The VQA shell game

Michael Pinkus reports on the latest stealth device for the VQA: hiding the VQA designator, to make it harder to find and (co-incidentally, I'm sure) boost the sales of pretend-Canadian wines:

What, you didn't know about the new guidelines for the VQA symbol on a bottle of wine? The VQA didn't consult with you? Well they sure listened to their membership — the vocal ones anyway — or maybe it was the ones with the deeper pockets. These wineries felt that the big VQA logo on the capsule made the wines look cheap and gaudy, so it’s out with the logo on the capsule (or at least it has become optional), where it's easy to spot, and onto the label, where it can be missed. Some wineries are putting the logo on the "back" label which in truth, should be the front label though you would think it the back label because it has all the info on it but . . . it gets so confusing. The bottom line is that the easy to identify VQA logo, which formally appeared on the capsule of every bottle of 100% Ontario grape wine, and we have been told to look for in countless radio ads, is no longer a pre-requisite. That simple to spot assurance that what you were buying was 100% homegrown is now a thing of the past. In my opinion, this plays right into the hands of those 'Cellared In' makers who don't have to have any large identifier on their bottles at all, and of course the LCBO conveniently mixes these in with the 100% stuff. What, you didn't know that either? Surely you knew that the LCBO is the biggest offender in mixing up the cellared and 100% VQA wines (they’re not alone mind you, both Peller and Jackson-Triggs do it in their private stores, you know the one’s you find in the supermarkets — Wine Racks and Vineyards Estate) — yup soon you’ll be playing the game of "Spot the Difference".

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We may never get rid of Cellared in Canada wine, there's just too much money in it for the companies that are allowed to produce it. The least they can do is be honest and truthful about what’s in the bottle — clearly mark it on the label. Tell the consumer where the grapes are really from, give us a breakdown — and not just with those teeny-tiny letters on the back label which makes the small print at the bottom of contract look large. Put it right on the front label in a font and size we can all read: Jackson-Triggs Sauvignon Blanc (30% Chilean, 40% South African, 30% Ontario — stretched with 20% water), French Cross (70% Australian, 30% Ontario — stretched using 10% water) or whatever the breakdown may be. What your shocked that Jackson-Triggs makes Cellared in Canada wine? That French Cross is not from France? Nope . . . Jackson-Triggs white label brand is Cellared in Canada product from Vincor, French Cross is the same kind of wine produced by the folks at Andrew Peller — the only difference, Jackson-Triggs proudly splashes their name cross the front label, so you automatically assume that because they are a Canadian company you are buying a homegrown product. Peller at least has the decency to couch their name in small print on the back label or elsewhere. Ah, foolish consumer, think back to what Laurie MacDonald inferred with her comments: caveat emptor, buyer beware, read your back labels, bring a magnifying glass when you shop in the Ontario section, or visit your eye doctor for a stronger prescription, whatever it takes, but pay attention ‘cuz we don’t have your back.