Once again there’s been a public discussion about how wine is sold in Ontario with a word of input from the highest level. This time Premier Wynne says she is prepared to allow the sale of Ontario wines at farmer’s markets. That’s nice. But there will be no Ontario wine sold at corner stores. The government no doubt has concerns about how much money it makes in any private site but also about control of the sale of wine. Both the government and industry seem silent on the appealing idea of wine dispensing machines. These versatile machines require very little space, are secure and infinitely manageable. They can check a purchaser’s identity and shut down at any specified hour with the spirits safe inside. They can be owned and serviced by the government, if that is necessary, and located essentially anywhere. It seems to represent a modern way to sell wine conveniently, economically and safely. Wine vending machines are in operation all over the world. It is time that Ontario began to make the sale of its own products more salable in a genuinely convenient and socially suitable way.
