Beer, spirits or wine? It seems Canadians are saying "yes please" to all three, according to a survey released yesterday on alcohol purchasing habits nationwide.

The Statistics Canada figures showed that Canadians purchased $18.8 billion worth of alcoholic beverages in 2007-2008, a 4.3 per cent increase compared to the previous year.

The federal agency attributed the increase to three factors: increased sales of imports, only a slight increase in the price of liquor and the growing adult population. A case of beer still remained the top choice for Canadians, but its popularity is waning.

In 1993, 53 per cent of alcohol sales were from beer. But by 2008, the beverage had fallen to 46 per cent of the alcohol sales market. Even so, it is still "by far the most popular alcoholic beverage in terms of both volume and dollar value," the agency said.

Canadians drank 2.3 billion litres of beer during this period, with the sale of imported ales spiking to 7.2 per cent. Meanwhile, in 2008, wine accounted for 29 per cent of alcohol sales going up from 18 per cent, while spirits made up 25 per cent, dropping from 29 per cent.

Statistics Canada said more Canadians were choosing wine over spirits. Sales of red wine accounted for 62 per cent of the total volume of red and white wine sold. The sales of red wine more than doubled since 2000.

Statistics on sales of alcoholic beverages by volume should not be equated with data on consumption, Statistics Canada says. Sales volumes include only sales by liquor authorities and their agents, and sales by wineries and breweries.