Vintners Quality Alliance, or VQA, is a regulatory and

appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the ingredients of a food or beverage originated, most often used for the origin of wine grapes. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, s ...

system which guarantees the high quality and authenticity of origin for

Canadian wine Canadian wine is wine produced in Canada. Ontario and British Columbia are the two largest wine-producing Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces in Canada, with two-thirds of Canada's vineyard acreage situated in Ontario. However, wine pro ...

s made under that system in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

and

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. It is similar to regulatory systems in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

( AOC),

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

( DO),

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

(

DOC DOC, Doc, doc or DoC may refer to: People and characters * Doc, an abbreviation of doctor * Doc (nickname) * Doc (mascot), the Towson University mascot Persons * The D.O.C., American rapper (born 1968) * Doc Gallows (born 1983), ring nam ...

), and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

( QmP). The VQA system allows for sub-appellations, by which the grapes for wines are sourced from extremely specific geographical locations with different soil and climate. This is in accordance with the concept of ''

terroir (; ; from ''terre'', ) is a French language, French term used to describe the environmental factors that affect a crop's phenotype, including unique environment contexts, farming practices and a crop's specific growth habitat. Collectively, th ...

''.J. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 759 Oxford University Press 2006 In addition, there are other classifications of wine in Canada.

has a category known as ''"Wines of Distinction"'',

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

has ''"Wines of Nova Scotia"'' and

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

has "''Vins du Québec''". All must be 100 percent made from grapes grown in British Columbia, Nova Scotia or Quebec, respectively.

Cellared in Canada Depending on the province in which it is produced, Cellared in Canada is a category of Canadian wine that is produced with varying quantities of foreign bulk wine and Canadian wine. These wines are often sold in government-run liquor stores in sec ...

is a completely separate category.G. Hamiliton
Sale of cheap imports as B.C. wines called 'scandalous'
''National Post Vancouver Sun'', September 20th, 2009.

Requirements

In addition to the requirements regarding sources of grapes, VQA wines may be made from ''

Vitis vinifera ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native to the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern ...

grape variety This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, Zante currant, currant, sultana (grape), sultana). For a complete list of all grape species, including those unimp ...

and approved hybrid varieties. In British Columbia, VQA wines are made primarily with ''vinifera'' grapes, while

uses a range of vinifera varieties and notably permits the use of

Vidal Vidal (, , , ) is a Catalan language, Catalan, Aragonese language, Aragonese, and possibly also Romansh language, Romansh surname, which also appears in French language, French, Italian language, Italian, Portuguese language, Portuguese and Engl ...

, particularly in the production of some of Canada's icewines.J. Gordon (ed) ''Opus Vino'' pg 126-130, DK Publishing New York 2010, VQA wines may be made with grapes from relatively small agricultural yields per vine (which increases quality), they meet specific sugar or

brix Degrees Brix (symbol °Bx) is a measure of the dissolved solids in a liquid, based on its specific gravity, and is commonly used to measure dissolved sugar content of a solution. One degree Brix is 1 gram of sucrose solute dissolved in 100 grams ...

levels at harvest, and the use of additives is regulated. There are also standards regulating the use of certain types of packaging and closures. To receive the VQA designation, wine must undergo testing by the regulating bodies. The VQA logo does not have a standard location on the bottle, and for some VQA wines the producer has chosen not to display the logo at all. If a consumer wishes to purchase wine from 100% Canadian grapes, extra care must be taken to ensure that the wine is what they believe it to be, and not an "International Canadian blend" (formerly known as "

").

Appellations

Ontario appellations and sub-appellations

Total production for Ontario appellation wines is approximately 20,000 tonnes * Appellation -

Niagara Peninsula The Niagara Peninsula is an area of land lying between the southwestern shore of Lake Ontario and the northeastern shore of Lake Erie, in Ontario, Canada. Technically an isthmus rather than a peninsula, it stretches from the Niagara River in the ...

(includes all appellations below, Canada's largest) **Regional appellation -

Niagara Escarpment The Niagara Escarpment is an approximately discontinuous, arc-shaped but generally northward-facing escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States. The escarpment begins south of Lake Ontario and circumscribes the top of the Great Lake ...

