The Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) seal ensures that the bottle of British Columbia wine you are enjoying is 100% BC grown and produced to optimum standards. Grapevines produce fruit characteristic of the region in which it is grown. Wine will express unique qualities that make it special.

The British Columbia Wine Authority is responsible for ensuring that minimum standards are met for every wine that bears the VQA seal.

• Performing audits at wineries and on individual bottles
• Collecting laboratory samples from the wineries
• Confirming that claims on labels such as region, vineyard, varietal and vintage are accurate
• Tasting and evaluating wines to identify defects and to ensure quality of character
• Setting standards for packaging and bottle closures

The VQA seal also ensures that quality production standards are upheld. These include brix levels at harvest, oenological practices, additives, chaptilization level limits, the use of sweet reserve and fortification. Each of these standards is crucial in the production of quality wines, so look for the VQA seal in your next British Columbia wine experience.