Importing Holiday Wine
Suppose you discovered a terrific wine as part of an overseas holiday and would like to drink more of it when back in Canada. One option is to bring it back as part of your checked luggage. However quite apart from the excess baggage fees, and assuming that the contents don’t break in transit, this will be very pricey. See Importing Beverage Alcohol from the LCBO for further information. Also, if you acquire the case early in your holiday and you are travelling in summer, the wine is not going to keep very well. Your best bet is probably to ask if the winery has an agent in Ontario and then order it when you get home.
LCBO Private Ordering
If the winery doesn’t have an agent in Ontario, you could get in touch with LCBO Specialty Services and order from them – minimum of a case. The LCBO will bring it over at the same time as one of their regular shipments which has the effect of somewhat reducing transportation costs. However, according to them, the cost is still typically three to four times the retail price in that country and the process can take up to six months.
I think it is probably uneconomic to order only one case because the transportation costs are relatively fixed and will be too much per bottle. If you can form a syndicate and get up to five or even ten cases, the cost per case might be more reasonable. If you have a good relationship with an Agency and if the wine is 1st class, they might work with you in expediting its procurement.
Set Up Your Own Agency
The final option is to set up your own agency. If you want to explore this possibility, I highly recommend Steven Trenholme’s course entitled “Importing Wine, Beers & Spirits For Pleasure & Profit. Steven is a 30 year + veteran of the Canadian beverage alcohol industry. Refer to his website for further details and the date of the next seminar.