Is there a bias to the # of listings, domestic vs imported, at the LCBO? It seems reasonable to assume that when the Liquor Control Board of Ontario provides domestic wines with a higher percentage of the number of Wine General Listings (those wines available to all stores) than is justified by the percentage of sales it could be claimed that they were "Cheating" on behalf of the home team. Nobody in their right mind could ever claim that the LCBO ever cheats on behalf of the locals in Vintages, in the Classics Catalogue, or in Consignment products. Look at the following numbers, and remember that 1% of wine sales at LCBO is now worth about $12 million...


YEAR   % of General List   % of Sales by Litre  Domestic %
       that was Domestic   that was Domestic    over Import

2006          27.8               29.9            - 2.1
2005          27.5               30.6            - 2.1
2004          27.7               30.2            - 2.5
2003          28.3               31.0            - 2.7
2002          29.1               31.1            - 2.0          
2001          31.0               30.8            + 0.2
2000          31.0               31.8            - 0.8
1999          33.1               32.8            + 0.3
1998          35.0               34.2            + 0.8
1997          36.2               34.1            + 2.1
1996          35.6               31.8            + 3.8
1995          34.2               30.6            + 3.6
1994          34.5               31.8            + 2.7
1993          35.1               33.4            + 1.7
1992          37.6               36.0            + 1.6
1991          39.9               35.1            + 4.8
1990          37.9               36.4            + 1.5
1989          41.1               40.4            + 0.7
1988          42.5               43.0            - 0.5
1987          43.6               41.1            + 2.5
1986          46.6               40.9            + 5.7
Notice how the percentage of listings that are domestic is, over time, decreasing even faster than the decrease in sales of domestic wine? Is there some plausible reason for this??? Remember that the General List is the only portion of LCBO wine sales that remotely approximates availability of domestic products with actual sales. If non-general list sales were excluded, it would make the above results seem much worse, and would probably show a 20 year picture of lower support than sales would justify. Clearly the last few years are dismal for Canadian wine producers, and the farmers that they purchase their grapes from.
JUST WHO ARE THEY "CHEATING" FOR NOW? AND WHY??