The United States argues the British Columbia measures appear to discriminate against imported wine by allowing only provincial wine to be sold on regular grocery store shelves while imported wine may be sold in grocery stores only through a so-called "store within a store".

The request is the second filed by the United States regarding the wine sale measures.  The first request for consultations was filed by the United States on 18 January 2017.

Further information is available in document WT/DS531/1

What is a request for consultations?

The request for consultations formally initiates a dispute in the WTO. Consultations give the parties an opportunity to discuss the matter and to find a satisfactory solution without proceeding further with litigation. After 60 days, if consultations have failed to resolve the dispute, the complainant may request adjudication by a panel.

• More on consultations
• Current status of disputes