Ontario to allow sales of fortified wines like port and sherry in convenience stores

Convenience stores will soon be able to sell fortified wines like port and sherry alongside the various alcoholic beverages already being offered at thousands of retail locations across the province, CBC Toronto has learned.

A senior government source says a regulatory change will come into effect Thursday allowing convenience outlets to stock fortified wines, which are wines that have a spirit added to them.

Sales will be limited to products with an alcohol content of 18 per cent or less, the source said. 

Under existing rules, convenience stores can already sell wines with up to 18 per cent alcohol, though most wines generally have an alcohol content of about 12 or 13 per cent.

The government source called the impending change "very minor."

Ontario recently expanded where, and in what quantities, certain types of alcohol can be sold in the province. As of Sept. 5, thousands of convenience outlets and many big box stores began offering beer, wine and canned spirit drinks.

Meanwhile in late August, grocery stores already licensed to sell beer and wine were able to begin selling pre-mixed cocktails and larger packs of beer.

The expansion was initially supposed to happen in 2025, but in May, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced the plan would be accelerated. The move required Ford to strike a deal with The Beer Store that would see the province hand over $225 million as the government broke a 10-year agreement with the multi-national conglomerate.

Other key components of the plan could end up costing the province hundreds of millions of dollars more, though both Ford and Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy have repeatedly refused to disclose an estimated price tag.

Brian Patterson, president and CEO of the Ontario Safety League, said he worries about how the wider availability of fortified wines could impact those living with alcohol addiction. The products can be comparatively inexpensive but contain a relatively higher alcohol content, he said.

"Fortified wine falls into a category that's very significant if you're involved in addiction and addiction work," Patterson told CBC Toronto.

Patterson also said he wonders if fortified wines could be a stepping stone toward eventually allowing convenience stores to sell hard spirits like vodka, gin and whiskey. 

Asked about that scenario, the senior government source said "absolutely not."