B.C. wine in grocery stores: winemakers say delays unacceptable

B.C. winemakers say they aren't getting a chance to sell their product in grocery stores across the province, because municipalities are hesitant to grantthe required permits.

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"There is a strong lobby from existing private liquor stores that are trying to prevent that,"said Miles Prodan, president of the B.C. Wine Institute.

Heis makingthe case for local winemakersat the Union of B.C. Municipalitiestoday.

"Really, all we are talking about arefarmers withtheir grapes turned into wine and on grocery shelvesavailable for consumers," he explained.

Two grocery stores in Surreyare selling wine and they are the only stores in the province to do so since new liquor laws came into effect in April allowing grocery stores to sell wine.

Prodan says municipalities are blocking local wine makers byapplying apolicy that restricts new stores from opening within one kilometre of another liquorstore, a restriction that the province has said doesn't apply to 100 per cent B.C. wines.

"Our licenses have never had to fall into what is known as the one kilometre rule [...]because we have a 100% B.C. wine, we don't have beer or whiskey," he explained.

Stiff competition

But private liquor store advocates say applying the provincial rule and allowing the wineswill impact business,"no one competes in the market like grocery stores do. That is my competition.Thatis destructive competition," said Jeff Guignard, executive director of the Alliance of Beverage Licensees of B.C.

Prodan says the number ofwineries isgrowing in the province and they will need better access and exposure because there isn't enough room for them on private andgovernment liquor store shelves alone.

To hear the full interview listen to the audio labelled B.C. wines fighting to get on grocery store shelveswiththe CBC's Rick Cluff onThe Early Edition.