Vintners Quality Alliance, or VQA, is a regulatory and appellation system which guarantees the high quality and authenticity of origin for Canadian wines made under that system in British Columbia and Ontario. It is similar to regulatory systems in France (AOC), Italy (DOC), and Germany (QmP). The VQA system allows for sub-appellations, by which the grapes for wines are sourced from extremely specific geographical locations with different soil and climate. This is in accordance with the concept of terroir.
In addition, there are other classifications of wine in Canada. British Columbia has a category known as "Wines of Distinction" which must also be 100 percent of British Columbia origin. Cellared in Canada is a completely separate category.
Read more about Vintners Quality Alliance: Requirements
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