VQA ONTARIO NEWS March 2014

Need a quick way to explain the essence of VQA to your front line staff and customers?

VQA is about place. Special places right here at home. Places like nowhere else in the world. Where the soil, the slope, the sunshine, the warmth, the rainfall and the craftsmanship all matter. Together, they give us better grapes. And better grapes give us better wine. Taste the Place

Please use this and help us deliver a consistent message to Ontario wine drinkers about why VQA matters.

RULE CHANGES – IN EFFECT NOW

The following changes to VQA regulation 406 (content and labelling rules) take effect immediately:

The minimum residual sugar in finished Icewine has been changed from 125 g/L to 100 g/L. This harmonizes VQA rules with other jurisdictions. All other requirements (brix, etc) remain unchanged.

New grape synonyms have been added to the list of permitted grape varieties. The synonym Primitivo is now permitted for the Zinfandel variety and the synonym Muscato is now permitted for vinifera varieties Muscat Ottonel, Muscat Blanc and Morio Muscat or any combination of the three.

The updated regulation will be available online in a few weeks.

RULE CHANGES – FOR CONSULTATION

VQA Ontario is seeking feedback on two proposed rule changes – creation of a new sub-appellation within Lake Erie North Shore named South Islands and permitting the use of specific appellation on non-glass packaging. Please take a moment to respond by April 30, 2014. You will have received an email outlining the proposals or they can be viewed by logging into the VQA Services website.

WINERY REPORT CARD – NOW AVAILABLE

The 2013 annual report on performance at the VQA Tasting Panel has been posted on the VQA Services website and emailed to the principal at each winery. An individual report comparing each wineries performance with the industry average will also be emailed. If your winery does not receive an individual report card – Congratulations! You had a 100% success rate at the tasting panel.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL – LAST FEW DAYS TO RENEW

If you have not yet renewed your membership and wish to do so, make sure you login and renew by the end of the day March 31 or it will automatically expire. Don’t forget to complete the process too – pay the fee and send in your current manufacturer’s licence – online renewal without payment will give you a few more days of access to the online services but your membership will still expire if the process is not completed.

For wineries that are not renewing, you may continue to sell VQA approved wines for up to 1 year using VQA terms on the label. After March 31, 2015, the approval for any remaining inventory of these wines is not valid and they must be relabelled to remove VQA regulated terms. You may choose to rejoin in future, however please note that the membership fees for the gap period must be paid up before rejoining. Please contact the VQA Ontario office if you have any questions about operating as a non-VQA winery.

VQA SALES LEVIES ARE GOING DOWN ON APRIL 1, 2014

The VQA sales levy will be reduced by 10% from 5 cents per litre to 4.5 cents per litre, effective April 1, 2014. The revised fee will apply starting with your April sales report, which is due on May 10, 2014. Please use the old fee for all sales reports for periods up to April 1, 2014. The new reporting form will be available in April.

REMINDER – ICEWINE HARVEST REPORTING

If you registered grapes for Icewine or Late Harvest, please remember that you must login to the VQA online system and complete your harvest report. Within 30 days of completing the harvest, the winery/grower who registered the grapes must complete the report, including details on dates, temperature, actual tonnes, litres and brix. Once you have filled in the harvest report, please check the summary grid to ensure it shows your entries – there should not be “zeros” in any column unless you did not harvest the grapes or you do not wish them to be eligible content for VQA wines.

Complete the harvest form online at VQA Ontario’s secure website. No harvest registrations will be accepted after midnight on April 30, 2014. Wine made from non-registered juice will not be eligible for approval as Icewine or as any VQA wine.

Questions? Contact us

VQA Ontario  Ontario’s Wine Authority  www.vqaontario.ca Tel. 416-367-2002 Fax. 416-367-4044 Email. [email protected]