ontario regulation 262/25

made under the

Vintners Quality Alliance Act, 1999

Made: November 2, 2025
Approved: November 26, 2025
Filed: November 27, 2025
Published on e-Laws: November 27, 2025
Published in The Ontario Gazette: December 13, 2025

Amending O. Reg. 406/00

(RULES OF VINTNERS QUALITY ALLIANCE ONTARIO RELATING TO TERMS FOR VQA WINE)

1. Section 1 of Ontario Regulation 406/00 is amended by adding the following definition:

“tirage liqueur” means the product added to a cuvée that begins and sustains the secondary fermentation to produce the carbonation in a finished sparkling wine; (“liqueur de tirage”)

2. Subsection 3 (2) of the Regulation is amended by adding the following paragraph:

40. Fracette.

3. (1) Item 1 of sub-table 1 to Table 2 to the Regulation is amended by striking out “The wine shall be entirely fermented, processed, blended, finished and packaged in Ontario” in Column 2 and substituting “The wine shall be entirely fermented, processed, blended and finished in Ontario. The wine shall be packaged within Canada for the purpose of final sale to the consumer”.

(2) Sub-table 2 to Table 2 to the Regulation is amended by striking out “The wine shall be entirely fermented, processed, blended, finished and bottled in Ontario” wherever it appears in Column 2 and substituting in each case “The wine shall be entirely fermented, processed, blended and finished in Ontario. The wine shall be packaged within Canada for the purpose of final sale to the consumer”.

(3) Item 13 of sub-table 5 to Table 2 to the Regulation is amended by adding “Method of production in accordance with nomenclature set out in Table 5” to the end of Column 5.

(4) Sub-table 5 to Table 2 to the Regulation is amended by adding the following item:

 

18.1 Fracette

The wine shall be a sparkling wine. The tirage liqueur used for the secondary fermentation shall be derived exclusively from Icewine produced and finished in accordance with this Table. Except for vidal used in the production of an Icewine, the wine shall be produced entirely from vitis vinifera grapes listed in Table 1 of Appendix B. The amount of tirage liqueur used in making the wine shall be included in the calculation determining the varietal content of a varietal wine and the vintage content of a vintage dated wine. The finished sparkling wine shall contain not more than 15g/L residual sugar. The finished sparkling wine shall exhibit a distinguishable Icewine character.

VQA — Geographical indication — VQA

Grape variety or varieties or proprietary name

A label may declare that a portion of the wine is composed of tirage liqueur derived from Icewine and may use the term “Icewine” to describe the composition and method used to produce the wine. The method of production may be declared on the label in accordance with the nomenclature set out in Tables 4 and 5, as applicable, if the wine meets the requirements for the declared method set out in items 13, 14 or 15 of this sub-table. Sweetness descriptors may be used in accordance with the nomenclature set out in Table 3.

 

Commencement

4. This Regulation comes into force on the day it is filed.

Made by:
Pris par :

Vintners Quality Alliance Ontario:
Vintners Quality Alliance Ontario :

Derek Cartlidge

President and Chair

Brian Schmidt

Past-Chair

Date made: November 2, 2025
Pris le : 2 novembre 2025

I approve this Regulation.
J’approuve le présent règlement.

Le ministre des Services au public et aux entreprises et de l'Approvisionnement,

Stephen Crawford

Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement

Date approved: November 26, 2025
Approuvé le : 26 novembre 2025