On August 1, 2025, the Ontario Government amended Ontario Regulation 746/21: Licensing of the Liquor Licence and Control Act, 2019 (LLCA) to permit new wine transfer activities for holders of a winery licence with a winery retail store endorsement.
Under the new rules, winery licensees may now:
1. Transfer and sell wine or sake made at a former production site
- A winery licensee with a winery retail store endorsement may now transfer and sell wine or sake that was previously eligible for sale at a retail store located at a different production site that used to be operated by the licensee to a current retail store located on a production site.
- Before selling the wine or sake, the licensee must provide written notice to the AGCO stating that the wine or sake has been moved from the production site that used to be operated by the licensee to the current production site.
2. Transfer wine or sake to another winery licensee
- Under the new section 144.1, a winery licensee with a winery retail store endorsement may transfer wine, including sake, to another winery licensee if all of the following conditions are met:
- The type of wine to be transferred is a type of wine that the Registrar has specified can be sold under the winery retail store endorsement held by the licensee receiving the wine
- Both winery licensees are corporations with at least one shareholder in common
- The winery licensee transferring the wine holds a winery retail store endorsement for the production site from which the wine is transferred
- The wine to be transferred was eligible to be sold under the winery retail store endorsement at the retail store located on the production site of the licensee transferring the wine
- The licensee transferring the wine has submitted a request to the Registrar to cancel their manufacturer’s licence to sell
- Before the wine is transferred, the licensee transferring the wine gives written notice of the transfer to the Registrar within the time and in the form and manner specified by the Registrar
- No remuneration shall be provided for the transferred wine, and
- Neither winery licensee is under suspension and no proposals to revoke or suspend either licence has been issued.
- The amendments permit a holder of a winery licence with a winery retail store endorsement to then sell wine or sake that was transferred to them in accordance with section 144.1.
How to submit notice of a transfer
For both types of transfers, winery licensees are required to give written notice of the transfer to the Registrar, which must be provided in the form of a regulatory submission in the iAGCO portal.
1. Timeline for notice to AGCO
Written notice in the form of a regulatory submission must be made:
- For transferring and selling wine or sake made at a former production site to a current retail store on a production site, before the wine or sake is sold at the current retail store.
- For transferring wine or sake to another winery licensee, before the wine or sake is transferred between the licensees.
2. Required information for a regulatory submission
In the regulatory submission, you will be asked to include the following information:
- Type of wine(s) to be transferred (e.g., grape, fruit, maple, honey, sake)
- Quantity of wine(s) to be transferred
- Confirmation of whether the transferring licensee has requested cancellation of their manufacturer’s licence or has requested to surrender or transfer their retail store endorsement, which is a requirement for the transfer process
To submit a regulatory submission to the AGCO, please log into your iAGCO account and select “Notification of Liquor Transfer(s)” from the regulatory submission section.
Contact and support
For more information, please contact the AGCO anytime via the iAGCO online portal or call AGCO Customer Service Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm at 416-326-8700 or toll-free at 1-800-522-2876.