As I write this, the Supreme Court case against Gerard Comeau is fresh on my mind. The New Brunswick man simply tried to purchase some beer in Quebec in order to enjoy them back home in Tracadie, a small community about 150 kilometres north of Moncton. The Government of Canada may have won the case, but all its citizens lost.

It is hard to believe but Canada is one of the only wine producing countries where locals are refused the delight of ordering local wine from outside their province. I live in Quebec where wine is king, yet the SAQ’s Canadian wine section is lacking. Why can’t I supplement my cellar with a couple of bottles direct from BC while the SAQ catches up? Why does free trade between the provinces — for what is essentially local artisanal product — need to be negotiated?

The July/August issue has always been about enticing our readers to visit local wine country. You haven’t lived in Canada till you’ve felt the splash of salt air while sipping on a glass of Tidal Bay or been excited by discovering a new winery in Prince Edward County or Northern BC. We are wine lovers and that means loving every inch from sea to shining sea.

Quench has always lobbied for a clear and well-defined law that will allow all Canadians to purchase locally produced wine, beers and spirits, and have them shipped directly to them, no matter which province they live in. By the time this is published, we will be one step closer to the progressive cannabis-forward agenda Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Government has set out, yet our laws governing local wine live in the past. We need access to our producers.

We can’t place all the blame on the provincial or federal governments. If we don’t stand up and make demands, then how can things truly change? Make a commitment to purchasing more wine from your local wineries. Find those Canadian wineries that deliver cross-province. Support them and show the liquor boards exactly what we, as wine lovers, want.

We need to scream from the rooftops, “I’m thirsty as hell and I won’t take it anymore.”

 

For more on this pick up a copy of the July/August issue at Chapters/Indigo or subscribe now by clicking here.