Wine fans would be able to import wine under new law

Nova Scotia wine drinkers would be able to import wine from other parts of Canada under provincial legislation proposed Wednesday.

Finance Minister Maureen MacDonald said the amendment to the law will mean more choice for buyers, but there will still be regulations in place.

"Right now, there are products sold on the internet where people have to take some kind of, you know they say, ' I am 19.' So these kinds of checks and balances will be put in place in this regime as well," she said.

The wine has to be for personal use only

The proposal follows a recent decision by the federal government to lift its prohibition on wine importation.

If the legislation becomes law, Nova Scotia would join British Columbia and Manitoba as the only provinces to allow direct importation.

Under the Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act, it is illegal in Canada, with a few exceptions, to carry alcohol over interprovincial boundaries.

Small wineries have long complained the restriction prevents tourists from legally taking home a few bottles from their favourite vineyards.

MacDonald said she will write to her counterparts in other provinces to encourage them to make similar changes.

She said the removal of provincial barriers would provide a growth opportunity for Nova Scotia's 18 wineries.

The Finance Department said Nova Scotia hit $13.3 million in wine sales in 2011, a 65 per cent increase from 2001.