Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) tour in Greece

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) went on a tour in Greece from the 9th to the 18th of September 2022, which aimed at familiarizing the LCBO members with the characteristics of the Greek vineyard and of Greek wine, at getting them acquainted with Greek winemakers and, mainly, at increasing Greek exports to Ontario, through the placement of more and higher - quality Greek wines at the LCBO. President & CEO Mr. George Soleas was heading the delegation, which also consisted of:  Abhay Garg, Vice President, Merchandising, Stacee Roth, Senior Director, European Wines & Destination Collection and Courtney Dawson, Senior Category Manager, Destination Collection. It is worth noting that the LCBO is one of the biggest importers of liquor in the world; it markets liquor of all kinds through its 669 own shops, 369 LCBO Convenience Outlets, 439 private shops, catalogues, e-commerce and special order services, while liquor sales in Ontario exceed 9.2 billion dollars, 70% of which is done through the LCBO.

The tour included 9 wine testings in Athens, Thessaloniki and Santorini, where 76 wineries participated with over 310 different wine labels. It was a complete success, helping the visiting LCBO officials to form a new impression on Greek wine, while a high number of new labels is expected to be placed at the LCBO.

The initiative for the tour was undertaken by the Greek Economic and Trade Office in Toronto, and its organization and funding was the product of cooperation among "Enterprise Greece", the National Vinery and Wine Organization (EDOAO), and the participating winemakers.