[Growwine] VQA

[Paul Bulas]

Thanks for the informative reply Terry.  Perhaps she skipped the Minnesota varieties because of the "international recognition" aspect.  I don't doubt that by offering Riesling, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernets, Pinot Noir, etc., Ontario can "speak the language" of the international wine scene; but at the same time I don't think that this alone should define the scope of the goal: namely, to build an indigenous wine culture in our continent akin to that which the Old World has historically had, albeit with grape varieties that actually work in our climatic conditions -- i.e. hardy and not requiring excessive chemical inputs.

It seems to me that VQA is more business-oriented than viticulture-oriented, just going by the lack of interest thus far in the grapes that could conceivably form the backbone of that wider wine culture.


----- Original Message ----
From: Terry Rayner <terry.rayner at sympatico.ca>
To: growwine at littlefatwino.com
Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 6:40:39 PM
Subject: Re: [Growwine] VQA


Good Luck on this front Paul. I tried to "talk" to Laurie MacDonald (Execuitve Director, VQA Ontario) about sustainable viticulture about a year ago and here's a few  of her comments.
 
"While there are some advantages available to VQA wines, these are at the discretion of government and not part of the appellation system that VQA Ontario operates. "  
With regard to the grape varieties, the focus on vinifera is due to a number of factors including viability, international recognition, quality and the perception of what is acceptable globally as wine grapes for appellation wines.  Interspecific hybrids, particularly those with vitis labrusca parentage have been avoided because of character issues and their past reputation in Ontario wines.    
There is a process for changing the regulations, including adding new grape varieties to the approved list.   The change is proposed by a member winery, and evaluated against three criteria – does it improve or maintain quality?, does it improve or maintain the credibility of VQA wines and the perception of quality?, and is it consistent with VQA Ontario’s mission and strategic goals?  If the proposed change fulfills these criteria, it is assessed by a technical committee and goes to a consultation process.  In previous discussions about hybrid varieties, the majority of industry stakeholders have indicated that VQA should continue to encourage a vinifera based appellation system.   They include a number of wineries that produce grapes outside of DVAs, in central and eastern Ontario.   
A few of the varieties you mention are currently permitted for blending into some VQA wines – Geisenheim, De Chaunac, Leon Millot and Vignoles.  These could be used in proportions up to 15%.   For the others, they would have to be produced as non-VQA wines."
I did ask about many of the newer varieties coming out of Minnesota and she completely ignored that part of the conversation instead pointing to the limitations on the likes of Giesenheim, De Chaunac, Leon Millot and Vignoles.
Terry
 


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