VQA Wines of Ontario hosts media and trade events throughout the year to showcase Ontario VQA wines from all of our wine appellations. Please see below for current events and contact us to be included in our mailing list.
Upcoming Events
Taste Ontario! Ottawa Trade & Media Tasting
April 18, 2024 | Fairmont Château Laurier
Experience VQA Wines of Ontario at a private trade and media tasting. We’re excited to return to Ottawa for the first time since 2020! With 50 wineries participating from across Ontario, you’ll have the opportunity to connect directly with the talented and passionate producers who craft the exceptional VQA wines available to sample at the tasting. Admission is complimentary by invitation & registration only.
Please visit tasteontarioottawa2024.eventbrite.ca for details and to register.
Taste Ontario! Toronto Trade & Media Tasting
April 15, 2024 | Park Hyatt Toronto
Experience VQA Wines of Ontario at a private trade and media tasting. With 65 wineries participating from across Ontario, you’ll have the opportunity to connect directly with the talented and passionate producers who craft the exceptional VQA wines available to sample at the tasting. Admission is complimentary by invitation & registration only.
Please visit tasteontariotoronto2024.eventbrite.ca for details and to register.
Taste Canada NYC
March 25-26, 2024
Participating wineries include Bachelder, Benjamin Bridge, Big Head Wines, Black Sage Vineyard, Blomidon Estate Winery, Burrowing Owl Vineyards Ltd, Cave Spring Vineyard, Charles Baker Wines, Cloudsley Cellars, Drea’s Wine Company, Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery, Hidden Bench Estate Winery, Inniskillin Wines, Laughing Stock, Leaning Post Wines, Le Clos Jordanne, Lightfoot & Wolfville, Malivoire, Nk’Mip Cellars, Norman Hardie Winery, Osoyoos Larose, Pillitteri Estates Winery, Planters Ridge, Reif Estate Winery, Rosewood Winery & Meadery, Seaside Pearl Farmgate Winery, SpearHead Winery, Stratus Vineyards.
For more information about the event and schedule, or to sign up for either event, please contact [email protected].
Wines of Canada Pavilion at ProWein 2024
March 10-12, 2024 | 9 AM – 6 PM
Messe Düsseldorf Hall 14 | Stand B50, Arena-Strasse 40474 Düsseldorf Germany
British Columbia: Arterra Wines Canada
Ontario: Arterra Wines Canada, Bachelder Wines, Big Head Wines, Lakeview Cellars, Norman Hardie Winery, Pelee Island Winery, Pillitteri Estates Winery, Rosewood Winery & Meadery, Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery
For additional details and a list of featured wines please visit winesofcanada.ca
VQA Wines of Ontario Trade Tasting Series: Busting Myths with VQA Cabernet Franc
February 5, 2024
Please contact [email protected] for details.
Tasting Climate Change 2024
January 22-24, 2024
For full details and to purchase tickets please visit tastingclimatechange.com
2023 Events
Best Sommelier of Canada Competition 2023
November 13-15, 2023
For full event details visit atlantic.sommelierscanada.ca
VQA Wines of Ontario Trade Tasting Series: Busting Myths with VQA Gamay
November 7, 2023
Please contact [email protected] for details.
Terroir Symposium 2023
September 30 – October 2, 2023
For full event details and to purchase tickets visit terroirsymposium.com
International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration 2023
July 20-23, 2023
For full event details and to purchase tickets visit coolchardonnay.org
Canada House Trade & Media Tasting
May 23 – 24, 2023
London, UK
Taste Ontario! Toronto 2023
April 12, 2023 | 10 AM – 5 PM
Park Hyatt Toronto
62 Ontario VQA producers come to the city from their local vineyards, to pour an exciting collection of over 300 wines from their portfolios. Each winemaker has selected 4 wines, plus one Secret Wine from their respective cellars.
Taste Ontario’s Terroir. Discover Ontario’s Cool.
Click here for more information.
Click here for the online tasting booklet.
Taste Canada: Prowein 2023
March 19 – 21, 2023 | 9 AM – 6 PM
Messe Düsseldorf Hall 14 | Stand G48, Arena-Strasse 40474 Düsseldorf Germany
Participating Wineries:
BC Wineries: 50th Parallel Estate Winery, Arterra Wines Canada, Burrowing Owl Estate Winery, Moraine Winery., Poplar Grove, Phantom Creek Estate Winery
Ontario Wineries: Arterra Wines Canada, Bachelder Wines, Big Head Wines, Lakeview Cellars, Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery, Norman Hardie Winery, Pelee Island Winery, Pillitteri Estates Winery, Strewn Winery, Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery, Westcott Vineyards
Click here for more information.
