Monthly Newsletter
Posted: February 4, 2025

WINEMAKERS FORUM
Thank you to the winemakers and growers who attended the Winemakers Forum in Lake Erie North Shore to discuss the growing and vinifying of Cabernet Sauvignon in the appellation. Stay tuned for news about future winemakers’ forums in other regions.
AUDIT AND REPORTING SEMINARS – EMERGING REGIONS
Please join Director, Audit and Compliance Peter Harris, for a series of seminars on the OWAA audit program, preparation and best practices, along with a review of completing the monthly LCBO Winery Reporting Template (the “J10”) and VQA sales report. The seminar will cover VQA-specific reporting as well as common reporting requirements for all wine and cider. If you use an external bookkeeper to complete your reporting, feel free to have them attend.
All wineries are welcome, including those who are not OWAA members. Bring your questions and mark your calendar! Please register a week prior to the seminar date.
- February 21 (Friday) Collingwood, ON Georgian Hills Winery
- March 1 (Saturday) St Williams, ON (Norfolk County area), Front Road Cellars
- March 19 (Wednesday) Grand Bend, ON, Dark Horse Winery
- March 25 (Tuesday) Richmond, ON (Ottawa area), Jabulani Wines
Coffee and donuts on us. For more information or to register, please contact peter.harris@vqaontario.ca.
COMPLIANCE REVIEWS
As part of our role to ensure compliance with VQA legislation, we routinely review winery websites and signs/labels at your retail store. There are many detailed rules that apply to using VQA terms when advertising and selling wine, and we aim to provide timely advice to help you stay compliant.
These are many of the common issues found:
- Using VQA-reserved terms to describe a non-VQA wine
- Using a vineyard name to describe a wine not approved as a single vineyard wine
- Using the wrong appellation or sub-appellation on a label image or in the text description of a wine
- Using terms for which the wine was not approved – eg wine was approved to use “Ontario”, but description references Prince Edward County or Niagara Peninsula
- Displaying an image of a previously approved vintage conflicting with the text description for the current vintage
- Advertising pre-release wines using reserved terms prior to approval, without a disclaimer
Just remember that if you can’t say it on the label, you can’t say it on your website, shelf talker or signage. As always, if you have any questions about how to stay compliant, please contact our office.
REMINDER – OWAA NOW ACCEPTING PAYMENTS BY E-TRANSFER
Once your sales report is submitted, don’t forget to pay the associated invoice. You can do so via credit card, cheque and now by e-transfer. Send e-transfers to payments@vqaontario.ca. For this to work, you MUST include the correct invoice# and the amount must match the invoice!
SUSTAINABLE WINEGROWING ONTARIO 2025 INTAKE INFORMATION SESSION
Join Andrea Kaiser, Committee Chair of Sustainable Winegrowing Ontario, to learn more about certifying your vineyard or winery. In this free online webinar, attendees will gain more insight on the foundations of the program and the requirements for certifying their vineyard or winery. The session is open to anyone. If you are unable to attend, it will be recorded and available to watch at a later time. For more information email info@sustainablewinegrowing.ca or register now through the link below.
Date: Thursday February 6, 2025
Time: 10:00am – 11:00am
Location: Free on Zoom
Register: Here
CERTIFICATION IN ONTARIO WINES COURSE AT CCOVI
The Certification in Ontario Wines course at CCOVI, Brock University is the first fully integrated online course aimed to give winery staff a strong industry-driven foundation in Ontario wines including cool climate viticulture and winemaking; appellation systems, history of the Ontario wine industry and sensory assessment. Upon successful completion, registrants will receive not just one but three recognized levels of certifications: OWAA Level 1 in Ontario VQA Wine Appellations; OCW Wine Appellations of Ontario Certification; and the Certification in Ontario Wines from the Cool Climate Oenology & Viticulture Institute at Brock University.
Next course runs Feb 24th to Mar 28th. Link to registration: Here