Monthly Newsletter
Posted: January 13, 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.
HELEN LY LEAVING OWAA
Our Office Supervisor and Approvals Coordinator, Helen Ly will be leaving OWAA on January 16 to pursue a new career opportunity. We will miss Helen’s very capable and organized contribution at the office.
Helen has been with OWAA for 2 years and has underpinned the efficient running of the wine approvals testing and all things at the OWAA office. Many of you will have received support and advice from her on wine approvals, reporting, invoicing and using our online platform.
We offer Helen our grateful thanks and our best wishes at her new job!
TIPS: HOW TO SCHEDULE YOUR APPROVAL SAMPLE SUBMISSIONS
For the Tasting Panel: the panel is convened on Wednesdays. The deadline for inclusion is 12:00 p.m. noon on the day before (Tuesday).
For the LCBO lab: samples must be received at the OWAA office by 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday to be included in the LCBO lab lineup for the following week.
For the CCOVI lab: OWAA normally ships samples to CCOVI on Mondays for testing that same week. The deadline for inclusion in the shipment is 12:00 p.m. on Monday.
What does this mean for my wine approval processing and how do I get the fastest turnaround?
If you select the FULL lab test from the LCBO, ship your wine to OWAA so that it arrives by 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday. It will then be included in the next day’s tasting panel and scheduled for laboratory analysis in the following week. Results should be available on Friday of the following week.
If you select the BASIC lab test at CCOVI, ship your wine to OWAA so that it arrives on Monday at 12:00 p.m. It will be sent to CCOVI for lab analysis and assessed by the Tasting Panel that same week. Results should be available at the end of that same week. (However, note that we ship to CCOVI on an on-demand basis so may not ship every Monday).
Most importantly – if you are in a rush, upload your labels and get the payment posted (credit card and e-transfer are instant ways to pay). No wine approvals are issued until everything is completed.
Note that we are heading into a busy time for wine approvals. Please plan accordingly.
As always, if you have any questions please contact us. We love to hear from you.