Consultation – Sparkling Wine sweetness descriptor

Ontario Wine Appellation Authority – Stakeholder Consultation

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The Board of Directors is seeking feedback on a proposed change to the VQA Regulations to create an additional sweetness descriptor for Sparkling Wines. The change would add the descriptor “Extra Brut” to the list of permitted descriptors for wines that contain residual sugar of less than or equal to 6 grams/litre. The use of any sweetness descriptor would continue to be optional but regulated if used.

Please submit your comments, in writing no later than 12 May, 2026 to Laurie Macdonald.

Background

VQA regulations set out rules for the use of sweetness descriptors to describe VQA Sparkling wines. The proposed addition is highlighted below as a new line in the existing Table within VQA Regulation 406.

Sweetness Descriptions	Residual Sugar Level	Total Acid Level calculated as tartaric acid
Natural Brut (naturel)	not more than 15 g/L no sweetener in the dosage	not less than 4 g/L
Extra Brut	not more than 6 g/L	not less than 4 g/L
Brut	not more than 15 g/L	not less than 4 g/L
Extra Dry (extra sec)	more than 15 g/L not more than 25 g/L	not less than 4 g/L
Dry (sec)	more than 25 g/L not more than 35 g /L	not less than 4 g/L
Medium Dry (semi-dry)(demi-sec)	more than 35 g/L not more than 50 g /L	not less than 4 g/L
Sweet (doux)	more than 50 g/L	not less than 4 g/L

The proponent has provided the following rationale:

• Transparency – This addition allows producers to better communicate the nuances of style in their winemaking

• Consumer clarity – Today’s consumer has a heightened awareness of sugar content, desiring more specific data on the sugar levels in the wines they consume. The addition of the Extra Brut designation aligns with this trend. The current sugar scale fails to distinguish between wines classified as Brut (≥ 15.0 g/L dosage) and Natural Brut (0.0 g/L dosage). There is a clear need to provide consumers with a more detailed scale to identify wines that fall between these two extremes.

• Meeting the global standard – In today’s marketplace, we need to ensure that the way we communicate the style of our wines aligns with international standards and expectations. The change is required to align with standards for low-dosage wines and rectify this gap in our product communications.

No other changes are proposed to the composition, production or labelling of Sparkling Wines or to the technical requirements of the existing sweetness descriptors.

Assessment

• Impact on appellation system: Provides additional labelling option that improves alignment with global standards.

• Impact on consumers: Provides the opportunity for consumers to access more specific information about the relative sugar content of the wine, within a regulated framework.

• Impact on wineries: Provides wineries additional opportunity to communicate the wine attributes and respond to consumer interest in lower sugar content.

Regulatory Change Process

All regulatory changes require a minimum 30-day comment period for industry and stakeholder feedback to the OWAA Board of Directors before it approves a change and recommends it to government. If the Board approves the change, it requires further approval of the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement before taking effect.