Bishop's Cellar pulls Norman Hardie wine amid sexual misconduct allegations
Hardie, a prominent Ontario winemaker, has been accused by multiple women of unwanted sexual advances
A Halifax liquor store has pulled Norman Hardie wine from its shelves as the Ontario winemaker faces multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.
Matt Rogers, president of Bishop's Cellar, said it was an easy decision after he learned of allegations outlined in The Globe and Mail investigation earlier this week.
The Globe interviewed more than 50 people, many of whom claimed a pattern of unwanted sexual advances and harassment by Hardie, who owns a revered winery and vineyard in Prince Edward County.
Rogers said he was "extremely disappointed and disgusted" to learn of the allegations.
"So it's a very easy decision for us to end that relationship," Rogers told CBC's Information Morning. "We stand by the victims and the behaviour was disgusting."
The private liquor store has between 300 and 400 bottles of Hardie's wine, he said. The business is now trying to decide what to do with it.
Rogers said Bishop's Cellar is the only company to import and sell the wine in Nova Scotia.
On Wednesday, Hardie issued a statement, saying "some of the allegations made against me are not true, but many are."
"Reading the stories of these women and how my behaviour impacted them has made me deeply ashamed," the statement said, in part.
Bishop's Cellar is just the latest business to oust Hardie's products.
Several restaurants in Ontario and Quebec have stopped serving his wine, and on Thursday, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario said it won't place any new orders.
Rogers said it's not an option to return the wine.
"We're trying to come up with a plan for that at the moment," he said. "We want to reach out to some community organizations to see if they have any opinions or thoughts on what to do with this product."
One idea is to sell the wine and give the proceeds to advocates for sexual health and sexual assault, Rogers said.
Hi all, just want to thank you all for sharing your thoughts & experiences with us. We're aware that no organization gets things right every time but we're doing our best to address this. Again, just want to commend the women who have come forward to share their experiences.
—@BishopsCellarJackie Stevens, executive director of Avalon Sexual Assault Centre, called the business's decision a proactive step for the industry as a whole.
"I think it is a really important message when people within the industry are now standing up and believing that this happened," she said.
Stevens hopes business owners take this opportunity to consider their own workplace environments.
"The next step of that is how do you make that practical and every day in your own environment so that people know that that's a live practice in your own company," she said.
With files from CBC's Information Morning