‘Absurd’: Alberta sends warning letter to B.C. winemakers

The Okanagan wine industry has been facing many challenges recently — among them wildfires and cold snaps — but the latest challenge is coming from the Alberta government.

A letter obtained by Global News from the Alberta government’s Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC), states that B.C. wine producers need to cease shipping wine directly to consumers across provincial borders.

“To maintain the integrity of Alberta’s liquor model and to protect the interests of Alberta retailers and liquor agents, AGLC will not accept any inbound shipments” from any suppliers or manufacturers providing direct-to-consumer shipping of liquor products to Alberta residents, the letter explains.

If B.C. wineries do not comply, the AGLC states it will refuse shipments for their products to be stocked in Alberta’s restaurants and liquor stores.

John Skinner, the proprietor of Painted Rock Estate Winery in the Okanagan, was one of the wineries that received the letter.

But he said the business has been battling challenges for the past few years already and the timing of the letter from the AGLC is “horrific.”

“Up until probably the first week of January, it was, season as normal,” he said. “And then all of a sudden, between Jan. 11 and Jan. 15, we had probably the coldest temperatures we’ve experienced in a very, very long time.

“In December 2022, we had a very severe cold snap that probably reduced our 2023 industry production by 55 or 60 per cent. We’ve had a more severe cold snap between Jan. 11 and Jan. 15, and it’s profoundly affecting.”

Skinner said staff checked 1,600 buds at Painted Rock about over 90 per cent of the primary and secondary buds were dead.

He said the biggest concern is plant survival.

“I’m so proud of the progress that