Drinking alcohol for Waterloo Region locavores is certainly possible, thanks in large part to the Niagara Region. However, as with other food items, we have to be selective, be alert and choose carefully. Inductive reasoning doesn’t always work (if it quacks like a duck, it isn’t necessarily a duck!).

Wine

Going to the “Canadian Wine” section of the liquor store and searching for Niagara wines will not guarantee you a 100-mile choice. As shown in this video by CBC, up to 70% of grapes used for wine that was “cellared in Canada” can be imported; only 30% needs to be domestically grown. You must look for the “VQA” label in order to guarantee a truly local wine.

Two 100-mile options from Niagara-on-the-Lake that I have tried are 20 Bees, and Frog Pond Farm, Ontario’s only certified organic wine.

Beer

After much research, we haven’t been able to find a truly 100-mile beer. The gentleman who works at Gold Crown had been telling us that yes, the barley was grown near Fergus and no, the hops isn’t local right now, but hops only comprises less than 1% of the beer. “Great!” we thought. “Cheers”! But I ended up talking to their brewmaster and called the distribution company in Fergus where Gold Crown gets their barley and, alas, they said the barley was grown in Western Canada. D-oh!

Spirits

Kittling Ridge from Grimsby has a selection of 100-Mile options. Vice-president of sales Tim Burrows assures me that their vodkas (Prince Igor and Eight Below), their whiskeys (Forty Creek, Mountain Rock, and Pure Gold), and their Small Cask Brandy are all grown and processed within the 100-mile. Great! Now let’s think of some 100-Mile cocktails shall we?

(Thanks to Marc Sargent who helped with the research!)