Quebec wine sales booming, but drinking alcohol declines

As wine sales have decreased in Quebec slightly, more and more are buying local wines.

Alcohol sales are declining in Quebec, but sales of local products are exploding.

The success has been driven by a strong reflex to buy local since the beginning of trade tensions with the United States.

When American products were pulled from Quebec liquor store (SAQ) shelves, it left more room for local producers to market their wines. Quebec products have seen their sales jump by nearly 70 per cent in one year.

At the same time, the SAQ’s overall sales decreased by three per cent.

“Over the last five to 10 years, we’ve seen tremendous improvements in the quality of the wines, thanks to better expertise of the winemakers at the wineries in Quebec,” said Matthieu Beauchemin of the Quebec Wine Council.

He estimates that 200 million bottles of wine are sold in Quebec each year, and local producers are responsible for five million of those.

“We’re growing steadily where we’re expecting to reach about seven million bottles by 2030, so it’s good news that we have more and more consumers who are trying Quebec wines, adopting Quebec wines,” said Beauchemin.

Wine connoisseur Natalie MacLean says local wines offer the taste of the times.

“We’re at an all-time high with Quebec sales!” she said. “The global trend in wine styles is to move toward lighter styles. So crisp, refreshing whites, sparkling wine, rosé. We’re moving away from heavier, oaky reds. We want styles with lower alcohol. Quebec and Canada are ideally suited to create those lighter styles of wine.”

She adds that the increase in local wine sales is also a boost for vineyard visits.

The Taillefer Lafon Winery in Laval is one such place with increased traffic.

“Weddings are very, very popular right now,” said Christophe Cadotte. ”I’ve booked almost all of my Saturdays up to 2028 already. Yes. So it’s a huge increase on our products in our local vineyard.

Beauchemin says our shorter grape-growing season used to be a curse, but now it’s a blessing.

“The type of wines that we produce in Quebec nowadays are more and more difficult to produce elsewhere in the world because of a warming climate everywhere,” he said.

Maclean says that what started out as a dispute, leaving a bad taste in many wine lovers’ mouths, has actually left a pleasant aftertaste.

“People are finally starting to try Quebec and Canadian wines, and so the trade dispute may have triggered that switch, but the trend continues because of what’s inside the bottle,” she said.