Ontario Wine Review: Three Issues That Plague Ontario … This MonthSure it’s a New Year, but it’s the same old confusion, sniping, backbiting and complaining in the wine world – especially the Ontario Wine World. Let’s start with a very recent article published by Sun Media (Province Must Emphasize its Ontario Products – January 12, 2009). The writer promotes the idea of VQA wine stores, or even Ontario-only wine stores (more on that distinction in a moment), but it’s this quote that infuriates me, and yet again will cause more confusion amongst Ontario’s wine buying public: “[The government] could also help by revising the Wine Content Act to ensure more Ontario grapes go into each bottle of wine sold and enhancing and expanding education efforts that help consumers understand the difference between VQA wine … and blended wines …” I’ll spell it out for those who didn’t catch it. “More Ontario grapes go into each bottle of wine sold,” that makes it sound like foreign grapes go into all our wines, when in fact it’s only the Cellared in Ontario wines where we have foreign content. If the Wine Content Act is raised to 50-50 or 70-30 in favour of Ontario grapes (from the current 70-30 in favour of the foreign stuff), it’s still has foreign content and it is still not 100% Ontario wine (which is what VQA always has and always will stand for). Put it this way, even a little bit of e-coli in the water is considered contaminated water. Talk about muddling an issue, this writer had a full head of steam going, and I was with him up to that point … and then, Oh Brother, it’s amazing how one simple line can change an article from good to bad. This is what happens when non-wine writers get involved in wine related stories armed with only a few of the facts. They muddy the waters. You have to be crystal clear about the difference between VQA (100% Ontario wine) and Cellared in Canada product, absolutely crystal clear. On this issue, we have to educate Ontarians, we have to hammer home VQA, VQA, VQA – 100% Ontario grapes go into this product; always have always will.
Speaking of Ontario wine, my sweetie made this off-handed comment to me while watching Food Network Canada, “I wonder if those wines on his wine rack are Ontario wines.” (After all, the host was talking about eating and cooking local). To that I replied, “In the U.S., wine is from California, Washington, Oregon, etc. In Italy, it’d be from Piedmont, Veneto, Puglia and the likes. In France, it’s Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne; Australia’s the Barossa, Chile’s the Maipo. In Ontario, it’s from the U.S., Australia, Chile, Argentina …” She looked at me confused, “Ontario makes wine,” she said. While confusing to an outsider from the United States this makes perfect sense to you and me (I am speaking to Ontarians here). It’s a sorry comment to make about a wine-producing region of the world, but it’s true. From the same article mentioned above, I quote these lines: “One would be hard pressed to find any other wine region in the world that promotes imported competitors as much, or more, than their domestic brands. This would be akin to government-sponsored commercials encouraging people to buy foreign cars or imported produce. The idea is inconceivable, yet in Ontario liquor stores it’s accepted as a standard course of action.” When I was in Michigan over the holidays, I discovered that in any wine store or shop, I was hard pressed to find “foreign wine” (not from the US). Sure it was there, but the American brands were all front and center. When in Italy, this past September, I noticed the same thing. In Ontario LCBO stores, I find myself searching for the Ontario section which is sometimes as little as half of an aisle, while the Aussies take up half of the store.
We have a third issue to discuss and I brought it up in the first paragraph and promised to come back to it: VQA wine stores vs. Ontario-only wine stores. I am sure that many of you have seen the “Official map to the Wineries of Ontario”; did you know that approximately 50% of all of Ontario’s wineries do not appear on that map? For those not so good in math that’s “approximately half”. Many of those wineries come from non-DVA (Designated Viticulture Area) regions of Ontario (Niagara, Prince Edward County, Lake Erie North Shore and Pelee Island); it is important to note that not all the wineries from these regions are on the map either, only those that belong to the Wine Council of Ontario (WCO). When it comes to the WCO there is more muddy water here and it gets very political. Some folks don’t believe in what the WCO stands for, don’t like their politics and believe that the big wineries have more clout because they pay more dues. I am not here to get involved with this sordid issue, I want to discuss what all Ontario wineries want: access to their own market and recognition that their product is all-Ontario. In this day and age of ‘slow food’ and the ‘100-mile diet’ it is imperative to a growing number of consumers that their food and drink come from the place/province in which they live.
