TORONTO – Lovers of Ontario and Canadian made wine will have more options to choose from as the province slowly begins to roll out its first LCBO VQA Destination Boutiques in St. Catharines today.
Minister of Finance Charles Sousa and MPP Jim Bradley will launch the LCBO’s first such boutique at its Glendale Avenue store this afternoon.
The province introduced the new concept late last year as a way to generate more revenue to help eliminate the deficit and provide more funds for departments such as health care and education.
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“LCBO VQA Destination Boutiques inside selected full-size LCBO stores will offer customers an expanded selection of Ontario’s VQA wines, including hard-to-find wines from smaller producers,” said the province in a media release last December.
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“These boutiques will make it easier for customers to discover and learn about VQA wines while helping support Ontario wineries.”
According to the government, Ontario currently has the lowest number of alcohol retail stores per capita of any province.
There’s also plans in place to install “LCBO Express” stores inside select large supermarkets.
The total estimated value of Ontario’s beverage alcohol market in 2011-12 is $9.5 billion.
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