B.C. wine is now being sold at Save-On-Foods in Tsawwassen.
The grocery store launched its B.C. VQA wine section last Friday. A company press release states the store now offers customers the added convenience of picking up a high-quality local bottle of wine at the same time as their groceries.
The store carries more than 900 varieties of wine from more than 150 wineries across the province. Lindy Allen, who was shopping in Save-On this week, agreed being able to buy wine in a grocery store is convenient.
"It's about time. Canada's so behind the times in that sort of way," she said.
Last year the provincial government introduced over 70 recommendations aimed at modernizing liquor laws, including the sale of beer and wine in grocery stores. The legislation also included the introduction of happy hour at pubs and expanded hours at government liquor stores.
At the Tsawwassen Save-On, customers can bring their wine purchase to the front tills along with their groceries as usual, confirmed company spokesperson Julie Dickson. If the employee working at the register is under age, a manager is called and takes over the transaction, she explained.
Miles Prodan, president of B.C. Wine Institute, said the store is using a licence formerly operated by Tsawwassen's Mud Bay Wines, which announced earlier this year it would close in September.
The Tsawwassen Save-On-Foods has also launched an online shopping service. It started taking online orders last week. Shoppers can browse items at the company's website or through its smartphone app.
"Once orders are placed, they are hand-picked by Save-On-Foods personal shoppers who pack them and ready them for home delivery or pickup at participating Save-On-Foods stores," a release noted.
