Canadian wine isn’t a substitute—it’s a standout
In light of the tariff war, wine buyers are turning their heads towards local wines. There’s one thing I’d like to contribute to the narrative of all that’s happening in the wine industry as a result: I don’t think we should be trying to compare Canadian wines to California wines. Nobody wants to see Canadian wine flourish more than myself but simply offering consumers Canadian wine in replace of their go-to California bottle can end up hurting local wine sales more than we think. Here’s why:
Apples and oranges
We can’t tell our Canadian consumers “If you drink this California wine then you might like this Canadian wine.” If this is all we offer potential buyers, then they’re going to be shocked (and not in a good way) when our wines don’t taste like the California wine they’ve been picking up on the way home from work every Friday.
This tactic is basically sending them in blind. Especially if their tried-and-true bottles are one of the top-selling bottles at the LCBO. Most top-selling, California wines at the LCBO (and other provincial wine shops) are a) mass produced in a warm climate, b) filled with added sugars, and c) contain flavouring agents. These major factors and qualities won’t be found in Canadian VQA wines on store shelves.
Of course, this is not a blanket statement for California wine as there are plenty of high-quality California wines that I absolutely love and enjoy often, but these just aren’t the same bottles that are purchased most frequently by Canadian buyers.
So, how should we communicate the greatness of Canadian wine?
We need to explain to consumers how we have high-quality wine here in Canada and why the wines are made in the styles that they are.