Monthly Newsletter
Posted: September 11, 2026
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.
VQA BRIX MINIMUMS AT HARVEST APPLY TO ALL GRAPE VARIETIES
CHECK BEFORE YOU BLEND
It is shaping up to be a challenging vintage. Please keep the VQA brix table handy during harvest. This will ensure you do not impact the eligibility of your finished wines. Remember, if the brix is less than the number listed for “viticultural area”, no appellations, sub-appellations or vineyard names can appear on the label. If the brix falls between the minimum for Ontario and viticultural area, the grapes can be used if the label is declassified to “Ontario”. No grapes harvested below 17 brix can be used in VQA wines (except for Sparkling).
MINIMUM AVERAGE BRIX FOR VQA – BY VARIETY
| Grape Variety | VQA Ontario Minimum Average |
VQA Appellation Minimum Average |
|---|---|---|
| Baco Noir | 19.5º Brix | n/a |
| Cabernet Franc | 18.0º Brix | 20.0º Brix |
| Cabernet Sauvignon | 19.0º Brix | 20.0º Brix |
| Chambourcin | 18.0º Brix | n/a |
| Chardonnay | 18.0º Brix | 20.0º Brix |
| Chardonnay Musqué | 18.0º Brix | 18.0º Brix |
| Frontenac Blanc | 19.5º Brix | n/a |
| Frontenac Gris | 19.5º Brix | n/a |
| Frontenac Noir | 19.5º Brix | n/a |
| Gamay Noir | 18.0º Brix | 19.0º Brix |
| Gewürztraminer | 18.0º Brix | 19.0º Brix |
| Marechal Foch | 19.0º Brix | n/a |
| Merlot | 19.0º Brix | 20.5º Brix |
| Muscats | 17.0º Brix | 17.0º Brix |
| Pinot Blanc | 17.5º Brix | 18.0º Brix |
| Pinot Gris / Grigio | 17.5º Brix | 18.5º Brix |
| Pinot Noir | 18.5º Brix | 19.5º Brix |
| Riesling | 17.0º Brix | 17.0º Brix |
| Sauvignon Blanc | 17.0º Brix | 18.0º Brix |
| Sémillon | 17.0º Brix | 17.0º Brix |
| Syrah / Shiraz | 18.0º Brix | 19.5º Brix |
| Vidal Blanc | 18.0º Brix | n/a |
| Viognier | 18.0º Brix | 19.0º Brix |
| Other vitis vinifera varieties | 17.0º Brix | 18.0º Brix |
| Other hybrid varieties | 18.0º Brix | n/a |
REGULATORY CHANGES – ALBARINO AND PINOT BEUROT
Updates to the list of permitted grape varieties have been approved by the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement and are in effect. Albarino has been added to the list and Pinot Beurot is now an approved synonym for Pinot Gris. Changes to labelling rules for Skin Fermented White wines continue to work through the approval process and are now posted on the Ontario government’s Regulatory Registry for public comment. This consultation closes on October 1st. Proposal to amend labelling requirements for skin fermented white wines in Ontario Regulation 406/00 under the Vintners Quality Alliance Act, 1999
RECENT CHANGES TO THE WINERY REPORTING TEMPLATE (J10)
A reminder to review the VQAO Sales Report tab of the J10 package for accuracy before submitting your monthly sales reports. There have been changes recently to the forms including addition of new category codes (NT, NS, NE, NL, NR) to identify non-VQA wines made entirely from Ontario grapes. These codes should be used only for non-VQA wines. Do not record sales of non-VQA wines on the VQAO Sales Report tab. The standard codes for table and sparkling wines (T, R, E, S, etc.) should continue to be used for your VQA-approved wines. There have been some cases where litres reported for the non-VQA category in other tabs are migrating onto the VQAO Sales Report tab. Please review the VQAO Sales Report entries to ensure that no “N” categories are listed and delete these line items if necessary. We have informed LCBO of this issue, but in the interim, please take extra care to review your report before submission. Any questions regarding reporting, please contact Peter Harris.
FAQ: CAN I PAY BY CREDIT CARD OR E-TRANSFER? YES!
Credit card: OWAA uses a third-party service called Stripe to process payments by credit card. Before using the “Pay by Credit Card” option on the Invoices & Payments page on VQA Services, you must first set up a credit card with Stripe. To set up a credit card, click on “New Payment Card” under the Payment cards tab and follow the instructions. Make sure to check off on the “Enabled” box for all cards you want to be active on the system. Card entries that are no longer valid should be removed from the system by either unchecking the “Enable” box or clicking on the “Delete” button. All enabled cards will then be available to pay any invoice selected on the Invoices & Payments page.
E-transfer: Select the invoice or invoices you with to pay and click on pay now. Select e-transfer as the method and note the invoice # in the instructions. Go to your banking application and set up the transfer payment, making sure the OWAA invoice # appears in the message line. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Sabina Mostacci