Now acronyms are thrown around like water in the hopes of people remembering them. For example, VQA, which as we should all know stands for 100% Ontario product in the bottle; to get that designation, you have to be part of one of those DVA’s I mentioned earlier. This means you have to be growing your fruit in a specific part of Ontario … if you are not, and your bottle still has 100% Ontario product in it, you can not use the VQA symbol; you can’t even put the word “Ontario” on your label, because the VQA owns that term when it comes to wine. I say we need another acronym for these wineries; might I humbly suggest the new acronym that could appear prominently on the neck of these bottles of non-DVA, 100% Ontario wine be OVA. OVA stands for the Ontario Viniculture Association and currently represents 75 Ontario wineries. Their mission is to boldly go where no organization has gone before, “to advocate on behalf of all producers of 100% Ontario wine in order to achieve equality of opportunity for all Ontario wineries.” It does not look like VQA is going to relax any if it’s rules or policies anytime soon (re: VQA wines being from only recognized DVAs), and nor should they, but I think its time for those wineries making 100% Ontario product outside of recognized DVAs to have their own logo to ensure their wines are 100% Ontario too – OVA. Sure that’s requires more educating the public, but why not add another three letters to all the acronyms we now try to teach people. We can then say that both VQA and OVA wines are all 100% Ontario fruit. While we are at it, since it does not look like we will be ditching the Cellared stuff anytime soon, we should find a cute little acronym for those wines too - C.R.A.P. comes to mind, though I have no idea what it would stand for – if you have any ideas please email them to michael@ontariowinereview.com- I will publish the best in an upcoming newsletter.
So let’s recap, cause this is a lot to take in in one sitting: VQA is 100% Ontario grown and produced wines, always has and always will. To reinforce this into the hearts and minds of the Ontario public, we should be working towards eliminating, not reducing, but eliminating the mixing of foreign content with our home grown product. This can be done.
There are plenty of Ontario wineries making good quality, 100% Ontario wines who are unable to publicize this information. They are not part of any DVA and they can’t even put the word “Ontario” on their label. We need a new logo (a la VQA) to designate these wines as 100% Ontario product – I suggest OVA. And then there are some wineries that blend not only VQA with non VQA. Prince Edward County VQA and non Prince Edward County VQA.
wines.Be it rumour or myth,Starting Jan.2009. An independent review board will be visiting several (maybe all) wineries, making purchases to run further Dna testing of product to either credit or dispel the authenticity of the strain(and or blend) Such findings may lead to severe fines or penalties or even a revoke of such licences.
It’s time to level the playing field for all Ontario wineries. It’s time to promote Ontario product in our own backyard – buy local, eat local and all that jazz – but when we’re still promoting foreign wines over our own domestic product and when media and wineries continue to confuse the public between 100% true Ontario product and blended product – how can anyone be expected to keep it all straight? The answer is easy, eliminate the stumbling block, ditch the part that causes the confusion: the practice of blending foreign and domestic product together. Our practice of doing this is antiquated and archaic, made for a time when we were not self sufficient in grape growing. In 2008, we dropped 4000 tons of fruit to the ground and with more vineyards coming on line in years to come that number could easily double. Does that sound like an industry that is no longer self-sufficient … an industry in need of foreign aid? We should also be recognizing all Ontario wineries and not segregating them. Yes DVAs are important, but so are the other wine growing and producing areas. All major wine producing countries state their origin on the label, some at different levels of classification: Even lowly French table wine (Vin de Table) has the words “product of France” on it, and all California wine at least has the state on the front label – not say Product of USA. If you are not in a DVA and thus not VQA, than you can at least be OVA (or something equivalent) … I recently read a quote, sent to me by an Ontario fruit winery, and although it deals with fruit wine, it can be applied to ALL wineries (both grape and fruit), “With fruit wine, all of Canada is a wine region” … with so many growing grapes/fruit in all four corners and reaches of this province, there must be some way to designate its origin. To achieve this goal, I turn to Jack Nicholson’s Joker for the final word, “Why can’t we all just … get along.”
