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A decision inside a Welland courtroom today could change the landscape for wine sales in Canada.
Royal DeMaria Winery in Beamsville specializes in ice wine, but for a couple of years because of a legal battle with the Vintners Quality Alliance, they have not been allowed to use the term ice wine on their bottle. But today, they have won the right to use the term on certain bottles.
It is world renowned for its taste, a sweet desert wine that has even been enjoyed by the Queen. And now, here at home, it can be called it by its name.
“I’m allowed to use the word ‘ice wine,'” said Joseph DeMaria, owner of The DeMaria Winery.
DeMaria is celebrating victory in his court case against the VQA. The DeMaria Winery opened in 1998. Specializing in ice wine, they have countless awards, set world records for consistent quality, were sipped by G8 summit leaders, and even sold a bottle for $30,000, but for years, they have failed VQA taste tests.
“The whole idea of doing a taste panel, for me, and I think for a lot of wineries, they’re just afraid to come out and say it, is that it’s subjective,” he said.
And because of those failed tests, DeMaria lost membership in the VQA, and he felt victimized
“Instead of going out and pushing Canadians, Canadian ice wine — the jewel of Canada — they were pushing my winery back. And we couldn’t sell,” he said.
It was 2011 when the DeMaria Winery lost its membership in the VQA for not having passed a bottle in over 18 months. That meant they couldn’t use the VQA symbol and names like the Niagara Peninsula on the bottle. In January of 2013, two members of the VQA came to the winery and bought a bottle of ice wine, which contain the VQA label.
While non-members could not use the VQA label, the wines that were purchased were from a vintage that *had* passed VQA taste tests, and today a provincial judge ruled in DeMaria’s favour saying the VQA could not pull their label from wine that had been previously approved. Representatives for the VQA chose not to comment today, but DeMaria says this is a victory for more than one winery
“I didn’t win. The industry won. Canadians have won,” he said.
Demaria says that he would like to be on the same side as the VQA in hopes that they are all working for Canadian interests.
