An Offsite Winery Retail Store Licence allows a winery to sell eligible wine at a retail store that is not required to be located at the production site for the wine. A winery must hold a Manufacturer’s Licence – Winery to be eligible to hold an Offsite Winery Retail Store Licence.
In accordance with Regulation 746/21 under the Liquor Licence and Control Act, no new Offsite Winery Retail Store Licences may be issued. This Guide provides information to existing licensees about how to maintain their Offsite Winery Retail Store Licence.
A winery with an Offsite Winery Retail Store Licence may be eligible for a Wine Boutique Endorsement to operate a winery retail store located inside the shopping area of an eligible grocery store.
Wine Boutique Endorsement
A wine boutique is a winery retail store that is located inside the shopping area of a grocery store that holds a Beer and Cider Grocery Store Licence.
An eligible winery that holds an Offsite Winery Retail Store Licence may apply for a Wine Boutique Endorsement to sell, in addition to wine it has made, VQA wine that is manufactured by another winery that does not hold any Offsite Winery Retail Store Licences, or holds no more than 2 such licences.
The space in which the wine boutique is located must be readily distinguishable from the grocery store, and the name of the wine boutique must be prominently displayed in the boutique and must be distinct from the name of the grocery store.
A winery that has been issued a Wine Boutique Endorsement to sell wine in a wine boutique must begin to offer the wine for sale to the public under the endorsement within 12 months after being issued the endorsement, and must continue to offer the wine for sale in the boutique thereafter.
Things to know before applying
General Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for a Wine Boutique Endorsement
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The applicant must be a winery with a valid Manufacturer’s Licence – Winery and hold at least 3 Offsite Winery Retail Store Licences.
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The applicant must have entered into a wine boutique agreement with the holder of a Beer and Cider Grocery Store Licence with a Wine Boutique Sales Agent Endorsement, under which:
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The winery agrees to lease or license space in the shopping area of the grocery store in which to sell wine.
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The operator of the grocery store agrees to sell, as agent of the winery, wine that is available for sale to the public in the leased or licensed space.
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The initial term of the lease or licence must be at least three years.
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Moving an off-site winery retail store to a new location
If a winery with a Winery Offsite Retail Store Licence wishes to move its winery retail store to a different location, it must apply to the Registrar to transfer the Offsite Winery Retail Store Licence to the new location.
Things to know before applying
General Information
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Once the transfer has been approved by the Registrar, the store being relocated must be open and operational in the new location within six months.
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Please note that the application process also includes a site inspection of the constructed retail store by an AGCO Compliance Official to confirm that all eligibility criteria and requirements have been met.
Supporting documents
What supporting documents/information are needed for the transfer of an Offsite Winery Retail Store Licence to a different location?
When applying to transfer an Offsite Winery Retail Store Licence to a different location you will be asked to provide the following as part of your application. These items can be provided to the AGCO at any time during the application process:
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completed “Municipal Information for a Retail Store Licence”
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floor plan of the proposed retail store including square footage
Transferring an Offsite Winery Retail Store Licence
The Registrar can only approve a transfer of an Offsite Winery Retail Store Licence to a different person if the Registrar also approves the transfer of the Winery Licence associated with the Offsite Winery Retail Store Licence. Please contact the AGCO for more information on the process.
Offsite Winery Retail Stores located in host stores
In addition to the general requirements for an Offsite Winery Retail Store Licence, the following additional requirements apply to a winery retail store that is located within a host store (e.g. a grocery store that does not hold a Beer and Wine or Beer and Cider Licence), but that is not a wine boutique as defined in Regulation 746/21 under the Liquor Licence and Control Act.
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The winery retail store must be self-contained and must be operated independently from the business of the host store and the business of any other party to whom the host store operator has leased space.
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The winery which holds the Offsite Winery Retail Store Licence for the winery retail store must either own or lease the space occupied by the that store at all times.
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The winery retail store must have a separate sales transaction system (e.g. cash register, point of sale terminal) from the host store and any other businesses in space leased from the host store.
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The location and construction of the winery retail store must comply with the following:
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The licensed premises of the winery retail store must be readily distinguishable from the host store any other businesses in space leased from the host store.
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Where the host store is so constructed that its customers are required to pass through controlled entrances and exits (i.e. turnstiles and check-out counters) of the host store, then the winery retail store can only be situated in an area outside those controlled entrances and exits of the host store and not in the shopping area of the host store.
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In circumstances where customers are not required to pass through controlled entrances and exits of the host store, the winery retail store must be situated near the entrance of the host store so that customers are not required to pass through the shopping area of the host store in order to reach the winery retail store.
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