Labelling guidelines for VQA wines
These are general guidelines to help you and your suppliers with the design of labels for VQA wines. They provide only a summary of detailed and comprehensive rules and are not intended to be relied upon for compliance purposes. If you have any questions regarding VQA label requirements, please contact VQA Ontario.
For VQA requirements, please refer to complete instructions for each wine category in the VQA Regulations (Regulation 406). For federal requirements, refer to the Guide to Food Labelling published by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Please note that these guidelines are for Ontario only, other jurisdictions will have different requirements.
General
All information on the label must be legible and of sufficient size and contrast to be readily identified by the consumer.
The front label or "principal display panel" is defined as the side which would normally be displayed to the consumer. In cases where there is a question about what surface constitutes the principal display panel, a determination wll be made by VQA Ontario based on common practices. VQA regulated terms must be used in only accordance with an approval issued by VQA Ontario. These terms are not permitted for use in any form on the label of non-VQA wines or on a label or packaging of a VQA wine - including the back label - that is not entitled to the specific term. In addition, unauthorized use is not permitted on the bottle tags, outer containers or boxes, shelf signage, catalogue descriptions or any other descriptions associated with a particular wine.
Variations of regulated terms
The use of close variations of VQA regulated terms are not permitted. For example:
- regulated term Icewine (Ice Wine, Icevine, etc are not permitted for VQA or non-VQA wines)
- regulated term Estate Bottled (variation "Estate Grown" is not permittedfor non-VQA wines)
- regulated term Niagara Peninsula (Niagara is not permitted for non-qualifying VQA wines or non-VQA wines)
- regulated term Vineyard (any named vineyard indicating origin is not permitted for non-qualifying VQA wines or non-VQA wines)
- no reference to appellation names is permitted for wines that do not qualify for the stated appellation
- no label may refer to multiple appellations unless one is a sub-appellation of the other and the wine qualifies for both
Prohibited items
- Registered or semi-generic terms used without permission
- Phrases including VQA and other words implying superiority such as "VQA guaranteed" or "VQA reserve" are not permitted
- Nothing that may mislead the consumer is permitted to appear on the label
- Geographical indications or traditional expressions that the wine is not entitled to in law - eg. VQA wine cannot be referred to
as "Bordeaux style" or "made from Bordeaux varieties"
For Varietal wines (single, dual or triple)
- Grape varieties that can be named on the label are restricted to authorized grape varieties and must appear as listed in the regulations. Synonyms, short forms or modified forms of grape variety names are not allowed unless specified in the Regulation.
- Nothing may be appended to a variety name (see rules for limited exceptions – eg. Old Vines Foch, Fumé Blanc, Gamay Nouveau or Chardonnay musqué)
- Vinifera/hybrid blends are only permitted when the hybrid is declared on the label and in accordance with other requirements for varietal wine
- Declared varieties must be listed in descending order of content, in identical type
Organic Labelling
Organic or "green" label claims fall under federal labelling guidelines and regulations and are not regulated by VQA Ontario.
Other Label Content
VQA Ontario monitors compliance with federal wine labelling requirements (see sidebar), but these reqruirements are enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Other label content that is not regulated by VQA Ontario includes brand names, generic descriptors such as "reserved", "oaked", "first press" and descriptive back label text that describes wine character (unless it used regulated terms or it is clearly misleading as to the physical content of the wine).
VQA Label Approvals
VQA Ontario conducts a label review as part of the product approval process. Labels can only be approved in conjunction with the testing and approval of a specific wine. A wine approval will not be issued unless a compliant label is supplied. Wineries are responsible for ensuring the labels applied to all wines are compliant. VQA Ontario will review new or revised labels for previously approved wines on request. VQA Ontario will also review labels in advance of the wine approval process and provide feedback, but final label approval can only be issued with the wine approval. It is strongly recomended that final printing and labelling be done after the approval is received.
Label approvals can also be issued for a second label for use on a wine that is already approved.
Unfiltered and Bottled with Lees Wines
Wines may be designated under the categories "Unfiltered" and "Bottled with its Lees". The following rules apply for these categories:
- A wine that is produced and labeled "Bottled with its Lees" shall be exempt from the maximum turbidity limits established under the rules;
- The maximum turbidity limits established under the rules shall be 20 N.T.U. for white wines and 40 N.T.U. for red wines for a wine that is produced and labeled "Unfiltered" or "Bottled with its Lees";
- Wines that show any signs of refermentation or significant microbiological instability may be denied approval, even in the case they test within the maximum limits.
- Only the terms "Unfiltered" and "Bottled with its lees" shall be permitted to be displayed on the principal display panel and declared on the application for approval;
- The category description shall appear on the grading sheet for informational purposes and these attributes will be considered when judging a wine so designated.
- The new rules will be applied beginning with the 2002 vintage
These guidelines add distinct wine categories for VQA wines and:
- Recognize that these are quality wines without technical fault;
- Establish terms and conditions for their use;
- Recognize that certain unique characteristics require that they be exempt from specific laboratory testing and tasting guidelines.
Rules for Hybrid Grapes
Wines made with authorized hybrid grapes must carry the geographical indication "Ontario". Wines declaring a viticultural area name, a sub-appellation name, a vineyard name, and/or the designations: estate bottled, traditional method or Icewine, must be made from 100% vitis vinifera grapes. An exception is made for Vidal Icewine.
Blends of hybrid grapes and vinifera grapes are allowed only if:
- the geographical indication declared is Ontario
- the wine is made as a single, dual or triple varietal wine and the name of the hybrid grape variety is declared on the label
- all other applicable VQA requirements are met
Closures
Guidelines for Roll on – Pilfer Proof Closures (Screwcaps)
The screwcap shall be an ROPP closure and made of metal.
