Monthly Newsletter
Posted: December 2, 2025
VQA IS 100% ONTARIO AND 100% CANADIAN. EVERY TIME. GUARANTEED.
Now more than ever, it’s time to share this message with every consumer in Ontario. VQA is the only guarantee that a wine is 100% Ontario. Look for the VQA letters or the logo for authentic, local wine. Every time. Guaranteed.
LAST DAY FOR LAB INTAKE – DECEMBER 10
Get your wine samples in for testing ASAP! The last day for lab testing is noon on December 10. If you need your results in 2025, please meet this deadline. OWAA will continue to accept samples until December 23, but samples delivered after December 10 will not be lab tested until the New Year.
REMINDER ON FEE REBATE CREDIT
OWAA was pleased to provide all VQA wineries with a fee rebate in November. The rebate has been posted as a credit to your online account.
This can be applied to any outstanding fees, including approvals, monthly levies, or next year’s membership renewal.
HOW TO USE YOUR CREDIT
- Login to your VQA Services account.
- Go to the Invoices and Payments page.
- Change the Range filter to 60 months to show all past invoices.
- Click Select All to include all outstanding invoices and the credit.
- Pay the net amount shown.
- If the total is negative, don’t pay your invoices just yet
- Keep the credit on your account until you have new invoices sufficient to create a positive balance owing
- Any pending wine approvals will be processed without delay if there is a credit balance on your account
If you need help, please contact Helen Ly.
REGULATORY CHANGES
Two amendments to VQA Regulation 406 have been approved by government and are now in effect.
New category of sparkling wine named “Fracette”
- Sparkling wine made using Icewine as the tirage liqueur, for the second step in winemaking to make the wine sparkling
- 100% vinifera, plus Vidal Icewine may be used
- Can be Traditional, Charmat or no-method declared
- Fracette must appear on label, Icewine Tirage may also appear on label
- Must meet all other rules applicable to Sparkling wines and methods of production
- Pronounced Fra-sette – rhymes with cassette or asset
Final packaging anywhere in Canada (Co-packing)
- Option to co-pack in other provinces
- Wine must be fully finished and VQA-approved in Ontario before shipping
- Wine must be owned by, and in care and control of Ontario VQA winery throughout the co-packing process to finished container
- For example, this allows you to hire a co-packer in Quebec, then sell the finished bottled wine to a retailer
- This does not allow you to sell bulk wine to a third party and give them permission to “use” VQA terms to label or to advertise as if they are the producer
- You remain accountable for misuse of regulated terms on final labels
Find the updated regulation at O. Reg. 262/25 RULES OF VINTNERS QUALITY ALLIANCE ONTARIO RELATING TO TERMS FOR VQA WINE | ontario.ca
VINTAGE REPORT – AVAILABLE NOW
After a year of weather plot twists, from fake spring to a stubborn summer heat wave, Ontario growers still brought in fruit with incredible flavour and balance. Early signs point to a vintage with the depth and energy we saw in 2022, 2023 and 2024, setting up 2025 to be another standout year for Ontario wine.
Find the Vintage Report online here
NEW! HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR VQA APPLICATION
Check out our new video – How to Submit your VQA Wine Application, live now. Katherina will walk you through every step of the process, with easy-to-follow instructions. It’s available on our YouTube channel here: (1000) Ontario Wine Appellation Authority – YouTube
OFFICE CLOSURE
The OWAA office will be closed from noon (12 p.m.) on December 24th for the holidays, reopening on Monday January 5th. We wish you a very happy holiday season!