Ontario Wine Appellation Authority

Taste the Place

VQA is about place. Special places right here at home. Places like nowhere else in the world.

Where the soil, the slope, the sunshine, the warmth, the rainfall and the craftsmanship all matter. Together, they give us better grapes. And better grapes give us better wine.

Come explore our special places for wine....Lake Erie North Shore, Niagara Peninsula, and Prince Edward County.

VQA Ontario Wine Appellation Authority is a regulatory agency responsible for maintaining the integrity of local wine appellations and enforcing winemaking and labelling standards. It does not represent the wine industry in Ontario and is not a marketing agency.

Creating Sense of Place with Ontario Wines

Ontario's wine industry has grown and matured for nearly two hundred years. Stretching mostly across the southern part of the province, Ontario wineries take advantage of a temperate climate, enhanced by the diversity of glacial soils and the moderating effect of the Great Lakes, to produce mature fruit and complex wines.

VQA denotes quality and label integrity for Ontario wines of origin. To appreciate a VQA wine, however, is to appreciate more than these important standards, for the inherent quality of these wines lies in a deep sense of place. Appellation of origin is an important marker of quality in the best of wine regions, reminding us of a wine's inherent tie to the earth, nature, our ecology, the hands that produce it, and the time and heart involved in making it. Wines that draw attention to these unique qualities - to a sense of place - resonate with wine lovers on a deep, emotional level. The VQA appellation system supports this experience and promises unique quality and diversity for Ontario wines of origin.

VQA Ontario Information Package

Learn about the benefits of membership, VQA milestones, and find out how VQA Ontario has been supporting 15 years of growth in the Ontario Wine Industry.

VQA Means Wines of Origin

Appellation defines Ontario's viticulture. As steward of Ontario's appellation system, VQA Ontario is responsible for building appreciation and maintaining the integrity of Ontario's wines of origin by ensuring claims of origin are accurate and meaningful. As viticulture in Ontario continues to evolve, industry stakeholders and wine lovers alike can rely on the VQA Ontario as the comprehensive and trusted source on Ontario's appellation character and culture.

Discover VQA Ontario appellations

VQA Means Quality Assurance

Ontario’s VQA wines of origin represent a promise of quality and authenticity. Through origin verification, extensive laboratory testing and tasting by an independent expert panel, as well as comprehensive label reviews, VQA Ontario ensures precise adherence to rigorous winemaking standards and label integrity that consumers can trust.

Learn about VQA Ontario quality standards

Quality Wines of Origin

VQA wines are crafted from grapes grown in Ontario's unique and diverse appellations. Dedicated to producing wines that typify grape character and the distinctive imprint of origin, Ontario winemakers are immersed in the cultivation, interpretation and communication of terroir as it is reflected in their wines, from vineyard to bottle. Clearly, the best wines are a unique reflection of a winemaker's passion inspired and challenged by a sense of place and these qualities of origin. Choosing VQA means choosing quality wines of origin.

Ontario's Wineries

Find a Winery

News

Ontario Winery Charged Under VQA Act

Niagara on the Lake, Ontario - Vintners Quality Alliance Ontario, Ontario's wine appellation authority, has laid two charges against a Niagara on the Lake winery for the unauthorized use of regulated wine label terms.

Icewine and Late Harvest & Pressing

Text EDM Associates (Errol McKibbon) at 289-219-3065 when picking begins and to test the brix for each batch.

Resources

Get the new VQA Logo

Visit the Regulations page.

Wine Search

This feature lets you search our database of VQA approved wines by brand, vintage and type.
Search wine now

VQA Rack Card
Download the card (238KB)

VQA: Supporting 15 Years of Ontario Wine Industry Growth
Download Booklet (1,720KB)
Printer Friendly version

2019 Tasting Data Report here

2020 Vintage Report here

2019 Industry Performance Study here

2020 Annual Report and Production Statistics here

Facts, maps, features and reports Browse Library

Consumer Protection

VQA ensures truth-in-labelling for consumers of Ontario's wines of origin. 100% Ontario and 100% integrity. Find out how the Ontario Government protects consumers here

VQA Ontario Wine Appellation Authority