(Image borrowed from www.jancisrobinson.com)

Jancis Robinson continues to provide priceless media attention to the number one topic plaguing Canada’s wine industry: the embarrassing “Cellared in Canada” scandal. In her visit to BC last month she witnessed first-hand how wine made from imported grapes is prominently displayed on the BCLDB shelves in the “British Columbia” section married with wines made from 100% Canadian fruit and no information whatsoever to differentiate. She also mentioned how a “Sales Advisor” BCLDB employee incorrectly told her that the only difference between these wines and the VQA branded bottles was that the former were “more mass-market offerings” yet still from BC.

As I discussed in the comments, I feel that two things need to happen in order to end consumer deception:

1. Separate sections at the retail level in the Liquor Store. I’m not against these wines being sold – the fact that there is still some Canadian involvement is better for our local economy than buying a bottle of Yellow Tail. However, these wines shouldn’t be on the same shelves or even in the same section as wines made from 100% Canadian fruit or VQA wines. This new section should have prominent signs stating “Canadian made wine from imported fruit.” This way there is absolutely no chance for someone to confusingly purchase what they perceive to be Canadian wine.

2. Labeling reforms imposed by the federal government on Canadian producers. Definitely nothing near the stringent and overly restrictive AOC labeling laws in France, but rather a couple facts comprehensively spelled out. If the wine has been made using any foreign grapes/juice this should be boldly stated. “This wine is made from imported fruit” at nothing smaller than a 12pt sized font. If blended from domestic and foreign fruit, a percentage would be ideal, but I realize that this is sometimes difficult to produce. Kudos to the labels that already say “made from a blend of imported and domestic wine,” but I feel that the small print used can still be overlooked. “Cellar in Canada” is almost a code you need to translate and not nearly obvious enough for the average consumer.

Follow along and comment on Jancis’ article “The Canadian con contd” here (I’m looking forward to your Financial Times article this Saturday Jancis!)

Read our past posts on this topic:
2010 Gold Already Awarded: The Backpedal
Shocking News Indeed

Join the Facebook group Boycott “Cellared In Canada” wines, which also has some great info about contacting government officials.

Thoughts?!