The liner shall include a component layer of either Saran tin (SFE) or Saranex (SAR2F), or other substance with similar properties, such that the permeability of the liner is no more than 1 cc per m² per 24 hours.
Guidelines for Crown Cap Closures
The crown cap shall be made of metal.
The closure shall include a liner and be applied so that a seal is formed, such that the permeability of the liner is no more than 1 cc per m² per 24 hours
Guidelines for Corks and Synthetic Corks
Cork closures may be natural or natural pore filled cork, cork composite with natural cork discs, or particle or agglomerate cork composite.
Corks made from 100% synthetic materials are permitted.
All closures must be manufactured and applied in a manner that preserves the quality of the wine.
VQA Logo
The VQA logo must appear on all bottles of VQA approved wine in accordance with the VQA Ontario Graphics Standards Manual, June 2008. The manual provides for minimum and maximum sizes, approved colours and presentations.
VQA Ontario Graphics Standards Manual 
(405KB)
The use of the VQA logo in association with wine is regulated by law in Ontario. The VQA logo is also protected under federal trademark and intellectual property law in Canada and other countries. It may be used only with the express and written agreement of VQA Ontario or VQA of Canada.
VQA Mandatory Label Content
The following items must appear on the principal display panel (customary front label):
The letters "VQA" and the appellation
- VQA Ontario VQA or
VQA viticultural area VQA
- The appellation declaration and VQA letters must appear in the same font, colour and type size and in a minimum type size of 2.0 mm based on the smallest letter used
- It must appear on the front label
The following items must appear on the bottle (any surface except the top or bottom):
The vintage year
- Optional for fortified, sparkling or liqueur wines
- It must appear as a full year (four digits), abbreviations, roman numerals and such are not permitted
The VQA Logo in accordance with the VQA Graphics Standards Manual
VQA Ontario Graphics
Standards Manual 
(405KB)
- Using approved graphics and colours
- With at least one representation of the VQA logo that is 15 mm or larger
- Bottles sizes smaller than 375 ml are subject to a 10 mm minimum
Grape variety name(s) or proprietary name (see detail at left)
Other information specific to wine category (see applicable regulation)
- FEDERAL INFORMATION (must appear together in any single field of vision)
The alcohol content (% alcohol by volume) to within a tolerance of +/- 1.1% of the tested value
- It may be written as x% alc./vol. (don't forget the periods) or x% alcohol by volume
- It must be at least 1.6 mm in height based on the measurement of the lower case "o". The numeric portion must be at least 3.2 mm in height
- When written out in full it must also appear in French
The common name of the product in both English and French
- For VQA products this would be "wine" and "vin" or white wine and vin blanc or red wine and vin rouge
- It must be at least 1.6 mm in height based on the measurement of the lower case "o"
The quantity in the container
- It must be metric units of volume, either millilitres or litres
- The units may be written out in full or abbreviated to mL, ml, mil or L, l, li with no punctuation (no periods)
- Quantities of 1L or more are to be shown in litres, lesser quantities in millilitres
- It must be at least 1.6 mm in height based on the measurement of the lower case "m". The numeric portion must be at least 3.2 mm in height
The name and address of the winery
- Including the legal name of the company, the city or town, province and country
- It must be at least 1.6 mm in height based on the measurement of the lower case "o"
- It may appear on the front or back label
The country of origin
- Product of Canada/ Produit du Canada
UNFILTERED WINES
Unfiltered wines are bottled without the usual final filtering process to remove microscopic solids. Bottling direct from the barrel or tank reduces the handling of the wine and captures its full character and complexity. Unfiltered wines will often form sediment in the bottle over time.
SUR LIE
Sur lie is the French translation of the expression 'on lees'. Lees are the residue that remain in the cask after fermentation. 'Sur lie' wines are bottled directly from the cask without additional filtering ('racking'), a process which adds complexity to the wine.
GRAPE SPECIES
Vitis vinifera is a grape species originating in Europe and traditionally used for wine for many hundreds of years. Other species include, among others, vitis riparia, vitis labrusca and vitis amerensis which are native to North America. VQA Ontario maintains a restricted list of permitted variety to manage quality inputs.
VITIS VINIFERA
VQA Ontario permits the use of almost all common vitis vinifera varieties based on the rationale that they are globally recognized as suitable for wine production. Although the list is long, the vast majority of production is represented by approximately 10 varieties. These varieties represent the intersection of consumer preferences and the varieties that perform particularly well in Ontario's appellations. Many wineries continue to produce small or experimental quantities of dozens of vitis vinifera varieties.
HYBRID GRAPES
VQA Ontario allows wine production from a short list of 8 grapes which are hybrids produced from crosses of vitis vinifera and other species. Wines made from hybrid grapes must declare the grape variety on the label. The permitted hybrids have been carefully selected based on a demonstrated record of quality achievement. Of particular note is the success of the Vidal Blanc for making Icewine. Other hybrids have not been included on the list of permitted varieties because of a history of association with an undesirable character described as "foxy". More specifically, hybrids with vitis labrusca parentage are not permitted to be used in any VQA wine. Wineries are free to produce wines from grape varieties that do not appear on the authorized list, however these wines must not be labelled with VQA appellation terms.
ALTERNATE PACKAGING
VQA wines must be packaged in glass bottles. VQA Ontario is monitoring developments in alternative, non-glass packaging such as aluminum cans, PET bottles, and aseptic boxes but no rule changes are contemplated at this time.