Canada

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VQA Wines of Canada

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Ontario
British Columbia

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British Columbia

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British Columbia
Fraser Valley
Gulf Islands
Okanagan Valley
Similkameen Valley
Vancouver Island

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Gulf Islands
Subzones (unofficial)

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Golden Mile,
Black Sage/Osoyoos,
Kelowna,
Naramata,
Okanagan Falls

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Subzones (unofficial) of Vancouver Island:

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Cowichan Valley,
Nanaimo,
Saanich Peninsula

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British Columbia "Wines of Marked Quality" Regulations

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The following regulations apply only to "Wines of Marked Quality", which must be produced from 100% British Columbia grapes

Authorized Wine Categories:
BC "Wine of Distinction"
BC "VQA" Certified Wine

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British Columbia "Wines of Marked Quality" Regulations
BC "Wine of Distinction"

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Table Wine
Blanc de Noirs Wine: still white wine in which a min. 85% red grapes must be used
Nouveau Wine: partial carbonic maceration is required
Sparkling Wine and "Aromatic" Sparkling Wine: min. alcohol content of 8.5%
Traditional Method Sparkling Wine
Méthode Cuvée Close Sparkling Wine
Fortified Wine
Liqueur Wine
Solera Wine

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British Columbia "Wines of Marked Quality" Regulations
BC "VQA" Certified Wine:

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This category includes all of the "Distinction" wines, plus the following styles.
Icewine
Sparkling Icewine
Late Harvest Wine
Select Late Harvest Wine
Special Select Late Harvest Wine
Vin de Curé Wine: dried grape wine
Meritage: red and white blends of 2 or more Bordeaux varieties (no variety may exceed 90% of the blend)

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British Columbia "Wines of Marked Quality" Regulations
Permitted Actual Alcohol Ranges:

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Fortified and Liqueur Wines: 14.9-20%
All other wines: 7-20%

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British Columbia "Wines of Marked Quality" Regulations
Minimum Must Weight (in degrees Brix):

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Table Wine: 17° for British Columbia GI, 18° for all other GIs
Blanc de Noirs Wine: 18°
Nouveau Wine: 18°
Fortified Wine: 18°
Liqueur Wine
Solera Wine: 18°
Icewine: 32° (after pressing)
Late Harvest Wine: 23°
Select Late Harvest Wine: 26°
Special Select Late Harvest Wine: 32°
Vin de Curé Wine: 20° (32° after drying)

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British Columbia "Wines of Marked Quality" Regulations
Liqueur Wine Requirements:

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Liqueur Wines may not be fortified.
Sweetness descriptors and residual sugar ranges:
Dry: max. 30 g/l
Medium Dry: 30-65 g/l
Sweet: min. 65 g/l

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British Columbia "Wines of Marked Quality" Regulations
Sparkling Wine Requirements:

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All sparkling wines must contain a min. 3 bars of pressure.
Sparkling wines labeled as "traditional method" must be aged for a min. 9 months on the lees prior to disgorgement. Vintage-dated "Traditional Method" wines must remain on the lees for a min. 12 months.
For "traditional method" wines, the Transfer Method is authorized for wines that will be sold in bottles larger than 1.5 liters.
Sweetness descriptors and residual sugar ranges:
Brut: max. 15 g/l
Extra Dry: 15-25 g/l
Dry: 25-35 g/l
Semi-Dry: 35-50 g/l
Sweet: min. 50 g/l

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British Columbia "Wines of Marked Quality" Regulations
Icewine Requirements:

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Icewine must be produced from Vitis vinifera varieties or Vidal Blanc.
Grapes used for icewine must be naturally frozen on the vine, and harvested while temperatures are no higher than -8° C.
Cryo-extraction or other means of artificial concentration are prohibited.
British Columbia Icewine has a minimum residual sugar level of 100 g/l.

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British Columbia "Wines of Marked Quality" Regulations
General Label Terminology:

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Varietal Labeling: Wines of Distinction must contain a minimum 85% of the stated grape. If 2 or more varieties are listed, they must be listed in descending order.
Vintage Dating: A wine with a vintage date requires a minimum of 85% grapes grown in the stated harvest. With the exception of sparkling, fortified, and liqueur wines, all VQA wines must state a vintage on the label.
"Estate Bottled": A wine labeled as "estate bottled" must contain 100% of grapes grown in the same vintage year, on land owned or controlled by the winery. The wine must be produced and bottled on the winery premises, which must be located in the same GI as the estate vineyard. For this purpose, the GI indicates a smaller appellation than "British Columbia". Long term leases of at least 10 years are eligible. For fortified "estate bottled" wines, the fortification spirit must be distilled in the winery premises.

