Local winery ships direct to Ontario

Sep 3, 2025 | 3:00 PM

A Summerland winery is taking interprovincial trade into its own hands.

Lightning Rock Winery is now shipping wine directly to Ontario customers, saying it is about fairness after Ontario producers have been able to send wine into B.C. for years.

The winery will collect and remit HST on all Ontario orders, just as Ontario producers do when they ship west.

Owner Ron Kubek says they should not have to wait for government paperwork to give consumers more choice.

In an email, Kubek said they were immediately opening direct shipping to Ontario residents and collecting the HST. This comes just weeks after the winery was named the #23 winery in Canada and #11 top small winery at the WineAlign National Wine Awards.

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“Given the ongoing national conversation about interprovincial trade barriers, this announcement sets a precedent,” Kubek said.

“This announcement comes on the heels of Ontario and BC signing a Memorandum of Understanding to “work toward” direct-to-consumer shipping. Lightning Rock believes there is no reason for delay — the principle of free trade is already in place.” he said in a statement.

British Columbia and other provinces are expected to eliminate barriers for direct-to-consumer alcohol sales, including wine, by May of 2026 but various regulatory elements need to be ironed out first.

by Vernon Matters Staff

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