Canadians love fresher, lighter and sparkling wines: and Lambrusco flies to Ontario

It is the largest provincial market in Canada for alcoholic beverages by sales volume, with the Lcbo (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) operating as one of the world largest alcohol retailers and wholesalers through a network of 690 directly managed stores. It is also the country second largest market for Italian wines, where they rank second only to Canadian wines. Since March 2025, partly as a result of trade tensions between Canada and the United States, Italian wine market share has increased from 21% to 25%. As in the rest of the world, consumer habits in Ontario are also evolving. According to the Lcbo, Canadian consumers continue to seek fresher wine styles, including lighter reds, sparkling wines and lower-alcohol options, as well as reds served chilled (the so-called “chillable red wines”), sparkling wines in both dry and off-dry styles. This is a space in which Lambrusco naturally fits, and has already established itself. It is therefore no coincidence that, on October 28th and 29th, the Consortium will travel to Toronto, the capital of Ontario, together with 10 wineries from the production area (from Medici Ermete to Paltrinieri, from Aljano to Bertolani, from Cantina Settecani to Casali Viticultori, from Cavicchioli to Francesco Bellei, and from Riunite to VentiVenti) for a two-day program organized in collaboration with the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada. The initiative features a structured agenda designed to help participating companies either establish or strengthen their commercial presence in a strategic market that currently offers new growth opportunities for Lambrusco wines.
The chosen claim for the event is “More than One Shade”, a slogan which effectively conveys the many dimensions of the Lambrusco world. These shades are not only chromatic, but also stylistic, making these wines suitable for a wide range of consumption occasions. “In a particularly challenging period for the wine sector, we asked ourselves how we could support our wineries by providing practical tools that combine promotional activities with genuine commercial development opportunities in strategic markets capable of creating value for Lambrusco DOC wines and their territory - explains Claudio Biondi, president of the Consorzio del Lambrusco - we are delighted to bring to life a project which has required months of work and that will involve several member wineries through tailor-made initiatives designed to showcase to Canadian professionals the quality of our production and the characteristics that make Lambrusco wines highly contemporary”.
The program includes B2B meetings and masterclasses aimed at buyers, category managers, product consultants, import agents, and professionals from the Horeca and retail sectors in Toronto and the surrounding area, including restaurateurs, wine directors, sommeliers, wine bar buyers, wine club managers and purchasing managers from supermarkets licensed to sell wine. The agenda will also feature a lunch dedicated to the Canadian press and, as the event grand finale, a party targeting the new generation of consumers: Millennials and Gen Z aged between 25 and 40. This lively gathering will combine tastings and entertainment, sharing the vibrant spirit of Lambrusco wines with a non-professional audience, all under the banner of colour. In this way, the Consortium is engaging with a public who will help shape the market in the coming years and who finds in Lambrusco many of the qualities it seeks: freshness, conviviality and an informal, approachable style.