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BC Major Grapes

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Red Grapes:
Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon
Pinot Noir
Cabernet Franc
White Grapes:
Chardonnay
Pinot Gris
Gewürztraminer
Sauvignon Blanc
Riesling
Pinot Blanc

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Ontario Viticultural Areas (Geographic Indications)

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Prince Edward County
Niagara Peninsula
Lake Erie North Shore
Pelee Island (deregulated in 2013)

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Ontario Vintners Quality Alliance Regulations

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must be produced from 100% Ontario grapes, and must be labeled with a Geographic Indication and the "VQA" seal. For wines further labeled by viticultural area (i.e Niagara Peninsula), 85% of the grapes must be grown in the stated area. For wines further labeled by sub-viticultural area (i.e. Niagara River), 100% of the grapes must be grown in the stated sub-viticultural area.

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Ontario Vintners Quality Alliance Regulations
Authorized VQA Wine Categories:

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Table Wine
Wine
Icewine
Botrytized Wine
Totally Botrytized Wine
Late Harvest Wine
Select Late Harvest Wine
Special Select Late Harvest Wine
Vin de Curé: dried grape wine
Nouveau Red: partial carbonic maceration is required
Blanc de Noirs: still white wine in which a min. 85% red grapes must be used
Fortified Wine
Liqueur Wine
Sparkling Wine
Effervescent Wine
Icewine Dosage: Sparkling wine for which a min. 10% Icewine is added as dosage, with a min. 20 g/l of residual sugar
Sparkling Icewine

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Ontario Vintners Quality Alliance Regulations
Permitted Actual Alcohol Ranges:

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Fortified and Liqueur Wines: 14.9-20%
Vin de Curé: 7-20%
All Other Wines: 7-14.9%

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Ontario Vintners Quality Alliance Regulations
Minimum Must Weight (in degrees Brix):

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Table Wine and Wine: dependent on variety and appellation, between 17-20°
Icewine: 32° (after pressing)
Botrytized Wine: 26° (after pressing)
Totally Botrytized Wine: 34° (after pressing)
Late Harvest Wine: 22°
Select Late Harvest Wine: 25°
Special Select Late Harvest Wine: 28°
Fortified and Liqueur Wine: 18°Vin de Curé: 27° (after drying)

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Ontario Vintners Quality Alliance Regulations
Liqueur Wine Requirements:

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Liqueur Wines may not be fortified.Sweetness descriptors and residual sugar ranges:
Dry: max. 30 g/l
Medium Dry: 30-65 g/l
Sweet: min. 65 g/l

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Ontario Vintners Quality Alliance Regulations
Sparkling Wine Requirements:

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All fully sparkling wines must contain a min. 3 bars of pressure. "Effervescent Wine" must contain a min. 2 bars of pressure.
Sparkling wines may be labeled as either "Traditional Method" or "Méthode Cuve Close/Charmat Method"
Sparkling wines labeled as "traditional method" must be aged for a min. 9 months on the lees prior to disgorgement. Vintage-dated "Traditional Method" wines must remain on the lees for a min. 12 months.
For "traditional method" wines, the Transfer Method is authorized for wines that will be sold in bottles larger than 1.5 liters.
Sweetness descriptors and residual sugar ranges:
Brut: max. 15 g/l
Extra Dry: 15-25 g/l
Dry: 25-35 g/l
Semi-Dry: 35-50 g/l
Sweet: min. 50 g/l

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Ontario Vintners Quality Alliance Regulations
Icewine Requirements

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Icewine must be produced from Vitis vinifera varieties or Vidal Blanc.
Grapes used for icewine must be naturally frozen on the vine, and harvested while temperatures are no higher than -8° C.
Cryo-extraction or other means of artificial concentration are prohibited.
Sweet Reserve (süssreserve) may be added at a max. 15%, provided it has the same minimum must weight as the icewine.
Ontario Icewine has a minimum residual sugar level of 125 g/l.

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Ontario Vintners Quality Alliance Regulations
General Label Terminology:

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Varietal Labeling: VQA wines must contain a minimum 85% of the stated grape. If 2 or more varieties are listed, they must be listed in descending order. Hybrid grapes are not allowed for varietal labeling unless the provincial area (Ontario) is the only stated geographical indication.
Vintage Dating: A wine with a vintage date requires a minimum of 85% grapes grown in the stated harvest. With the exception of sparkling, fortified, and liqueur wines, all VQA wines must state a vintage on the label.
"Meritage": These wines are red and white blends of 2 or more Bordeaux varieties, and no variety may exceed 90% of the blend.
"Estate Bottled": A wine labeled as "estate bottled" must contain 100% of grapes grown in the same vintage year, on land owned or controlled by the winery. The wine must be produced and bottled on the winery premises, which must be located in the same GI as the estate vineyard. For this purpose, the GI indicates a smaller appellation than "British Columbia".