Wine Origins Alliance Welcomes Ontario, Canada and Mendoza, Argentina as Newest Members

Releases findings from survey showing that concerns with non-tariff measures transcend borders

PARIS – The Wine Origins Alliance (WOA) today announced that Ontario, Canada and Mendoza, Argentina have joined its global coalition to eliminate trade barriers to wine and protect the authenticity of wine place names. The Alliance formally welcomed its two new member regions at a reception and signing ceremony at Wine Paris this evening; with the addition of these members, WOA’s membership now spans 36 member regions across five continents and 11 countries.

Wines of Ontario and ProMendoza join other leading wine region organizations who have signed the Alliance’s Joint Declaration to Protect Wine Place & Origin, which was first signed by its eight founding regions in 2005. By uniting wine regions across the globe, the Alliance has advanced its mission to ensure that wine places of origin are protected.

“Rooted in three unique appellations, Ontario VQA wines express the tension, minerality and freshness of our cool-climate landscape, and reflect a strong sense of place,” said Dean Foerter, Executive Director of Wines of Ontario. “Joining the Wine Origins Alliance allows us to stand alongside regions worldwide that value authenticity, provenance and collaboration. We’re proud to work with like-minded regions to protect and promote wine origin.”

“Located at the foot of the Andes, the high elevation of our region, along with the dry climate, snowmelt water, and rich clay soil, gives Mendoza wines distinctive attributes like no other,” said Patricia Gimenez, General Manager of ProMendoza and member of Mendoza Governor Alfredo Cornejo’s cabinet. “We are proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with other unique wine regions around the world to protect the integrity of wine place names.”

“More regions join our Alliance and commit to our shared mission every year, and with every new region, our global coalition grows stronger,” said Linda Reiff, President and CEO of the Napa Valley Vintners, a founding member of WOA and co-chair of the Board. “We look forward to working alongside Ontario and Mendoza at this pivotal moment for global trade and to protect our valuable winegrowing place names.”

In conjunction with this event, the Wine Origins Alliance also released the results of a new global survey on the impact of non-tariff measures (NTMs) on the global wine industry and what can be done to combat them. The survey analyzed 11 wine regions around the globe, including in Australia, France, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, and the United States, and found that:

• Despite geographic diversity and context-specific conditions, wine regions collectively view some NTMs as particularly burdensome, with labeling fragmentation and administrative requirements standing out.

• Labeling harmonization is the unanimous top concern among surveyed regions, followed by name protection and market access—these three account for the majority of barriers.

• 2025 trade uncertainty has caused measurable damage—from total market loss to double-digit export declines. Collective industry action is needed now to prevent further erosion.

• Success requires coordinated efforts: global wine regions must unite to advocate for harmonization, governments must recognize wine's cultural and economic value, and multilateral frameworks must evolve to reduce trade friction while protecting authenticity.

“The results of this survey show that while our members may be competitors in the global market, they face similar challenges when it comes to non-tariff measures,” said Charles Goemaere, Director General of the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne and co-chair and founding member of WOA. “Collective action is urgently needed to ensure that the cultural and economic value of wine is recognized, and we are proud to be addressing NTM issues and wine place name protection through our advocacy efforts at the Alliance.”

Since its founding in 2005, the Alliance has continued growing as a unified voice for the wine industry. Past accomplishments in its advocacy journey include the passage of bipartisan congressional resolutions (H. Res. 766 and S. Res. 649) that recognized the importance of American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), fly-ins to engage with crucial stakeholders at international organizations and in Washington, DC, and letters to international trade officials calling on them to avoid imposing tariffs on wine. In the coming days, Alliance members will continue their advocacy efforts by traveling to Geneva for a series of meetings and events at the World Trade Organization.

For more information about the Wine Origins Alliance, visit www.origins.wine or watch our “Location Matters” video here.