page_title: Ontario wine
section_title: Wine authority
hierarchical_section_title: Ontario wine / Wine authority
caption_attribution_description: The black &amp; gold Vinter's Quality Alliance (VQA) label on a bottle of Canadian Ice Wine from Inniskillin. This label signifies that the wine is made completely from Canadian grapes instead of the "Cellar in Canada" label which can be made from imported grapes.
context_page_description: Ontario wine is Canadian wine produced in the province of Ontario. The provinces has three official wine-growing region, the Niagara Peninsula, the north shore of Lake Erie, and Prince Edward County, although wineries also exist in other regions in Ontario. Approximately two-thirds of Canada's vineyard acreage is situated in Ontario, with over 150 vineyards spread across 6,900 hectares. As a result, the province is the country's largest producer of wine, accounting for 62 per cent of Canadian wine production, and 68 per cent of all Canadian wine exports.
  The province is home to Canada's first commercial winery, opened on Pelee Island in 1866. Wineries based in Ontario began to produce ice wine in the early 1980s. In 1999, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario named the Vintners Quality Alliance of Ontario as the province's official wine authority.
  Grape vine wines constitutes the majority of wine produced in Ontario, with the province also being the world's largest producer of ice wines, a style of grape wine. Grape wines made from 100 per cent Ontario grapes can qualify for classification under Ontario's appellation system, managed by the VQA.
context_section_description: The Vintners Quality Alliance of Ontario is formally empowered as the province's wine authority under the Vinters Quality Alliance Act, 1999, helping to classify wines under their appelation system. The VQA regulates production standards including grape varietals, wine-making techniques employed, and other requirements and ensures label integrity for consumers.  This has raised some issues with certain wineries that do not meet the VQA standard or are not eligible because they use Ontario grown winter-hardy hybrid grapes that are not recognized by VQA despite lobbying attempts to update their list of acceptable grape varieties.
  Not all wines produced in Ontario are classified as VQA. Many wineries produce both VQA wines and non-VQA wines depending on their business objectives.  Wines which are not labelled VQA may not meet the VQA standards, certification or verification requirements, or may be wines that are blended with imported grape content.  Certain producers (grandfathered under the 1988 Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement) are permitted to produce wines from a blend of foreign grapes or wine and domestic content to produce a wine labelled as Cellared in Canada or International/Canadian Blend. Some in the wine industry are concerned about this practice.
  Wines made from Ontario grapes that are not VQA certified are typically wines made using grape varieties, techniques or blends that VQA Ontario does not recognize and are not eligible for certification.  Some wineries may choose not to have eligible wines certified by VQA for economic reasons or wines may have failed to pass the certification process. Wines made from fruits other than grapes, including ciders, and wines made from raw materials other than fruit such as Sake and mead are not eligible for VQA certification.  The Ontario government provides support to wineries producing VQA wines through mark-up relief for VQA wines sold to restaurants and other establishments licensed to sell alcoholic beverages in Ontario.
caption: A VQA label on an ice wine bottle from an Ontario-based winery. The label indicates it was produced with 100 per cent Canadian grapes.
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