How to Start a Brewery in Ontario
Start a brewery in Ontario: the AGCO brewery licence and its endorsements, the municipal resolution for a by-the-glass area, and the LCBO listing pipeline from NISS submission to Notice to Purchase.
How to Start a Winery in Canada
How to start a winery in Canada: the CRA wine licence, provincial manufacturer licences in Ontario and BC, and how wine gets to market.
Applies in: CA
The short answer
A Canadian winery needs two licences before it sells a bottle: a federal wine licence from the Canada Revenue Agency to make the wine, and a provincial manufacturer licence to store and sell it. The federal licence is the same everywhere in Canada; the provincial licence, the sales channels, and the fees are not. Ontario runs its system through the AGCO and the LCBO, British Columbia splits licensing (Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch) from wholesale (Liquor Distribution Branch), and every other province has its own liquor authority. Sort the province first, then the licences, then the vineyard.
Step 1: Pick a province and a route to market
Most Canadian wine is made in Ontario and British Columbia. Statistics Canada reported that in 2025, 73.6% of fresh vinifera or French hybrid grapes were grown in Ontario and 19.5% in British Columbia, and domestic wine sales rose 1.9% to $2.3 billion in the 2024/2025 fiscal year. Ontario's government notes the province accounts for 60 to 70% of Canada's wine grape production.
Your province decides three things: who licenses you, who buys your wine wholesale, and what you may sell on site. In Ontario the LCBO is the main wholesale and retail channel; in BC the Liquor Distribution Branch is the sole wholesaler. Decide whether your plan is LCBO or LDB listings, an on-site store, direct sales where allowed, or export — the AGCO asks how you plan to sell your product as part of the application, so the sales plan is not an afterthought.
Step 2: Get the federal CRA wine licence
The Excise Act, 2001 prohibits producing or packaging wine without a wine licence. The CRA's Excise Duty Memorandum EDM4-1-1 sets out the rules: apply for the licence before you produce or package anything, and the licence is valid for a maximum of two years. Renew at least 30 days before it expires using Form L63A, Application for an Alcohol Licence or Registration. The CRA states no fee is payable for the licence.
The same memorandum notes a wine licensee may need other licences depending on what it does — for example, an excise warehouse licence to store non-duty-paid packaged wine. Keep production, packaging, sales, and shipping records from the first batch: the excise regime is documentation-driven, and the CRA expects a clear audit trail from production records to invoices.
Step 3: Get the provincial manufacturer licence
Ontario. Apply for a Manufacturer's Licence — Winery through the AGCO's iAGCO portal. To be eligible you must be 19 or older, financially responsible, and conduct the business lawfully and with integrity — which can include police records checks. The licence is issued for a specific location, and you are generally not allowed direct or indirect financial ownership in a business holding a Liquor Sales Licence, such as a restaurant or bar. Fees are $1,260 for two years or $2,520 for four years. The AGCO's winery licence guide lists the supporting documents: tax compliance verification number, business plan summary with floor plans, federal excise licence, proof of LCBO product testing, business name registration, and disclosures. Winery licences are valid for two or four years, with a renewal notice sent about 60 days before expiry.
British Columbia. Apply for a manufacturer licence from the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch, and separately obtain a sales agreement with the Liquor Distribution Branch, which authorizes your sales in BC. The LDB classifies applicants as land based wineries or commercial wineries, and each classification has its own sales agreement. The LDB process starts only once you have applied for the manufacturer licence, and the LCRB carries out a final inspection of your facilities before the licence issues. The LCRB's Manufacturer Licence Terms and Conditions Handbook sets out the operating terms — read it before you build, not after.
Other provinces. Each province has its own liquor licensing body. The federal wine licence is the same everywhere, but the provincial manufacturer licence, the wholesale channel, and the on-site sales rules all change. Contact the liquor authority in your province before you commit to a site.
Step 4: Sort the vineyard, the building, and municipal approvals
A winery is a farm, a factory, and a retail shop in one building, and each layer has its own approval. Land use and zoning come from the municipality; the production site must match the location on your licence; and in Ontario, selling on site through a tied-house or By-the-Glass arrangement needs municipal involvement — the By-the-Glass Endorsement requires written notice that the municipal council passed a resolution supporting it.
If you grow your own grapes, the vineyard is a multi-year commitment: vines take years to bear a commercial crop, and cool-climate varieties such as Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc dominate Canadian plantings. Buying grapes or juice from other growers is a normal starting route, but check what your provincial classification requires — BC's land based winery classification, for example, turns on where the grapes come from and how much vineyard you hold.
Step 5: Open your sales channels
Manufacturers can generally distribute their own wine, or another manufacturer's wine, to people who bought it from the LCBO or another authorized seller — but they cannot promote, take orders, or sell liquor from an off-site warehouse, and off-site storage must be recorded and available to the AGCO on request. In BC, your LDB sales agreement sets how you may sell and distribute in the province. Export needs the federal licence plus the destination's import rules, and interprovincial sales run into each receiving province's liquor rules — do not assume a licence in one province lets you ship to another.
Figures not stated in this guide
No startup-cost figure for a winery is stated in this guide: vineyard, building, and equipment costs vary too widely by site and scale, and no official source publishes a current Canadian figure. The BC manufacturer licence application fee and first-year fee were not verified on an official LCRB page, so no BC fee is stated here — confirm the current amounts on the LCRB site before budgeting. The front-of-package nutrition labelling rules for wine and other alcohol are not covered here; confirm the current labelling position with the CFIA before printing labels.
