I’m a big fan of Ontario wines and the wonderful wineries in the Niagara Peninsula and Prince Edward County. I had no idea that essentially what was an enormous home-brew facility existed in Little Portugal on Dublin Street. The problem with this quasi-winery where the wine was allegedly made and sold by Confira Imports and Distributing Limited, is that this facility was totally unregulated and as a result large amounts of the wine may be unsafe and could pose a health risk.

The illegal wine was not sold through the back door in the dead of night. It was actually sold in local convenience stores in Toronto. Red and white wine was sold by the 4-litre jug to the stores for $10.00 and they in turn resold it to the customers for $13.00 - $14.00. I assume that you had to know the owner of the store in order to buy the wine because it obviously wasn’t kept in plain view on the shelves. But, the community certainly knew about it, as is evidenced by the fact that it was someone in the neighbourhood who complained to the police about the bootlegged wine. It is apparently very easy to find, as long as you know where to look.

Acting on the tip, the police had the warehouse under surveillance for 5 weeks before making their move. When the Toronto police arrived at Confira’s warehouse on Dublin Street they found wine stewing in uncovered containers, two cats wandering around, and a dead spider floating in one of the vats. The equipment was unclean. They seized 46,680 litres of red and white wine. So far the owners of Confira and 6 store owners have been charged with unlawfully keeping, offering, and selling liquor. Confira could be fined as much as $500,000 and each individual could be fined $250,000. In spite of the unclean conditions and the health risk, there have not been any reported cases of illness as a result.

Do you know anyone who buys bootlegged wine?