Wine Country Ontario invites consumers to experience and learn why 100% locally grown Vintner’s Quality Alliance (VQA) wines taste better. Wine Country Ontario is dedicated to promoting Ontario’s wine-growing regions – Niagara Peninsula, Prince Edward County and Lake Erie North Shore. It is also an expression of the entirety of the Ontario wine-country experience: how the wine tastes, where it’s made, how it marries with local food, and how it reflects the overall lifestyle of each region. Wine Country Ontario is a place that is unlike anywhere else. It is a place where grape growers, winemakers, food artisans, chefs, B&B owners and innkeepers, tour guides and tourists come together to celebrate a culinary experience that is part of every culture in the world – but in a way that is uniquely our own. Wine Country Ontario is truly so much more than just a bottle of wine. Wine Country Ontario is a consumer facing brand of the Wine Marketing Association of Ontario.
Learn more about VQA Wines of Ontario including the history, geography, sustainability and key varieties.
Our Story: A Cool Climate Wine Region: Wine Country Ontario is a cool-climate wine region and top travel destination. Learn about our unique terroir and signature varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Cabernet Franc. Ontario is a world leader of Icewine production. If you would like hard copies of this book, please email [email protected].
Also available for download in English, French, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
Canadian Wine Regions Postcard: A comprehensive double-sided card containing key facts and statistics on Canada’s wine-producing regions and showcases their location in comparison to other well-known world wine regions. To order hard copies, please email [email protected].
Also available for download in English, French, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and German.
Ontario VQA Quick Facts Card
An educational tool with information on Ontario’s Lakes, Latitude and Limestone, the VQA Appellations, and Ontario’s Wine Appellation Authority. To order hard copies, please email [email protected].
Available for download in English.
For more information on Wines of Canada, visit the Wines of Canada website.
ONTARIO VQA WINE INDUSTRY KEY FACTS AND STATISTICS
Contribution of VQA Wineries to Ontario’s Economy
Sales of VQA wine (total retail value for year ended March 2019): $477.9 million
Volume: 22.2 million litres
Every bottle of Ontario VQA wine sold in the province generates $98.20 in added value to the Ontario economy. The total value-add of the Ontario VQA wine industry is approximately $215 million.
VQA Wines – Sales (2019)
Retail value of VQA sales by sales channel (total $477.9 million)
- LCBO: $148.2 million
- Winery Retail Stores: $168.2 million
- Interprovincial and Export: $89 million
- Wine delivered directly to licensee: $71.1 million
VQA Wines – Production
- Total – ALL wine (2019): 27.8 million litres / 3 million cases
- Average annual Icewine: 650,304 litres
- Average annual Late Harvest wine: 196,029 litres
Grape Production
- Wine grape acreage: 17,000 acres (6,900 hectares)
- Wine grapes processed (2018): 64,773 (metric) tonnes, of which 37,425 tonnes of Vinifera grapes processed (2018)
- Value of vineyard land in Niagara: $60,000 per acre
Number of VQA wineries
As at March 2020: 180
- vs. number of wineries in 2014: 150
- vs. number of wineries in 2008: 102
- vs. number of wineries in 2003: 66
EXPORT
Wholesale value of VQA Sales (2020): $48.3 million
Exports are split approximately 50% Icewine & 50% table wine.
Approximately 4.5% of VQA wines are exported annually. (2020)
983,224 L of VQA wine was exported in 2020.
Top 10 Countries for Export
United States, China, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Taiwan, Malaysia, France.
Ontario Wine Sold Outside of Ontario
Click here to see the list.
TOURISM
Estimated number of visitors to wineries annually: >3 million
