Program Overview
The Ontario Wines Direct Delivery program allows Ontario wineries to direct deliver approved locally made wines to selected LCBO stores.
The program’s objectives are to:
Grow and develop regional wines
Augment the Ontario wine assortment in stores with market potential
Create destination locations for customers interested in a broader assortment of local VQA wines
This program is best suited to products that have a strong local appeal or fill a small or localized niche market.
A wine cannot participate in the direct delivery program and be available for stores to draw from our warehouses at the same time.
Ontario Wines Direct Delivery Program Guide
Updated October 2023
Application Process
Click here to find out more about how to register for NISS and acquire a username and password.
Step 1: Submit an application through NISS into one of the Direct Delivery Program product needs calls.
Step 2: You will receive a notification about the status of your submission. Follow the instructions that you receive regarding submitting a sample for sensory evaluation.
Step 3: You will receive notification of the results of the sensory evaluation. If your submission is accepted to proceed, by the stated deadline you must provide (all forms available at www.doingbusinesswithlcbo.com):
- A signed copy of the Product Review Application (generated from NISS)
- Two finished product samples - one for lab analysis and visual inspection and one for photography
- A signed letter on winery letterhead stating that this bottle is a true representation of the final product and is in every way identical to what will be delivered to stores if approval is given
- The wine label and Label Examination Form (LCB 1642); all labels must have UPC/EAN
- Quote on supplier letterhead indicating cost per case and retail price per bottle
Step 4: Meet with the Product Manager, Ontario Wines, to discuss opportunities and determine which merchandising location will be best – LCBO Wines or Vintages - and to determine the appropriate store cluster.
Step 5: Once LCBO Quality Assurance has found the product acceptable and the retail price is active the Product Advisor will confirm the approved store list with the winery.
Step 6: The Product Advisor then informs stores of all the products approved for the program and alerts them that wineries may be contacting the stores. Three times a year stores receive a guide book that outlines basic information on participating wines and provides winery contact info.
Step 7: Stores that are approved for delivery will make the listing decision based on their current business needs. Please note that approval to participate in the program allows the winery to approach the desired stores for listing – it does not obligate the store to list the wine. The final listing decision is at the discretion of each individual store manager.
Step 8: The winery can begin to approach approved stores to solicit listing.
Participating Stores
Stores have been grouped into clusters according to their geographical region and/or their historical or anticipated sales of wines from these regions or product types. These are the 9 clusters:
Essex-Pelee Island Coast Cluster (EPIC) – key stores in the Windsor-London area
Prince Edward County Cluster (PEC) – key stores in the Kingston-Ottawa area
Niagara Cluster – key stores in the Niagara Peninsula area
Grey-Bruce/Huron Cluster – key stores in the Owen Sound-Grand Bend area
South Coast Cluster – key stores in the Port Dover area
Muskoka Cluster – key stores in the Barrie-Orillia area
Ottawa River – key stores in the Renfrew area
Icewine Border Stores Cluster – key selling stores for Icewine
VQA Enhancement Cluster – stores with higher than average sales or need for an enhanced VQA assortment, specifically premium VQA
A wine may be approved for more than one cluster.
Delivery Procedures
It is the responsibility of the winery to deliver the approved product directly to the selected stores. Wineries must contact store managers directly for repeat orders and to make arrangement for a convenient delivery schedule.
Each winery is assigned a unique distributor code to support the payment process.
Wineries will be reimbursed for the freight cost which is $0.1567/L + HST ($1.4103 + HST per 12 x 750 mL case). This is automatically calculated when payment is processed.
Wineries provide a delivery slip to the receiving store along with each delivery and send a detailed invoice to LCBO Accounts Payable to initiate the payment process.
Stores receive orders in the same manner as any other direct delivery product.
Sales Expectation
To continue to be included in the program wines are expected to maintain minimum sales of one case per store per financial reporting period. For a calendar of financial reporting periods please click here.
Participating wineries will be expected to support sales via in-store tastings for both customers and staff.
Vintage Changes
When UPC remains the same: The winery can continue to deliver the wine to stores as they request. Quality Assurance and the Product Manager work together to ensure that each product is tested annually to ensure quality.
When UPC changes with the vintage: Before delivery to stores the winery must contact the Product Manager/Advisor with the new UPC. Once the new code is databased (enabling the barcode to scan in stores) the Product Manager/Advisor will inform the winery that they can now deliver the wine.
Contact Information
For more information about the LCBO’s Ontario Wine Direct Delivery Program or for information on other programs designed specifically for Ontario wineries, please contact:
Jessica Bannon
Product Advisor (Acting), New World & Ontario Wines, LCBO
100 Queens Quay East, 9th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5E 0C7
T: +1 (416) 945-3746 E: jessica.bannon@lcbo.com