Cable Wine Systems (www.CableWineSystems.com), creators of the most versatile and sophisticated wine racking system on the market, is weighing in on the increasing price of wine in Ontario.
In its recently released budget, the Ontario provincial government laid out its plans to increase both prices and taxes on the sale of wine. This would include a $7.95 minimum price for a 750mL bottle of wine. (Source: Mehta, D., “Ontario Hikes Taxes on Cigarettes, Raises Minimum Price for Wine in 2016 Budget,” February 25, 2016; http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/02/25/smoking-and-drinking-wine-getting-more-expensive-in-ontario_n_9320314.html.)
“The government claims that these are future measures to ensure the price of wine is in line with the price of beer and spirits,” says Janice Bednarz, general manager of Cable Wine Systems. “Most of the proposed changes will happen gradually over the next few years, but some changes will be taking place as soon as this summer.”
One of the early changes Bednarz is referring to is the 2% price hike on all wine products sold at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO). This will take effect in June, with another 2% increase happening in April of next year, followed by a 1% mark up in 2019. There is also a 1% markup on non-Ontario wine purchased at retail stores, which will starts in June and will continue to increase by 1% over the next three years.
“It’s hard to ever get excited about paying more taxes,” Bednarz admits. “But I would assume much of this is due to the increased availability of wine which will be placed in grocery stores across Ontario starting this fall.”
Recently the provincial government passed legislation that would allow for wine to be sold in 300 grocery stores across Ontario, beginning with the first 70 stores this fall. It is believed that this action will loosen the grip the LCBO has on alcohol sales in Ontario and make it more accessible to the public. (Source: “Wine Coming to Grocery Stores Across Ontario,” February 18, 2016; https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2016/02/wine-coming-to-grocery-stores-across-ontario.html.)
“Being able to purchase wine more conveniently is a good thing. Wine drinkers everywhere will certainly enjoy being able to walk into a nearby grocery store to purchase a bottle for dinner. We’ll have to just take the other inconveniences of price as we go,” Bednarz says.
Cable Wine Systems is the creator of one of the most sophisticated wine racking systems on the market. They accommodate this generation of wine drinkers with a rack design that can suit their design preferences.