Take a Tour: ’s Associations

NATIONAL

Canadian Vintners Association – www.canadianvintners.com

The Institute was created in 1967 and renamed in 2000 to the Canadian Vintners Association (CVA) to better reflect the growth of this dynamic industry. Today, CVA represents over 90% of all wine produced in Canada, including 100% Canadian, Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) and International-Canadian Blended (ICB) wine products. Its members are also engaged in the entire wine value chain: from grape growing, farm management, grape harvesting, research, wine production, bottling, retail sales and tourism. CVA holds the trademarks to Vintners Quality Alliance, Icewine and Wines of Canada.

Stated Mission: To provide focused national leadership and strategic coherence to enable domestic and international success for the Canadian wine industry.

PROVINCIAL

BRITISH COLUMBIA

British Columbia Wine Institute – www.winebc.org The Institute (BCWI) was created by the Provincial Government to give the wine industry an industry elected voice representing the needs of the BC wine industry, through the British Columbia Wine Act in 1990. In 2006, BCWI members voted to become a voluntary trade association with member fees to be based on BC wine sales. Today, BCWI plays a key role in the growth of BC’s wine industry and its members represent 95% of total grape wine sales and 94% of total BC VQA wine sales in British Columbia.

Stated Mission: To champion the interests of the British Columbia wine industry and BC VQA wine through marketing, communications and advocacy of its products and experiences to all stakeholders.

Additional British Columbia wine-related organizations:

British Columbia Wine Authority – www.bcvqa.ca The British Columbia Wine Authority (BCWA) is an independent regulatory authority to which the Province of British Columbia has delegated responsibility for enforcing the Province’s Wines of Marked Quality Regulation, including BC VQA of origin system and certification of 100% BC wine origins. Currently, over 168 wineries participate in the Wines of Marked Quality program, representing approximately 70% of all licensed grape wineries in the Province, producing over 95% of all wine produced in BC.

British Columbia Grapegrowers Association – www.grapegrowers.bc.ca The British Columbia Grapegrowers Association (BCGA) represents all grape producers in British Columbia on agricultural issues and concerns.

BC Wine Grape Council – www.bcwgc.org The purpose of the BC Wine Grape Council is to coordinate, facilitate, and fund research and education on and enology to broadly benefit the British Columbia wine grape industry and to represent growers on a variety of agriculture related issues. Stated Mission: To promote the development of a strong and viable wine grape industry that will result in the production of world class wines and that will enhance the economic and environmental benefits to British Columbia.

ONTARIO

Winery & Grower Alliance of – www.wgao.ca The Winery & Grower Alliance of Ontario (WGAO) is a trade association of wineries and grape growers working together to ensure the entire industry is robust, sustainable and profitable. WGAO members produce over 85% of all the wine in Ontario, including both Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) and International Canadian Blends (ICB) wine. They also purchase over 85% of the grapes grown by independent farmers in the province.

Stated Mission: To increase the visibility and recognition of the economic and community value of the Ontario grape and wine industry in partnership with all stakeholders. To create consumer preference for our wine through the quality and value of our products in every market segment.

Wine Council of Ontario – www.winecouncilofontario.ca Wine Council of Ontario (WCO) is a trade association dedicated to promoting Vintner’s Quality Alliance (VQA) wines and vintners. Started in 1974, WCO currently represents approximately 100 wineries across the three designated viticultural areas of the province, as well as emerging wine regions.

Stated Mission: The Wine Council of Ontario leads the growth and sustainability of Ontario‘s VQA wines.

Additional Ontario wine-related organizations:

Wine Marketing Association of Ontario – www.winecountryontario.ca Wine Marketing Association of Ontario is a joint initiative of the WGAO and WCO, dedicated exclusively to promoting Ontario’s VQA wines and wine-growing regions — from the wines and wineries themselves, to the complete experience of each destination. Wine Country Ontario is a brand trademark of the Wine Marketing Association of Ontario.

VQA Ontario – www.vqaontario.ca VQA Ontario is Ontario’s Wine Authority, a provincial regulatory agency responsible for maintaining the integrity of local wine and enforcing winemaking and labelling standards. VQA Ontario was designated as Ontario's wine authority under the Vintners Quality Alliance Act, 1999, and has the delegated authority to administer and enforce the VQA Act and its associated regulations.

Grape Growers of Ontario – www.grapegrowersofontario.com

The Grape Growers of Ontario traces its roots to the Grape Growers of Ontario Marketing Board, which was formed in 1947. Today, Grape Growers of Ontario includes almost 500 grape growers of 17,000 acres of vineyards in Ontario, Canada. Membership in the GGO is mandated by the government under the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission.

QUÉBEC

Vignerons indépendants du Québec – www.viquebec.com The Vignerons indépendants du Québec (VIQ) was founded in 2006 by a group of winegrowers and winemakers in order to bring together the producers of the regions of Quebec and promote the sharing of expertise. Today, VIQ has 55 members across the province committed to a strong industry.

Stated Mission: Passionate and professional winegrowers working from the vine to the commercialisation, VIQ members stay at every elaboration step of our wines. Responsible, committed and professional, we play a major role in our sector, with due respect for our clients and our environment.

L'Association des vignerons du Québec – vinsduquebec.com L'Association des vignerons du Québec (AVQ) was founded in 1987, which now represents approximately 70 wineries in the province. In 2008, AVQ launched the Québec Certified Wines program to guarantee local wine authenticity.

Stated Mission: Elevating Québec viticulture to the highest possible summits of quality, refining winemaker’s expertise to extract the best from our land, and bottling authentic and innovative wines is the mission that association members carry out with passion and pride.

NOVA SCOTIA

Winery Association of Nova Scotia – www.winesofnovascotia.ca The Winery Association of Nova Scotia was formed in 2002 to represent the interests of wine producers in the province, to serve as a voice for local industry and to promote the growth and development of Nova Scotia wines.