Giant Ontario wine promotion uncorked

A massive promotion of Ontario wines that involves every provincial liquor store has Newman Smith in good spirits.

This week, the Wine Council of Ontario and LCBO launched goLOCAL, the largest-ever promotion of Ontario-produced wines, with a focus on Vintners Quality Alliance products.

It hopes to build on recent double-digit sales growth in LCBO stores of VQA wines, made from 100 per cent Ontario grapes.

"We're very enthusiastic about this," said Smith, co-owner of Strewn Winery in Niagara-on- the-Lake. "They started with it last year and it worked well for all the provincial producers. And this year, they're gearing it up.

"I think it will be very helpful for us and we're encouraged by the efforts they're putting into it."

The campaign comes as sales of VQA wines soar in the province.Net

sales of the wines at LCBO outlets are up more than 17.4 per cent in the first five months compared with the same period last year.

Sales of Ontario-produced wines in general have also been topping imports at the LCBO.

The goLOCAL campaign runs until Oct. 10 at all 608 LCBO stores and includes prominent in-store displays and print, radio and TV advertising.

In it, 147 products, including 104 VQA wines, are featured from 44 Ontario wineries.

More than 1,000 in-store tastings are planned, including outdoor events at major LCBO stores featuring Ontario winemakers and their wines, and food pairings prepared by local chefs.

Provincial vintners will be featured in webisodes on the goLOCAL "meet Ontario's talent" microsite at www.lcbo.com.

There will also be recipes from top Niagara-based chefs paired with local wines in the autumn issue of Food and Drink magazine, as well as features on Ontario wines in two September Vintages catalogues.

People can enter an online contest on www.sweetspot.cato win grand prize Ontario wine country treks.

Hillary Dawson, president of the Wine Council of Ontario, said this year's promotion is "taking it to the next level.

"We thought last year was sensational, but this year is going to be over-the-top," she said.

The online webisodes promise to strengthen the link between the wine consumer and Ontario wine country, Dawson said.

"In the past, there's been a lot of in-store focus," she said.

Learning more about the diversity of wine-growing regions and their winemakers "really helps people make that additional connection," Dawson said.

The promotion also focuses on people and businesses linked to the wine industry, like local chefs, cheesemakers, bakeries and artisans.

"So it's very much focused on the people and the place," Dawson added.

"It will have a really positive impact, not only for our wineries that retail through the LCBO, but those that don't."

Increased VQA sales and surveys about customer impressions of Ontario wine brands before and after the promotion indicate last year's goLOCAL was effective, she said.

Dawson said the campaign also runs at various times through the year, following the September-October blitz.

"It's something the consumer has been responding to well, and something we're going to continue," she said.

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Ontario wine sales

Net sales of all Ontario-produced table wines grew by 6.1 per cent, or $6.5 million, from April 1 to Aug. 29, compared with the same period in 2008.

Ontario VQA wines accounted for the most sales growth, increasing by almost 19 per cent, or $5 million, during this period.Netsales of imported wines declined by 0.8 per cent over this time.

Vintages Ontario VQA table wine sales grew by 14.1 per cent from April 1 to Aug. 29 versus last year.

LCBO sales of domestic wine topped $358 million in 2008-09, up from $143 million when the LCBO first launched its province-wide Ontario wine promotion 15 years ago.

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