Related guides
- How to start a brewery business in Canada — the beer counterpart: the same federal-provincial licence split, with brewery-specific rules.
- How to start a distillery in Canada — the spirits counterpart: a spirits licence under the Excise Act, 2001, and provincial manufacturer licensing.
- How to start a market garden business in Canada — the farming side: land, sales channels, and the produce rules that apply when you sell what you grow.
- How to get a business number in Canada — the CRA business number you need before the tax accounts behind the winery.
- How to register for GST/HST in Canada — when wine sales push you over the $30,000 small supplier threshold, and how to register.
- How to start a restaurant business in Canada — if the winery adds a food service or tasting-room restaurant, the licences that layer adds.
Starting a winery in Canada, in five steps
- Pick a province and a route to marketOntario and British Columbia hold most of Canada's vineyards, and each province licenses manufacturers separately — the licence that lets you make wine is not the same as the licence that lets you sell it.
- Get the federal CRA wine licenceUnder the Excise Act, 2001 you may not produce or package wine without a CRA wine licence, valid for a maximum of two years and renewed at least 30 days before expiry.
- Get the provincial manufacturer licenceIn Ontario, apply through the AGCO's iAGCO portal for a Manufacturer's Licence — Winery; in BC, apply to the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch and sign a sales agreement with the Liquor Distribution Branch.
- Sort the vineyard, the building, and the municipal approvalsSecure land and a production site, get municipal approval where the licence requires it, and have your wine tested through the provincial liquor board's process before it can be sold.
- Open your sales channelsSell through the provincial liquor board, an on-site retail store or tasting room where the province allows it, and export or interprovincial channels once the paperwork for each is in place.
Ontario winery licence fees (AGCO)
| Manufacturer's Licence — Winery, two-year term | $1,260 |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer's Licence — Winery, four-year term | $2,520 |
| CRA wine licence fee | No fee payable |
AGCO fees are from the AGCO's manufacturer's licence page. The CRA states no fee is payable for an excise wine licence. Building, vineyard, equipment, testing, and tax costs are separate and are not in this table.
Questions people ask
Do I need a federal licence to make wine in Canada?
Yes. Under the Excise Act, 2001, a person may not produce or package wine unless they hold a wine licence from the Canada Revenue Agency. The licence is valid for a maximum of two years, and you must apply to renew it at least 30 days before it expires, using Form L63A. Producing wine for your own personal use is the main exception — that does not need a wine licence.
What does an Ontario winery licence cost?
The AGCO charges $1,260 for a two-year Manufacturer's Licence — Winery, or $2,520 for a four-year term. That is the provincial licence to store wine with the intent to sell, or to sell it under the regulations. It does not let you make the wine — production needs the separate federal CRA wine licence, which carries no fee.
What does the AGCO ask for in a winery licence application?
You apply through the iAGCO portal. The application asks for a tax compliance verification number from the Ministry of Finance, a summary of your business plan with floor plans and your sales plan, a copy of your federal excise licence, written proof of LCBO product testing, a copy of your business name registration, and personal and entity disclosures for proprietors, officers, directors, partners, and shareholders holding 10% or more. If you make Ontario wine from grapes, peaches, pears, plums, or cherries, you also need a licence to process from the Farm Products Marketing Commission.
How does starting a winery in BC differ from Ontario?
BC splits the job in two. The Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch issues the manufacturer licence that lets you produce liquor; the Liquor Distribution Branch, as the province's sole wholesaler, authorizes your sales inside BC through a signed sales agreement. You can only start the sales-agreement process once you have applied for the manufacturer licence, and the LDB classifies you — land based winery or commercial winery — which sets the terms of your agreement. You must own or lease your equipment, and your federal excise licence must be in hand before the final inspection.
Can a winery sell wine on site and serve tastings?
In Ontario, wineries holding a manufacturer licence may apply for a By-the-Glass Endorsement to sell and serve their own wine for consumption on or immediately beside the production site, where the sale promotes the product or gives visitors an enhanced tourist or educational experience — and the municipality must pass a resolution supporting it. In BC, the base manufacturer licence covers production, tastings, and tours, while an on-site store endorsement covers bottle sales on site. Check the current terms for your province before you build a tasting room.
Where do most Canadian wineries operate?
Ontario and British Columbia dominate. Statistics Canada reported that in 2025 almost three-quarters of fresh vinifera or French hybrid grapes were grown in Ontario and about one-fifth in British Columbia, with smaller amounts in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Alberta. Ontario alone accounts for 60 to 70% of Canada's wine grape production. Pick your province before you pick your grapes: the licensing, distribution, and tax rules change at the border.
Sources
- Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, Apply for a manufacturer's licence — Ontario winery licence eligibility, fees, documents, and the iAGCO application route.
- Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, Section 3: Winery Licence — supporting documents, licence terms, and renewal timing for Ontario wineries.
- Canada Revenue Agency, EDM4-1-1 Producers and packagers of wine — the federal wine licence requirement, two-year maximum term, and 30-day renewal rule.
- BC Liquor Distribution Branch, Become a Manufacturer — BC's split between the LCRB licence and the LDB sales agreement, and the winery classifications.
- Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch, Manufacturer Licence Terms and Conditions Handbook — BC manufacturer operating terms.
- Statistics Canada, Heard it through the grape vine that most grapes grown in Canada go into wine — 2025 grape production shares by province and domestic wine sales.
- Government of Ontario, Grapes — Ontario's share of Canadian wine grape production.