UpdateCharges against the Lukezic Group Limited were stayed in December 2009 as a result of a court order appointing a receiver for the business. Related to the remaining charges against Mr. J. Lukezic in his role as a Director of the company, a guilty plea was entered on April 29, 2010 on two counts related to using VQA terms, designations or descriptions without the approval of the wine authority. A fine of $10,000 was levied by the Provincial Offenses court in St. Catharines, Ontario. June 19, 2009
Vintners Quality Alliance Ontario (VQA Ontario) has charged a Niagara Region winery with the unauthorized use of regulated wine appellation terms. The charges were laid under the authority of the Vintners Quality Alliance Act, 1999. The Lukezic Group Ltd., operating as Walker Hall Winery, was charged with several counts of using terms regulated under the VQA Act without the approval of the wine authority. The charges stem from allegations that the winery used the regulated terms “VQA”, “Niagara Peninsula” and “Icewine” on its website to describe wines that had not been evaluated and approved by VQA Ontario. These charges are expected to be heard by the Provincial Offenses Court in July 2009. “The VQA legislation is in place to protect consumers and verify that label claims fairly represent what is in the bottle” said Laurie Macdonald, Executive Director of VQA Ontario, “With renewed interest in local wines and places of origin, it is especially important that we maintain the integrity of the appellation system so that consumers can be confident in their choices.” The standards and legislation for protecting Ontario’s wines of origin are similar to those in place in all major wine producing regions. VQA Ontario is an independent regulatory authority that has been delegated the responsibility for administering the Vintners Quality Alliance Act, 1999 by the Ontario government. VQA Ontario establishes, monitors and enforces a system of quality standards and verifies wine origin for Ontario-grown wines. Only those wines approved by VQA Ontario may use designated appellation terms and descriptions. These include geographical terms such as "Niagara Peninsula", "Pelee Island", "Lake Erie North Shore", and "Prince Edward County" as well as “VQA” and terms that are linked to regulated production processes such as "Icewine" and “Late Harvest”. |