Made-in-B.C. wine arrives in selected grocery stores Wednesday

Eggs, bread, milk ... and now wine.

That’s right, starting Wednesday you can put a bottle of vino alongside the other provisions that make up your weekly grocery list.

And no, this isn’t an April Fool’s Day joke, as select grocery stores across the province will be allowed to exclusively stock B.C.-made wine on their shelves as part of the government’s long-awaited liquor policy reforms.

The Save-On-Foods location in south Surrey will be the first of these new wine-on-shelves stores.

And it’s where elected officials will be Wednesday morning to celebrate the “milestone event,” according to a government news release.

“This made-in-B.C. grocery model will support consumer convenience and the province’s wine industry with 100 per cent B.C. wine sales available right off the shelf — allowing British Columbians to grab a bottle of local wine to go along with their meal,” stated the release.

As part of the announcement, the government is also expected to release details relating to the other grocery stores that will be allowed, via an auction process to carry B.C. wine.

Meantime, other liquor changes are set to roll out Wednesday.

B.C. Liquor stores will now be allowed to open their doors on Sundays, operate for longer hours and sell chilled products, putting them in direct competition with private cold beer and wine stores. Price tags at government-owned stores will also now show the price before taxes, meaning the price will go up slightly at the till.

A new wholesale pricing scheme for alcohol, aimed at levelling the playing field, will also come into effect Wednesday.