2022 Events
Terroir: Riesling Rocks VQA Masterclass
Tuesday, September 20, 2022 | 3 – 4:30 PM
Join us for a dynamic Ontario Riesling Rocks Masterclass and find out why Riesling is one of Ontario’s star white varietals. Jamie Goode, Wine Critic and Jermey Bonia, Raymonds Newfoundland plan to dig deep into Ontario VQA Riesling and explore this electrifying variety. RSVP here
Calgary Zoo | 210 St. George’s Drive NE
WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada 2022
Sunday, June 19th, 2022 – Thursday, June 23rd, 2022
The 2022 National Wine Awards of Canada is finally back in Niagara this year! This event will take place June 19 – 23 in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
For full details, please visit: https://www.winealign.com/awards
International Cool Climate Wine Symposium 2022
Friday, July 17th, 2022 – Tuesday, July 21st, 2022
After being twice postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) is preparing to welcome hundreds of the world’s foremost experts in viticulture, oenology, wine business, sustainability and science communications, and attendees who want to learn from these experts this summer for the prestigious International Cool Climate Wine Symposium. The International Cool Climate Wine Symposium will be held July 17-21, 2022.
For full details, please visit: https://iccws2022.ca/
International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration 2022
Friday, July 22nd, 2022 – Sunday, July 24th, 2022
The i4C is back in person and an exciting program is planned including keynote address from well-known author and wine critic Andrew Jefford so don’t miss the School of Cool on Friday, July 22nd. i4C will be held from July 22nd- July 24th in Niagara.
For full details and to purchase tickets, please visit: https://www.coolchardonnay.org/page-schedule/
Taste Ontario! Toronto Trade & Media Tasting
Monday, April 25th, 2022
You’re invited to join us for a private trade and media tasting on Monday, April 25th at the Park Hyatt Toronto. With 50 wineries participating from across Ontario’s appellations, you’ll have the opportunity to connect directly with the talented and passionate producers who craft the exceptional VQA wines available to sample at the tasting.
Register soon as space is limited. Please note, there are two tasting sessions – Session 1: 11:00am-1:00pm and Session 2: 2:00pm-4:00pm – and registrations are not transferable between the two sessions.
For full details and to register, please visit: tasteontariotoronto2022.eventbrite.ca
Canada House Tasting – London 2022
Tuesday, May 10th & Wednesday, May 11th, 2022
The High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom, in collaboration with Wine Growers of British Columbia, Wine Growers Nova Scotia & VQA Wines of Ontario invite you to discover the latest in Canadian wines and taste from 35 wineries from British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Ontario.
To register and learn more, please visit www.canadatasting.co.uk
2021 Events
Canadian Flavours Festival: Ontario VQA Wine Tasting
Tuesday, March 23rd @ 4:00 pm EST
Thursday, March 25th @ 10:00 am EST
Join the VQA Wines of Ontario and Esber Beverages in tasting through wines from 5 Ontario wine producers. Featuring: Megalomaic Winery, Henry of Pelham Estate Wines, 13th Street Winery, Lakeview Cellars, and Ziraldo Icewine.
Tasting kits available for accounts in Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
Distributors in Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are encouraged to attend. Distributors covering Florida, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island are encouraged to attend and a tasting kit will be provided.
Request Invitation by March 12 for priority consideration.
Canada: Wines with a Cool Climate Sensibility
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021 @ 3:30 pm GMT
We invite you to join leading critic Jamie Goode and Harpers editor Andrew Catchpole for ‘Canada: Wines with a Cool Climate Sensibility’ as they discuss Canada’s most exciting expressions of the great grape varieties that flourish across our diverse country, while inviting a panel of key trade people to assess Canada’s potential in the UK.
With cooler climate wines and off-piste finds high on the agenda of many quality-focused buyers, Harpers is teaming up with the High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom to host this webinar exploring the exciting potential of Canadian wines in the UK market.
Click here to register.
2020 Events
Sustainability in Ontario’s Wine Industry | Watch Video
Terroir Symposium
September 2020
The topic of sustainable winemaking is on the rise and Ontario’s grape and wine industry is committed to enhancing the environment by adopting sustainable practices in their vineyards and wineries. CHRISTOPHER WATERS of The Globe and Mail led a discussion on this important topic, alongside JAMIE GOODE, DEAN STOKYA, GABRIEL DEMARCO, ANN SPERLING, STEPHEN GASH and MATTHEW SPECK.
Winemaker panelists are from Ontario VQA wineries who are Sustainable Winemaking Ontario Certified. This third-party audited program is a successful collaboration between Ontario VQA wine producers and growers, all working to move our industry forward in an environmentally conscious way. The panel consisted of industry leaders in sustainable practices who speak from marketing, viticulture and winemaking perspectives.
Icewine – Discover the Beauty of this Sweet and Luxurious Signature Wine from Canada | Watch Video
Chamber of Commerce Brazil-Canada (CCBC)
July 2, 2020
