A grocery store south of Ottawa has removed its stock of California wines from its shelves after customers raised concerns it was not permitted to sell the product because of an Ontario ban on sales of U.S. liquor. Bottles of red and white CK Mondavi, a California wine, were spotted on several shelves at the front of an aisle at Jonsson’s Your Independent Grocer in Kemptville when CTV News arrived on Tuesday. A ban on the sale on all U.S. wine, beer, spirits and seltzers in Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) stores went into effect in March 2025 in response to American tariffs. LCBO is the sole wholesaler of alcohol for licensed restaurants, bars and grocery stores in Ontario. In a statement, Loblaw, the owner of Your Independent Grocer, says the bottles have been removed. “We recognize the importance of supporting Canadian businesses in this climate and understand why this incident raised concerns. The wine was put on the shelves without the approval of the store owner and once identified, it was removed immediately,” a spokesperson for Loblaw said in an email. It’s unclear how long the wine had been sold at the store. A viewer emailed CTV News saying they saw the wine in stock on Sunday. CTV News checked out the shelves at other grocery stores nearby and in Barrhaven, but did not see any American wines stocked. “We have been clear - U.S. alcohol will remain off shelves. We expect all retailers, including this grocer, to follow the rules,” said an emailed statement from the office of Ontario Minister of Finance Peter Bethlenfalvy. The LCBO did not comment on the issue. It comes after U.S. President Donald Trump’s 50 per cent tariffs on roughly $28 billion worth of Canadian goods came into effect over the weekend after trade talks between the U.S. and Canada broke down. The federal government announced new retaliatory dollar-for-dollar tariffs on Tuesday impacting hundreds of American products. With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Dylan Dyson
