wine council of ontario

Our role is to promote Ontario VQA wines and vintners, support the production of excellent local wines valued both at home and abroad, and build on the substantial economic benefits that the VQA wine industry brings to the province. The Ontario Craft Wineries (OCW) celebrated 40 years as an organization in 2014. When the organization was formed 40 years ago, the Ontario wine world was a very different place. Throughout its existence, the OCW has always been the trade association advocate for positive change for Ontario wineries. Significant gains have been made - increased access to the LCBO, the ability to directly sell to licensees, relief from excise taxes; and most importantly, the recognition of our wines as world-class by the international community. But much work remains to be done. Ontario consumers are demanding increased access to quality Ontario wines, and we will continue to work with the provincial government to realize more opportunities for our members. The OCW continues to grow - we now have over 100 winery members. We look forward to continuing to work diligently to meet the needs of our members and the Ontario wine consumer.