Media Releases

February 2, 2011 (St. Catharines, Ontario) – Building upon the highly successful Seriously Cool Chardonnay media tasting held in London, England last spring, Canadian wine producers now have their sights on the Big Apple. The New York City event will take place on March 8 and will include a larger representation of cool climate VQA Chardonnays featuring 54 wines from 31 Canadian wineries located in British Columbia and Ontario.

“A generation ago, the New Zealand wine industry launched Sauvignon Blanc in Britain and put New Zealand wines on the map,” says Bill Redelmeier of Southbrook Vineyards, who spearheaded the group effort to promote Canada’s cool climate Chardonnays to international media. “Last May a group of Ontario wineries went to London with a similar goal but showcased Chardonnay, a grape variety that is particularly suited to Canada’s cool climate regions.”

The 40 Ontario Chardonnays from 22 wineries featured at the debut tasting held at Canada House in Trafalgar Square attracted over 95 wine media and members of the trade. The wines received accolades from such noted wine critics as Jancis Robinson, Steven Spurrier and Oz Clack.

“The reaction from U.K. media was surprise, appreciation and delight, not only for the quality of the wines but for their consistency across the range,” comments Canadian wine writer and author, Tony Aspler, who attended the London tasting and headed the panel of judges selecting the top wines featured at the event.

Buoyed by the success of the London event, Ontario wineries are now joined by the Wines of British Columbia and are headed to New York City where the key U.S. wine press is located to repeat the tasting to demonstrate the success Canada has with cool climate Chardonnays.

“When people around the globe think of Canadian wines, they only think of Icewine,” says Redelmeier. “Our aim is to change that perception by presenting our wines to influential wine critics in such key cities as London and New York to let the world know what a great job Canada also does with table wines, in particular Chardonnay.”

VQA wineries in British Columbia and Ontario were invited to submit their wines in a blind tasting judged by a panel of Canadian judges led by Tony Aspler, and wine experts, Linda Bramble, Konrad Ejbich, Stephen Elphick, David Lawrason, Michael Pinkus, Gordon Stimmell and John Szabo, MS (Master Sommelier). The panel previewed 100 Canadian Chardonnays and selected 54 wines from 31 wineries to qualify for the New York City Seriously Cool Chardonnay event. To ensure a diverse range and styles of wines, a limit of up to two eligible wines per winery and one library wine over five years per winery were selected for the New York tasting.

Lead judge Tony Aspler observes: “The wines chosen for the New York tasting show how versatile Chardonnay can be when grown in Canadian vineyards – from sparkling wine, to unoaked Chardonnay, Chardonnay Musqué, ripe New World styles in warmer B.C and Icewine.”

Chardonnay is the most widely produced VQA white wine in British Columbia, which has 144 VQA wineries in five wine growing regions – Okanagan Valley, Similkameen Valley, Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands. With 124 VQA wineries in Ontario, Chardonnay is the most widely produced VQA wine in Ontario in its four wine growing regions – Niagara Peninsula, Lake Erie North Shore, Pelee Island and Prince Edward County.

The public is invited to preview the Chardonnays that will be poured at the New York City event at the upcoming Seriously Cool Chardonnay Toronto tasting organized by The Ontario Wine Society on February 22 at 6:30 pm at Toronto Lawn Tennis Club. Tickets are $43 for members and $53 for non-members. Go to ontariowinesociety.com on purchasing tickets.

The New York City wine event will be held on the 50th floor of the prestigious McGraw Hill Building, 1221 Avenue of the Americas located in midtown Manhattan, for invited media and wine professionals. The 54 VQA Chardonnays from 31 British Columbia and Ontario wineries include:

• Angels Gate Winery Mountainview 2008
• Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 2005
• Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 2008
• Casa Dea Estate Winery Unoaked 2009
• Cave Spring Cellars Blancs de Blancs Brut 2004
• Cave Spring Cellars CSV 2007
• Chateau des Charmes Paul Bosc Estate Vineyard 2007
• Chateau des Charmes Musqué 2009
• Closson Chase Vineyards Beamsville Bench 2005
• Closson Chase Vineyards S.Kocsis Vineyard 2007
• Closson Chase Vineyards Closson Chase Vineyard 2008
• Colaneri Estate Winery ‘Paese’ 2008
• Coyote’s Run Estate Winery Black Paw Vineyard 2007
• Coyote’s Run Estate Winery Red Paw Vineyard 2009
• Exultet Estates 2009
• Flatrock Cellars Reserve 2007
• Flatrock Cellars 2008
• Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery Speck Family Reserve 2007
• Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery Unoaked 2009
• Hidden Bench Vineyards and Winery Tête de Cuvée 2008
• Hidden Bench Vineyards and Winery 2008
• Hillebrand Winery Showcase Oliveria Vineyard Wild Ferment 2008
• Hillebrand Winery Trius 2009
• Huff Estates Cuvée Peter F. Huff Blancs de Blancs 2006
• Huff Estates South Bay Vineyards 2008
• Lailey Vineyard Old Vines 2008
• Lailey Vineyard 2009
• Lakeview Cellars Reserve 2000
• Lakeview Cellars Reserve 2007
• Le Clos Jordanne Claystone Terrace 2008
• Le Clos Jordanne Le Clos Jordanne Vineyard 2008
• Malivoire Moira Vineyard 2008
• Malivoire Mottiar 2008
• Meyer Family Vineyards Tribute Series Kenny McLean 2009
• Mission Hill Family Estate Winery Select Lot Collection 2005
• Norman Hardie Cuvée ‘L’ Unfiltered 2008
• Norman Hardie Unfiltered 2008
• Pelee Island Winery Barrique 2005
• Pillitteri Estates Winery Exclamation Cellar Series 2006
• Pillitteri Estates Winery Icewine 2007
• Pondview Estate Winery Unoaked 2009
• Quail’s Gate Estate Winery 2008
• Quail’s Gate Estate Winery Stewart Family Reserve 2006
• Ravine Vineyard Reserve 2009
• Rosehall Run Cuvée County 2008
• Rosewood Estates Reserve Renaceau Vineyard 2007
• Rosewood Estates Reserve 2008
• Southbrook Vineyards Poetica 2003
• Southbrook Vineyards Whimsy 2008
• Southbrook Vineyards Triomphe 2009
• Tawse Winery Beamsville Bench Reserve 2002
• Tawse Winery Quarry Road Vineyard 2008
• Tawse Winery Robyn’s Block Vineyard 2008
• The Grange of Prince Edward County Victoria Block Barrel Fermented 2008

For more information, go to coolchardonnay.ca; Twitter.com/coolcharddotca.

Media contacts:
Johanna Burkhard, Burkhard Communications
( 905) 642-2029; cell: (647) 283-4151
jburkhard@sympatico.ca

British Columbia Wine Institute for “Wines of British Columbia”
Lindsay Kelm, Communications Manager
(250)762-9744 ext. 103; cell: (250) 317-8688
lkelm@winebc.com
Twitter.com/winebcdotcom

Wine Council of Ontario for “Wine Country Ontario”
Magdalena Kaiser-Smit, Public Relations Director – Marketing & Tourism
(905) 684-8070 ext. 228; cell: (905) 246-1922
magdalena@winesofontario.org
Twitter.com/winecountryont