Nova Scotia wine industry says import changes will help in future

Members of Nova Scotia's wine industry say changes to the province's wine import laws won't make a huge difference in sales now, but they could help get more exposure for Canadian wines in the future.

"I don't think it's a huge impact in terms of sales for direct consumer purchase," says Gillian Mainguy with the Winery Association of Nova Scotia. 

"It's just showing a sign of the times. It's 2015. People want to be able to purchase quality wines from across Canada."

Mainguy says the wine import changes are the first of a series of steps to create an open Canadian market. Nova Scotian consumers can now buy directly from wineries in British Columbia and Manitoba, the only other provinces to change legislation to allow wine imports from outside their borders.

Good for local wines, too

Matt Rogers is the general manager of Bishop's Cellar, one of the few places in the province to buy Canadian wines from outside Nova Scotia.

He says letting Nova Scotia consumers buy wine from other regions will not hurt the province's growing wine industry.

"Our consumption numbers compared to other major wine regions in the world of domestic wine are much lower. So anything that will help Canadians have access to Canadian wine I think is a great thing.'

Rogers says if more Canadians start buying domestic wine, it can help grow brand recognition abroad.

"As the world gets smaller, essentially, with communications and digital, it's easier for us to get the word out there. And people are looking for new and they're looking for interesting. Canadian wines have a lot to offer."