TORONTO: Spain has become Canada’s No. 5 supplier of wine, with exports rising 44 percent over the past five years, thanks to a growing appreciation of the Spanish bottled delights.
“Spanish wines have a growing presence in Canada, with a 5.44 percent share of the market, a full percentage point above sales five years ago,” Maria Gorriti, Spain’s trade representative in Toronto, told EFE.
While Canada’s total wine imports have increased 22 percent since 2010, imports of Spanish wines grew more than 44 percent in the same period, Gorriti said.
Exports of Spanish wines to Canada, according to official Canadian figures, were worth more than C$116 million (US$93 million) in 2014.
In the first quarter of this year, Canada’s imports of Spanish wines increased, compared to the same period in 2014.
If the first-quarter trend continues, exports to Canada of Spanish wines will reach roughly C$140 million (US$128 million) this year.
“These good results come mostly from our product’s competitiveness, a clear bet by Spanish wineries, and the good balance between price and quality in our wines,” Gorriti said.
The high quality of its wines helped Spain become the No. 5 wine exporter to Canada, trailing only the United States, Italy, France and Australia, and surpassing wine suppliers with a longer presence in the North American country, such as Argentina, Chile, Portugal, South Africa and New Zealand.
In some segments of this market, like sparkling wines, Spain is the No. 3 exporter to Canada after France and Italy, and it ranks ahead of the United States.
An important point for wineries in the European country is that Spanish wines are increasingly viewed as “chic” in Canada.
“Spanish wines perfectly match all kind of dishes,” Simon Kattar, chef at Toronto culinary icon A La Carte restaurant, told EFE.
In late February, when temperatures were at -30 C (-22 F), Kattar organized what he called “a culinary celebration of Canadian winter” at Toronto’s Gardiner Museum that was attended by the leading socialites in Canada’s largest city.
