Bergeron Estate Winery was charged with one count of using terms regulated under the VQA Act without the approval of the wine authority. The charge stems from allegations that the winery used the regulated terms "VQA" and "Prince Edward County" to describe and label a wine that was not approved. The winery entered a guilty plea in the Provincial Offenses Court on November 20, 2019 and a conviction was registered. In a separate incident, The Grange of Prince Edward Estate Winery was charged with four counts of using terms regulated under the VQA Act without the approval of the wine authority. The charges arise from allegations that the winery used the regulated terms "VQA", "Prince Edward County" and "Ontario" to describe and label wines that were not approved. These charges are expected to be heard by the Provincial Offenses Court in January 2020. VQA Ontario's role is to protect consumers by ensuring wine descriptions are accurate and not misleading. The wine approval process is intended to assure consumers that the claimed standard has been met and that rules are enforced to maintain a fair and informed marketplace. The integrity of label claims for wine origin are especially important since wine is uniquely defined by the place the grapes are grown, and Ontario consumers are increasingly interested in authentic local wines. 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 labeling and quality standards and verifies wine origin for Ontario-grown wines. Only those wines evaluated and approved by VQA Ontario may use designated label terms and descriptions. These include geographical terms such as "Niagara Peninsula", "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". |