British Columbians who believe they are sipping on locally grown and crafted wines actually may not be drinking anything of the sort.
Canadian companies who bottle bulk wine imported from foreign countries don't always make that clear to consumers on the packaging.
Wine expert Jim Martin says the province's three major wine corporations are dressing up foreign wines to look like they might be from B.C.
"It's coming off a vineyard in Bulgaria or Australia or California," he said.
Both Mark Anthony Group Inc. and Andrew Peller Ltd. put something on their labels, however small, to tip off consumers.
Vincor Canada, an official Olympic sponsor, just inserts in fine print a legally required phrase on its back labels indicating that the wine is cellared in Canada from imported and domestic wine.
John Nixon, general manager of the B.C. Wine Authority, says there's nothing his agency can do about it because it is not in the business of regulating wines made from foreign grapes.
"Our program regulates wines that are made with 100 percent B.C. grapes," he said.
None of the companies would speak to CTV on camera.
Vincor, however, said it is planning to change its labels to make them more transparent for consumers.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Kent Molgat
