Ripe, robust
Canadian wine industry is worth $6.8 billion to the economy, employs 31,000 people,
The Canadian wine industry has grown into a major contributor to the Canadian economy, worth $6.8 billion and employing 31,000 people in 2011, according to a research study released Tuesday.
Ontario has by far the largest wine and grape growing industry, with a total economic impact of $3.3 billion, while British Columbia, at slightly over $2 billion is second, according to the report, Canada’s Wine Economy, Ripe, Robust, Remarkable.
Nova Scotia and Quebec, which rely more on imported wines bottled at domestic wineries, account for the rest.
The report, commissioned by the Canadian Vintners Association and provincial wine associations in Ontario, B.C. and Nova Scotia and produced by Napa Valley consultants Frank, Rimerman + Co., is the largest research study ever conducted on the industry’s economic impact.
It breaks the industry down province by province, and provides separate statistics for wines made and bottled from 100 per cent Canadian grapes and those made from what is termed International Canadian Blend wines — wines made from imported and domestic grapes.
Canada has 476 wineries, but only two of them are considered giants: Constellation Brands and Andrew Peller Ltd.
Both companies have a large portfolio of brands sold across all provinces and their revenues account for a significant portion of the $1.15 billion in direct winery revenues identified in the report.
Consumers are drinking more wine, but cheaper imports made possible by the high Canadian dollar, means that they are buying more imported wines.