A refreshing beer while watching the game or after a hard days work is a daily ritual for many Canadians, after all, drinking beer during a hockey game is a tradition in Canada and you should reward yourself after a hard day slaving for the man.

Beer has always been the most popular alcoholic drink in Canada, but lately more and more Canadians are stepping up to the counter and purchasing wine as their alcoholic choice for their downtime, and spending an increasing amount of the estimated $18 billion Canadians spend on alcoholic spirits each year.

Rewind to 1997, beer accounted for 52 percent of total alcoholic sales in Canada, spirits 27 percent and wine 21 percent. Fast-forward to 2007, when beer sales had decreased to 47 percent, spirits were down to 25 percent, while the oldest of the three, wine, had jumped up seven percentage points to rake in 28 percent of the $18 billion in alcohol sales in Canada in 2007.

$5 billion in wines were bought across Canada in 2006-2007, an increase of 9.5 percent in a single year, the beginning of a trend that translates into more than 400 million liters of wine, up 7.1 percent from 2005.

Canadians are becoming wine connoisseurs, preferring reds to whites in 61 percent of the purchases across the country, an increase in red wine sales of 130 percent since 2000, compared to a 33 percent hike in white wine sales over the same time period.

Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick were the two provinces that reported higher volumes of white wine sales than reds during this period, according to Canadian studies.

Preferences in wines, like most things human, are cyclic in nature and wine drinkers will cycle back and forth between red and white wine during their wine drinking lives, its a natural evolution of discover and curiosity and its fun.

The interest in wine has a lot to do with flavour and taste in food and drink, wine enhances the taste and flavour of certain foods, provides an endless variety of choice, and natural chemical components nutritionists say man needs for health and vitality.

Statistics Canada says Quebecers bought the most wine, with their provincial average being $83 above the national average.

The increase in wine sales probably isn’t a surprise, wine is more affordable for the younger crowd and the older crowd is in the process of re-evaluating their lifestyle choices and the origins of and ingredients in the products they consume and Canadians like to consume alcohol.

Wine has always been advertised as coming from a certain geographical region, having a certain origin, made by a known person, and with little added ingredients to spoil its natural makeup.

Beer drinkers shouldn’t get worried, it’s not all bad news, considering beer sales still reached $8.4 billion in 2006–2007, a gigantic 2 percent increase from the previous year’s beer sales, which translates into 2.3 billion liters of lagers, ales and other brews.

Expect to see even more drinkers sitting down to the benefits of wine in the future, considering the road to a healthier lifestyle many Canadians are driving down today, and the cost considerations all Canadians are feeling, its a trend that should be expected.

An increase in home brewing of wine and beer is probably on the horizon, considering the benefits involved for those who are going to drink their favorite alcoholic beverage, no matter what, home brewing seems like the perfect hobby choice for many Canadians wanting to watch their pocket books and still have access to their favorite drink, at a reasonable price.

In fact, wine enhances a lifestyle, so give it a try, your beer won’t mind, it never complains when you entertain a different choice.