discovered X Wine that isn’t at the LCBO. How can I get it shipped into Ontario?” “I want to get a job in the wine and beer business. Any tips on where to start?” If I had a toonie for each time I get asked these questions, I would be drinking Champagne every day! With the rapid growth of the wine, craft beer and premium spirits too, there […]
Canadian Wine and the European Trade Deal
How will the new European trade deal affect the Canadian wine industry? Here are some excerpts quoted from a recent story by Dianne Buckner, host of CBC’s Dragon Den. The story ran on CBC, Reuters and Canadian Business magazine. Unlike Canada’s cheese-makers and fisheries who find themselves disadvantaged by the new deal, some in Canada’s wine industry are thrilled by the prospect of new customers. Just ask the president of the Canadian Vintners Association. “The agreement opens preferential market access to the EU’s more than 500 million consumers,” says Dan Paszkowski. “It creates new opportunities for Canadian wine exports to […]
Importing Wine for Pleasure & Profit Seminar
IMPORTING WINE Spirits & Beer FOR PLEASURE & PROFIT Presented by C.S. Trenholme & Associates Saturday June 8, 2013 The Old Mill Inn & Spa – Toronto 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM Learn how to import wines, spirits and beers for your own collection or as a fascinating business opportunity. During this one-day seminar, you will be guided through the process of importing beverage alcohol in a professional, and entertaining manner. This seminar is organized in two parts. The morning session has been prepared especially for those individuals who have little or no knowledge of the wine, spirit and beer […]
Free My Canadian Grapes & Wine: MP Dan Albas Part 2
In our second video chat, Member of Parliament, Dan Albas, talks about the law he helped to pass that got rid of federal restrictions on shipping wine across Canada. However, important issues remain. We also taste two terrific B.C. wines together and toast to all barriers coming down so that all Canadians can enjoy all Canadian wines. How would removing all restrictions, including those at the provincial level, affect our wine industry? Do we really want wineries growing bigger with a more open market or is it more about having more investment in better wine for existing wineries, […]
Shipping Wine Across Canada: Bill C-311 and Beyond
In the video chat below, Member of Parliament Dan Albas talks about what Bill C-311 means for Canadian wine lovers and wineries today, and what needs to happen next. Can we call a winery in another province and order wine, or only purchase on site? Is there any limit on how much? Is just Canadian wine or all wine? Ontario produces the majority of wine in this country so do you think the Ontario wine industry has more to lose than the BC wine industry if provincial borders are open? About 90% of BC wine is consumed […]
Sommelier Guild Honours Wine Person of the Year Dan Albas
The National Capital Sommelier Guild is delighted to honour Mr. Dan Albas, Member of Parliament for Okanagan–Coquihalla, as its 2012 Wine Person of the Year. The award was presented at the Guild’s annual gala dinner at the National Arts Center on January 19. Mr. Albas introduced and was the driving force behind Private Members Bill C-311, which passed with unanimous support of the House of Commons and Senate on June 28, 2012. The bill amended the Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act and removed federal restrictions prohibiting Canadians from moving wine purchased for personal use from one province to another. […]
Free My Grapes: Ontario Sequel on Shipping Wine Across Borders
by Susan Desjardins In June 2012, Bill C-311, presented by Dan Albas, MP for Okanagan-Coquihalla, received royal assent just before the House of Commons rose for the summer. Why do we care? Laws governing the transport and sale of alcohol across provincial boundaries dated back to 1928 and the Prohibition Era. Until the passage of Bill C-311 by unanimous vote of the House, it was a criminal offense to take or ship wine across provincial boundaries. Talk to European winemakers about this and they just shake their heads – “How can this be? You are one country, are you not! […]
Bring Your Own Wine to BC Restaurants
By Mari Kane Friday night marked a turning point in our seven-year-long Vancouver dining experience – we brought our own bottle of wine into a restaurant. One day after the new Bring Your Own Wine (BYOW) law went into effect in BC, my husband and I proudly marched into a restaurant bearing a bottle I had purchased in a VQA store not 3 hours before. We set it on the table and the maitre d’ approached our table, saying “I talked to you on the phone. This is our first BYOW.” I told him it was our first BYOW as […]