Ontario must do more
According to St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley, who also serves as Ontario's transportation minister and head of the wine secretariat, the province is growing tired of short-term fixes in the grape and wine industry. There is frustration with the friction between the Wine Council of Ontario and the Grape Growers of Ontario, and a directive from the office of Premier Dalton McGuinty is all but ordering a long-term plan for the success of the industry.
But the province should step off its soapbox and take a long, hard look at the role it can play to ensure the success of the Ontario grape and wine industry well into the future.
The discord between the wine council and the grape growers is well documented and unfortunate, although both parties are expressing a willingness to resolve their differences to move forward. But the disputes between the two organizations are just a small part of what is causing problems in grape and wine; many of the other challenges are beyond the power of the industry, but are under the control of the provincial government. The federal government has promised to ease trade rules between provinces; if this applies to wines, it will open new markets for Ontario wineries.
But so much more can and should be done to open more of the Ontario market to Ontario wineries, and that is wholly in the domain of the provincial government. Sales of Ontario wines have essentially flat-lined, yet the single largest retailer of alcohol and spirits in the province is the provincial government. Simply allowing private wine stores in Ontario would open sales opportunities that don't currently exist for small and medium wineries.
The province can also mandate increased presence and better promotion of Ontario VQA wines in the LCBO. While there has been marked improvement in the LCBO's handling of Ontario wines in recent years, it is still far from perfect. In many LCBO outlets, particularly as you move outside of Niagara, VQA wines are still sharing shelf space with foreign blends that are cellared in Canada.
And that is another area where the province can help: wine content and labelling regulations. Only a few of Ontario's 100-plus wineries are allowed to make blended wines -containing up to 70 per cent imported juice -yet these so-called "cellared in Canada" wines dominate Ontario sales.
The sale of these wines do little for the grape growers and smaller wineries that were created after the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement and they detract from the bottles of wine that are 100 per cent grown, picked, crushed, fermented and bottled in Ontario.
Only the province can make the changes to require blended wines to be called what they really are -not true Ontario wines -and only the province can expand existing distribution channels and create new ones.
If the province wants a long-term solution to the woes of the grape and wine industry, it has to be prepared to do its part.
When is a cab not a cab?
You can't judge alcohol content by the label on a wine bottle. As I explained in a recent column, depending on the origin of the wine, the actual content may differ from the stated content by half to one-and-a-half per cent either way.
You can't judge alcohol content by the label on a wine bottle. As I explained in a recent column, depending on the origin of the wine, the actual content may differ from the stated content by half to one-and-a-half per cent either way.
The revelation prompted readers to ask if there are other inaccuracies on a wine label. While it may be going too far to say information is often inaccurate, it's certainly incomplete and can be misleading -- though not necessarily intended to deceive.
When you buy a cabernet sauvignon, you assume it's made from cabernet sauvignon grapes. It is -- or should be. However, it's not necessarily 100 per cent cabernet sauvignon. Depending where it's from, a producer can blend up to 25 per cent other varieties. Either way, it would still be called cabernet sauvignon.
As long as the cabernet meets the minimum percentage, the producer is under no obligation to display any other components.
This is the case when makers of entry-level wine want to provide consumers with straightforward and uncomplicated information. In some cases, as with the many cabernet-merlot blends, the variety or varieties are declared.
The label may declare two varieties (cabernet sauvignon and merlot, for example) but not smaller quantities in the blend.
Other producers -- and this is more often in the case of higher-end wines -- want you to know the wine has been blended carefully to show the best qualities of each of the components. These producers may detail to the nearest half perentage point the four or five varieties in the blend.
Does any of this matter? Many professionals like to know if they're dealing with a 100 per cent varietal wine or a blend, because it helps them analyse the wine. However, I doubt most people care if their shiraz has a dash of viognier or if their cabernet sauvignon is 10 per cent merlot and five per cent cabernet franc.
It's possible most of the red wines on sale in the LCBO are blends, even though most are labeled by a single variety. Blending is less common (though still frequent) in white wines. Of course, many of the best-known wines labeled by appellation are blends. Think of Bordeaux, Champagne, Chianti and most Riojas.
