Ontario wine makers raise a glass to newly expanded grape list
The new VQA varieties will expand options for vinyards, especially those outside of Niagara
Ontario has added 24 new grape varieties to its Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) list, a move that winemakers say will help expand the industry beyond traditional growing regions and reflect a changing climate.
The decision was led by the Ontario Wine Appellation Authority (OWAA) which certifies wines with the VQA label, ensuring the grapes are entirely grown in the province, and meet high quality and labelling standards.
"It started as part of our strategic plan," said Laurie Macdonald, Executive Director of the OWAA. "The overall idea was to open up the system a little bit, and add the varieties that were out there that people were interested in, but that weren't already in the regulation."
The list of approved varieties had included about 80 grapes, many of them European vinifera types. But as wineries pop up outside traditional zones such as Niagara, Macdonald said there's growing interest in grapes that can survive colder winters and ripen more quickly.
"We have now over 200 wineries, and a lot of them are interested in experimenting and looking at new grape varieties," she said. "There's some other pressures around sustainability, climate change… Wineries are opening in places that aren't traditional grape-growing regions. So cold-hardiness is an issue."
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Rather than adding one or two new grapes at a time, as was done in the past, the OWAA took what Macdonald described as a "more future-oriented approach" by reviewing the list broadly.
"There's a couple of varieties that are well established and have been growing in Europe for hundreds of years, but they just weren't on our list and were never really planted here," she said. "Then there's new varieties developed in North America that are also addressing sustainability issues, but have the added benefit of being a little more cold-hardy."
Added varieties a major benefit for growers in colder climates
The change is particularly meaningful for wineries in cooler regions, including The Roost Wine Company in Clarksburg, near Georgian Bay.
"This is great news, particularly for emerging regions in Ontario's wine industry," said Michael Maish, co-owner of The Roost.
"It really shows that the VQA is moving with the industry. It's helping us move forward and innovate in different ways, and really reflecting that we can grow quality grapes and make quality wine in Ontario from a broader range of grapes than just the European varieties."
Maish and his team grow about five acres of vines and make all of their wine on-site. They sell it directly from a tasting room overlooking the Beaver Valley. Before this change, he said some of their wines were excluded from VQA certification even though the grapes were grown locally and the wine was made to high standards.
"These grapes have more North American parentage, so they're more disease resistant, so we can spray them a lot less," he said. "They ripen and produce better quality wine as a result because they're nice and ripe and ready to make wine from at the end of the season."
Beyond growing benefits, VQA certification also brings financial relief. Wineries selling VQA wines through the LCBO receive grant support that boosts their margin.
"If we sell a $20 bottle of wine at the LCBO, if it's not VQA, the winery gets about $8 back," Maish explained. "If it's VQA, we get some of that back in a grant, so we get an additional $4. So it's around $12. That $4 difference per bottle makes a huge difference."
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He said the change opens up new business models and supports innovation, including sparkling reds and lesser-known varieties like Marquette and Frontenac.
"Most people have not had that before. Or a spiced wine made with Frontenac Gris. We're able to really innovate and create new products that reflect the land that we're on and the place that we're in," Maish explained.
Dozens of wines made from the new grape varieties have already been certified, and more are expected to reach store shelves and winery tasting rooms in the coming year, the OWAA said.
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