George Soleas

Senior Vice-President, LCBO, Logistics and Quality Assurance Divisions

Dr. Soleas is responsible for the Liquor Control Board of Ontario’s (LCBO) logistics and quality assurance divisions. These divisions are responsible for the procurement of products, customs and excise clearance, transportation, warehousing and distribution to stores. This division also ensures all products sold by the LCBO are safe for consumption and of high quality.

Dr. Soleas received his B.Sc. in Chemistry from McMaster University, his M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. One of his areas of expertise is the biochemical aspects of alcoholic beverage constituents (polyphenols and others) and their absorption and bioavailability in humans.  He trained in Oenology at U.C. Davis and spent eleven years with the Canadian Wine industry, as a Director of Research and Quality Assurance for a Major Winery and Chaired the Technical and Scientific Committee of the Canadian Wine Institute for nine of those years.  He is currently the Senior Vice President, Logistics/Quality Assurance for the LCBO.

Dr. Soleas is currently a member of the Expert Committee of the World Wine Trade Group (WWTG), the Inter-Agency Council on Food Safety, the American Society of Enology and Viticulture and of the Advisory Board of the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute of Brock University, for which he is a Professional Affiliate member. He has a Masters Certificate in Supply Chain and Logistics from York University and is an affiliate member of the McMaster Institute of Transportation & Logistics.

His oenological and biochemical research has led to eight published book chapters, 42 peer reviewed publications and several national and international industry and scientific presentations devoted to alcoholic beverages.