Still, it's a debate among wine regulators, and there's a strong argument for full and accurate disclosure on the label.
Rod Phillips is co-author of The 500 Best-Value Wines in the LCBO.
These columns are archived at www.rodphillipsonwine.com where you can subscribe to his free electronic newsletters, Winepointer and Worlds of Wine. Comments or questions? Contact Rod at rod@rodphillipsonwine.com
Beaulieu Vineyards 'Coastal Estates' Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
This California cabernet gives you full fruit flavours with good intensity and decent complexity. Dry and medium bodied, it has a texture that's rich and tangy and it goes well with a range of red meat and hearty vegetarian dishes.
13.5 per cent alcohol; $13.05 (569871)
Dog House 'Patches' Pinot'
Pinot Grigio 2006
Doggedly pursuing the canine theme, Kendall-Jackson's California pinot grigio offers quite rich and tangy flavours, medium weight, and a smooth and refreshing texture. It's a natural for spicy Thai dishes or for spiced-up shrimp or chicken from the barbecue.
12.5 per cent alcohol; $13.95 (69203)
Twin Fin Chardonnay 2005
A California chardonnay that delivers quite rich and concentrated flavours with some complexity, and a mouth-filling and smooth texture. Sip it alone or drink it with grilled or roast chicken or pork or with milder cheeses such as camembert.
$13.5 per cent alcohol; $12.95 (38315)
Château des Charmes
Chardonnay Musqué 2006
A VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake white that shows well-defined and very attractive flavours, with a quite generous, smooth and refreshing texture. With musky spiciness, it's a variation on chardonnay, and goes well with spicy chicken or pork.
13 per cent alcohol; $16.95 (640516)Vintages or Château des Charmes retail stores in Ottawa.
VQAO NEWS
Ontario’s Wine Authority Lays Charges Under VQA Act
Update – September 24, 2008
Following the conviction of Puddicombe Farms Winery on charges under the VQA Act, further violations resulted in the revocation of the winery’s membership in VQA Ontario on June 20, 2008. An appeal of this decision to a tribunal panel of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission resulted in the revocation being upheld. The winery is no longer a member of VQA Ontario and may not apply to have any new wines certified as VQA appellation wines. The winery may reapply for membership after 12 months has elapsed from the date the membership was revoked.
Update - February 29, 2008
Puddicombe Farms Winery entered a guilty plea to two charges related to using VQA terms, designations or descriptions without the approval of the wine authority. A fine of $5000 was levied by the Provincial Offenses court in Hamilton, Ontario.
September 28, 2007
Hamilton,
Ontario – Vintners Quality Alliance Ontario (VQA Ontario) has charged a
Winona winery with the unauthorized use of restricted terms on wine
labels. The charges were laid under the authority of the Vintners Quality Alliance Act, 1999.
Puddicombe
Farms Estate Winery was charged with six counts of using terms
regulated under the VQA Act without the approval of the wine
authority. The charges stem from allegations that the winery used the
regulated terms “VQA”, “Niagara Peninsula”, “Ontario” and “Estate
Bottled” on labels of wines that had not been approved by VQA Ontario.
These charges are expected to be heard by the Provincial Offenses Court
in mid-October 2007.
“VQA Ontario continues to take action to
protect the integrity of regulated terms and ensure they are used only
on wines that have met the standards enshrined in law” said Laurie
Macdonald, Executive Director of VQA Ontario, “The VQA legislation
applies strict standards for VQA wine quality and origin and
enforcement is necessary so that consumers can be confident that what
is on the label reflects those standards through an independent
assessment of what is in the bottle.”
The standards and legislation for protecting Ontario’s wines of origin are similar to those in place in major wine producing regions.
VQA Ontario is an independent regulatory authority that has been delegated the responsibility for administering the Vintners Quality Alliance Act, 1999 by the Ontario government.
VQA Ontario establishes, monitors and enforces a system of quality standards and verifies wine origin for Ontario-grown wines. Only those wines approved by VQA Ontario may use designated appellation terms and descriptions. These include geographical terms such as "Niagara Peninsula" and "Estate Bottled" as well as “VQA”, and terms that are linked to regulated production processes such as "Icewine" and “Late Harvest”.
