Canadian Wine Law Association Annual Conference

Please join us for AIDV Canada’s 2021 Conference, hosted (virtually) in Ontario.

Date: February 25, 2021

Time: 11:30 am – 6:00 pm (EST) / 8:30 am – 3:00 pm (PST)

Registration: purchase tickets here

Welcome

11:30 EST / 8:30 PST

Chris Wilson, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright, and President, AIDV Canada

Théodore Georgopoulos, Wine & Law Program Director, Université de Reims, and President, AIDV International

National Liquor Regulatory Panel

11:40 EST / 8:40 PST

Regulatory and policy scope in key Canadian wine-producing provinces

Governance structure for the domestic wine industry

Pandemic policy responses: current status and outlook for 2021

Panel presenters:

  • Nicholas Angers, Avocat, Services juridiques, Société des alcools du Québec (Montréal, QC)
  • Jillian Rouselle, Executive Director of Program and Strategic Services, British Columbia Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (Victoria, BC)
  • Erin McEwan, Executive Director, Corporate Strategic Services, British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB)
     (Burnaby, BC)
  • Laurie Macdonald, Executive Director, VQA Ontario Wine Appellation Authority (Toronto, ON)

Royal DeMaria v VQA Ontario

1:10 EST / 10:10 PST

Constitutional and administrative law issues in food and beverage regulation: a look at the decision of the Ontario Divisional Court in Royal DeMaria v VQA Ontario

Presenter:

Refreshment Break

1:40 EST / 10:40 PST

Appellations: A Science-Based Approach

2:00 EST / 11:00 PST

Overview of Summerland Research and Development Centre and collaborations with the wine grape industry

Viticulture research to characterize terroir effects on wine grape quality

Evidence-based approach to designating new geographical indications

Presenter:

  • Pat Bowen, PhD, Research Scientist, Grapevine Physiology and Viticulture, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (Summerland, BC)

International Trade: Status and Effect of the WTO dispute(s)

2:30 EST / 11:30 PST

Jan will discuss his experience and perspective on the recent WTO challenges of Canadian wine and liquor regimes, including as an adviser to the spirits/distillery industry, and will provide an overview of his work with the international spirits association/alliance.

Presenters:

  • Jan Westcott, President and CEO of Spirits Canada/Association of Canadian Distillers (Toronto, ON)
  • Introduction and topic overview by Daniel Hohnstein, Partner, Tereposky & DeRose, and Director, AIDV Canada (Ottawa, ON)

So You Want to Get into the U.S. Market: Practical and Regulatory Considerations for Importing

3:00 EST / 12:00 PST

Robert will discuss regulatory issues relevant to exports of Canadian products to the United States and practical issues to consider with respect to cross-border trade.

Presenter:

  • Robert Tobiassen, President, National Association of Beverage Importers (NABI) (Washington, DC)

Lunch / Coffee Break

3:30 EST / 12:30 PST

The World Wine Trade Group – Who We Are and What We Are Doing

4:00 EST / 1:00 PST

Dan will provide an overview of the World Wine Trade Group and its work.

Presenter:

  • Dan Paszkowski, President and CEO, Wine Growers Canada (Ottawa, ON)

Counterfeiting and Fraud in Wine

4:30 EST / 1:30 PST

Meet Maureen Downey, whose mission is to raise awareness of wine fraud and counterfeiting issues in the wine trade and among consumers, to educate members on the core principles of wine authentication, and to assist clients to increase authenticity in their wine.  Maureen has advised on high profile wine fraud cases, including the Rudy Kurniawan case, and her goal is to stop wine counterfeiting and fraud, full stop.

  • Maureen Downey, DWS, CWE, FWS, Founder,WineFraud.com (San Francisco, CA)

The Dirt on Canadian Sommeliers

5:00 EST / 2:00 PST

Perspective of CAPS Canada on the state of Canadian appellations and what they mean to sommeliers and consumers

How sommeliers study the “Old World” to prepare for exams and competitions: blind tastings, regions, soil types, vintages and producers

Presenter:

  • Lesley Brown, President, Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (Vancouver, BC)

Networking Reception (all welcome)

Annual Meeting (members only)

5:30 EST / 2:30 PST

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Thank you to our 2021 Conference committee:

Chris Wilson, Norton Rose Fulbright (Vancouver)

Jennifer McKenzie, Bereskin & Parr (Toronto)

Daniel Hohnstein, Tereposky & DeRose (Ottawa)