(includes the 3 sub-appellations below) ***Sub-appellation -

Short Hills Bench The Short Hills Bench is a sub-appellation of the Niagara Peninsula (St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada). Flora and fauna A Carolinian Climatic Zone, the Short Hills Bench has been acknowledged for its unique soils, topography and climate by the gove ...

***Sub-appellation - Twenty Mile Bench ***Sub-appellation -

Beamsville Beamsville (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 Urban area estimated population 13,323) is a community that is part of the town of Lincoln, Ontario, Canada. It is located along the southern shore of Lake Ontario and lies within the fruit belt of the Niagar ...

Bench **Regional appellation -

Niagara-on-the-Lake Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York (state), New York, United States. Niagara-on-the-Lake is in the R ...

(includes the 4 sub-appellations immediately below) ***Sub-appellation -

Niagara River The Niagara River ( ) flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, forming part of the border between Ontario, Canada, to the west, and New York, United States, to the east. The origin of the river's name is debated. Iroquoian scholar Bruce T ...

***Sub-appellation - Niagara Lakeshore ***Sub-appellation - Four Mile Creek ***Sub-appellation - St. David's Bench **Sub-appellation - Vinemount Ridge **Sub-appellation - Creek Shores **Sub-appellation -

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

Lakeshore *Appellation -

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

North Shore **Sub-appellation - South Islands * Appellation - Prince Edward County In addition, the Ontario Wine Appellation Authority recognizes the following emerging regions, which are not yet recognized as official appellations: * Norfolk and Haldimand Counties * Central Ontario and Georgian Bay * Huron Shores * Eastern Ontario Blue Mountain 01

British Columbia geographical indications (appellations)

(total production for 2012 27,000+ tons) * GI -

Fraser Valley The Fraser Valley is a geographical region in southwestern British Columbia, Canada and northwestern Washington State. It starts just west of Hope in a narrow valley encompassing the Fraser River and ends at the Pacific Ocean stretching from th ...

* GI -

Gulf Islands The Gulf Islands is a group of islands in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia Coast, mainland coast of British Columbia. Etymology The name "Gulf Islands" comes from "Gulf of Georgia", the original term used by Geor ...

* GI - Kootenays * GI - Lillooet * GI -

Okanagan Valley The Okanagan ( ), also called the Okanagan Valley and sometimes the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part of t ...

** Sub-GI - East Kelowna Slopes ** Sub-GI - Golden Mile Bench ** Sub-GI - Golden Mile Slopes ** Sub-GI - Lake Country ** Sub-GI - Okanagan Falls ** Sub-GI - Naramata Bench ** Sub-GI - Skaha Bench ** Sub-GI - South Kelowna Slopes ** Sub-GI - Summerland Bench ** Sub-GI - Summerland Lakefront ** Sub-GI - Summerland Valleys * GI - Shuswap * GI -

Similkameen Valley Similkameen may refer to: * Similkameen, a former community in British Columbia, Canada * Similkameen City, British Columbia, a former community in British Columbia, Canada * Similkameen Country or Similkameen District, or "the Similkameen", a ...

* GI - Thompson Valley * GI -

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

** Sub-GI - Cowichan Valley

Organizations

Regulatory

* British Columbia Wine Institute (the regulatory role is being transferred to the new British Columbia Wine Authority, which will be a government body). * Vintners Quality Alliance Ontario, which is a regulatory agency of the Province of Ontario that administers the Ontario VQA Act. Blasted Church Bottles

Marketing & Advocacy

* British Columbia Wine Institute * Wine Council of Ontario * Winery Association of Nova Scotia * Vignerons independants du Quebec

Other organizations

* B.C. Grape Growers Association (represent independent growers). * Association of B.C. Winegrowers (represents smaller and fruit wineries). * Grape Growers of Ontario (represent growers and negotiate the prices of grapes). * Ontario Wine Producers Association

References

External links

VQA Ontario

British Columbia Wine Institute

Wines of Ontario

Wines of Nova Scotia
{{Geographical indications Canadian wine Wine classification Alcohol in Ontario Alcohol in British Columbia