Wine Sector Support Program: Step 2. Eligibility

Step 2. Eligibility

Check if you meet the criteria to apply.

Eligibility checklist

You must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible.

• You're a not-for-profit academic institution or for-profit organization that produces wine in Canada for commercial sale, which includes:
  • businesses and corporations
  • sole proprietorships
  • partnerships
  • co-operatives
  • trusts
• You hold a federal wine licence issued by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) under section 14 of the Excise Act, 2001, valid at the time you apply to the program and up to or after March 31, 2025
• You've produced wine^{Endnote 1} (such as grape wine, other fruit wines, sake and/or other primary agricultural product-based wines), fermented in Canada, that use domestic and/or imported primary agricultural products (for example, grapes, berries, other fruit, dandelions, rice and sap), between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024
• You've grown, produced or otherwise owned the primary agricultural products used to produce the wine
• You've generated a minimum of $50,000 in total gross sales in the previous calendar year or fiscal year, of all wine you packaged in Canada
• You're a legal entity capable of entering into legally binding agreements

Eligible wine

Eligible wine is bulk wine produced in Canada between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024, using fermented domestic and/or imported primary agricultural product(s) you grew, produced or otherwise owned. If you meet the eligibility criteria, your grant payment will be calculated based on the total litres of eligible wine you produced, and the determined per litre payment rate.

Only the portion of wine that is produced and originates from domestic and/or imported primary agricultural products will be considered in grant payment calculations, including for International Domestic Blend wine.

If you purchase domestic or imported primary agricultural product(s) (for example, grapes) that were then transformed into a processed input (for example, juice or must) to be fermented into wine, this wine product could be eligible because the wine originates from a primary agricultural product which you owned. Proof of ownership of the primary agricultural product that was transformed into a processed input will be required.

Ineligible wine

Ineligible wine includes:

• wine products produced from 100% fermented Canadian apples (for example, apple ciders not fermented with any other primary agricultural product)
• wine products produced from 100% fermented Canadian honey (for example, mead not fermented with any other primary agricultural product)
• wine products produced with processed inputs (that is, juice, concentrate, syrup or must) not immediately originating from a primary agricultural product(s) grown, produced or otherwise owned by the applicant
  • For example, the applicant purchased juice to be fermented into wine, without having owned the source primary agricultural product (for example, grapes). This wine product is not eligible under the program.
• wine products produced from pomace and/or piquette
• wine products that were produced before April 1, 2023
• wine products you packaged, but did not produce
• wine products that have an excise duty exemption available beyond June 30, 2022