With B.C.含羞草研究社檚 wine industry facing 含羞草研究社榗atastrophic含羞草研究社� crop damage from January含羞草研究社檚 freeze, Alberta liquor branch含羞草研究社檚 threats to restrict wine could not be worse timing, say B.C. wine growers and local elected officials.

On Jan. 22, the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission issued a letter to numerous B.C. wineries informing them that, if they did not immediately stop shipping wines direct-to-consumers in Alberta, they would stop allowing those wines in their retail stores.

Wines of British Columbia estimates direct-to-consumer counts for less than three per cent of sales, with most involving high-end bottles that aren含羞草研究社檛 even available through government channels.

The action by Alberta are baffling, said MLA Roly Russell, and the provincial government is working on this problem. He said B.C. officials have been in touch with Alberta counterparts and urged them to stop what they are doing.

含羞草研究社淭his move doesn含羞草研究社檛 only affect Albertans含羞草研究社� freedom to choose what wine they can enjoy, it has serious repercussions on grape growers and winemakers where I live and throughout our province,含羞草研究社� said Russell.

含羞草研究社淚 know that this action couldn含羞草研究社檛 come at a worse time for our growers, given recent climatic events, and it含羞草研究社檚 baffling that Alberta would decide to do this now.含羞草研究社�

Summerland含羞草研究社檚 district council is sending a letter to the Alberta liquor branch to cease and desist.

Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola MP Dan Albas said the timing of Alberta含羞草研究社檚 letter is 含羞草研究社榟ard-hearted含羞草研究社� considering the duress B.C. wineries have been under over the past few years getting through COVID, wildfires, and unprecedented crop damage due to freezing.

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 Alberta含羞草研究社檚 big liquor monopoly picking on the little B.C. wineries,含羞草研究社� said Albas. 含羞草研究社淲e allow Alberta breweries and distilleries to ship to B.C. but Alberta will not give the same reciprocity for our wines.含羞草研究社�

B.C., Manitoba and Nova Scotia have free trade but Alberta said No

In 2011, Albas put forward a private members bill dubbed 含羞草研究社榝ree my grapes含羞草研究社� that would have allowed free trade of wine from Coast to Coast. But the Trudeau government 含羞草研究社榩unted it,含羞草研究社� he said.

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 easier to ship cannabis than it is wine in Canada,含羞草研究社� he added.

Along with B.C. wines suffering catastrophic vine damage, wildfires and loss of tourism, come April 1, 2024, the federal government is increasing the excise tax of domestic wine by 4.7 per cent.

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 hard for the smaller family-run businesses to survive. I talked to one winery this week and they told me they含羞草研究社檝e lost over 90 per cent of their crop,含羞草研究社� said Albas.

There are government supports in place for crop recovery but by the time funds reach a winery, it may be too late, he added.

B.C. wineries willing to pay tax to Alberta

Carl Boucher, founder of Carl含羞草研究社檚 Wine Club in the South Okanagan said Alberta含羞草研究社檚 timing is 含羞草研究社榙isgusting.含羞草研究社� Boucher spent 17 years living in Calgary and has hundreds of wine members there.

含羞草研究社淟ast year含羞草研究社檚 crop damage from the freeze was dramatic. This year could be catastrophic with some worrying they will have zero crops for this year含羞草研究社檚 harvest,含羞草研究社� said Boucher.

Damage from the December 2022 freeze was estimated at around 50 per cent of vines that needed replacing mainly in the Similkameen and South Okanagan. The freeze in January, 2023 caused widespread bud damage across the region, said Boucher.

Coupled with Alberta含羞草研究社檚 new threats, it could cause some wineries to close.

含羞草研究社淏.C. wineries are willing to pay a tax to ship directly to consumers but Alberta didn含羞草研究社檛 even give that a chance,含羞草研究社� he said. 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 easier to ship wine to the U.S. and Tokyo than it is to ship to Alberta.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 pure insanity,含羞草研究社� he added.

Alberta club members not happy

Nancy Teghtmeyer, who lives in Calgary and regularly tours Okanagan wineries, is a wine club member at a few Okanagan wineries. She gets her wine shipped directly and doesn含羞草研究社檛 understand the motivation behind her government含羞草研究社檚 move.

含羞草研究社淚f B.C. wines shipping directly are only three per cent of sales, that含羞草研究社檚 a drop in the bucket for Alberta liquor branch. The only ones getting hurt here are the little B.C. wineries,含羞草研究社� she asks. 含羞草研究社淚f they want to go after someone, go after big guys like Amazon.含羞草研究社�

Teghtmeyer is a club member at Wine Maker含羞草研究社檚 Cut and is a big fan of Fairview含羞草研究社檚 Pinot Noir.

含羞草研究社淭hese are wines that aren含羞草研究社檛 sold in our stores.含羞草研究社�

Teghtmeyer says she loves visiting the smaller tasting rooms in the Okanagan and hearing the winery含羞草研究社檚 story, often getting to meet the owners directly.

含羞草研究社淭hese wineries offer a unique experience,含羞草研究社� said Teghtmeyer. 含羞草研究社淚 want to support them and I do that by becoming a club member and buying their wine.含羞草研究社�

Alberta retailers offer very little selection of Canadian wines in their liquor stores as it is, said Boucher. And what Canadian wines they do offer are marked way up.

Not the first time Alberta has banned B.C. wine

Penticton含羞草研究社檚 TIME Winery general manager Christa-Lee McWatters, daughter of the late Harry McWatters, said the B.C. government is very aware of the issue and as board chair of the BC Wine Growers Association she is headed to Vancouver to meet with the Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Tourism on the issue.

含羞草研究社淭he last time this happened with Alberta [in 2018] it has nothing to do with wine, it was about pipelines. It含羞草研究社檚 hard to say what it含羞草研究社檚 about this time around. We含羞草研究社檝e talked to a lot of people in Alberta and they think this is ridiculous,含羞草研究社� said McWatters.

TIME Winery was one of the wineries that received the cease and desist letter from Alberta.

Alberta is the second biggest consumer of B.C. wines.

含羞草研究社淏.C. is a big supporter of B.C. wines and in these trying times the best way to support us is to buy direct from the wineries, online or become a club member. Your support does make all the difference.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 a pretty scary time for wineries. I含羞草研究社檝e been doing this for 30 years and I含羞草研究社檝e never seen anything like this. Some will weather this, but not all will,含羞草研究社� she said, speaking to the difficult last few years B.C. wineries have endured.

Al Hudec is a Kelowna-based lawyer hired by winemakers to push back against the Alberta move.

Hudec said Alberta含羞草研究社檚 letter could be a case for judicial review.

In 2018, the Alberta government stopped allowing B.C. wine after a spat over the Trans Mountain pipeline.

含羞草研究社淲hile we are still unclear of the political motivation behind the recent AGLC letter, it is disheartening for our local growers and producers, who have already suffered great financial hardships over this past year. We are concerned about being targeted once again for political gain that has nothing to do with our industry,含羞草研究社� said BC Wine Growers.