OTTAWA - Beer remains the alcoholic drink of choice for Canadians in terms of both volume and dollar value, but its dominance continued to decline last year as consumers turned more to wine.
Statistics Canada says Canada's beer and liquor stores and agencies sold more than $18 billion worth of alcoholic beverages during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2007.
That's 4.9 per cent more than the year before and the fastest rate of growth in sales since 2003.
The agency says the rise in part reflects a 1.4 per cent increase in the population aged 15 and over as well as a 0.9 per cent average increase in alcoholic beverage prices.
In litres of absolute alcohol, the volume of sales of alcoholic beverages increased 3.1 per cent to 218.7 million litres.
In 1997, beer accounted for 52 per cent of dollar sales, spirits 27 per cent and wine 21 per cent; by 2007, beer had declined to 47 per cent and spirits had slipped to 25, while wine had captured 28 per cent of the market.
Alcoholic beverage sales on a per capita basis, for Canadians aged 15 and over, amounted to $667 in 2006-07, up $22 from the previous year.
The net income realized by provincial and territorial liquor authorities, combined with other alcohol-related revenue such as liquor licences and permits, hit $5 billion, up 5.2 per cent.
The Yukon, Alberta and Saskatchewan reported the largest increases.
