Awesome Opportunity

One of the very best ways to learn about wine is through a tightly focused theme that investigates some special aspect that affects all wines. Two that come to mind immediately are vertical tastings, where you taste successive vintages of the same wine; and what I call “world tours”, where you take one style or type of wine and do a side-by-side comparison of samples from around the globe, for example, tasting eight different rieslings from eight different wine regions. The third and even more rare type is when you examine close-hand the techniques that make wine what it is.

On Saturday November 14th Stoney Ridge winery is hosting a blending seminar called Do Blends Have More Fun? Now, most people don’t realize this, but ALL wines are blends. Even a single-vineyard cult wine is at the very least a blend of all the different vines in the vineyard, and is very likely a blend of selected barrels. So learning a bit about blending can help you better understand some of the decisions that winemakers make before offering their wines to the public.

In this case the winemaker is Jim Warren. I call Jim the “Ronnie Hawkins” of Ontario wine. He has been the go-to guy for winemaking since before he started Stoney Ridge years ago, and he has trained some of the best young winemakers around and has consulted with countless Ontario wineries.

Jim will be leading the seminar, in which participants will do their own blending of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot – all from the exceptional 2007 vintage – and creating their own Meritage blend. The seminar includes all materials, a gourmet lunch, loads of face time with Jim, and a case of your very own Meritage blend. And all for the rather meagre price of $230.

Imaging pouring your wine for guests and casually declaring, “Yes, I blended this myself at the winery. Of course the winemaker helped a little.” I hope that this is a sign of things to come and that the winery will offer similar events in the future. BTW, you will likely see me there. I’ve done the verticals and the world tours. What I want to do now is learn how to blend.

Do Blends Have More Fun?
Saturday November 14, 2009
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Stoney Ridge Estate Winery
3201 King Street
Vineland, Ontario L0R 2C0

What's this I keep hearing about Cellared in Canada Wine?

For some time (since 1973 in fact), Ontario wineries have been allowed to import juice or wine from other countries and then bottle it as their own. Bottles containing mostly foreign wine were originally labeled Product of Canada. Then in 1993 Product of Canada was replaced by Cellared in Canada (CIC). So, what you've been reading and hearing about lately is that people don't get it, and that in an effort to support the local wine industry, they've been buying CIC wines and unknowingly underwriting wine factories in California, Chile and elsewhere.

Why Did This Come About
In the beginning, Niagara had thousands of hectares of north American Labrusca grapes the likes of Concord and Niagara and even one called President (“President Champagne” anyone?) When better grapes came along, the Ontario government encouraged growers to grub up their Labrusca vines and replant with French-American hybrids, mostly Vidal, Seyval Blanc, Marechal Foch, and Baco Noir. Then in 1989 the government launched another grubbing up program when some die-hard wineries started planting European Vinifera grapes: Chardonnay, the Cabernets, and especially Riesling. (It's interesting to note that government experts insisted for decades that Vinifera vines could never succeed in Ontario.)

So, what do you do when you've ripped out your vineyard and now must wait 3-5 years to harvest grapes? The simplest solution is to allow wineries to import even more wine with which to “extend” their remaining harvest. Now, the original plan was to phase out the imported wine, with a “sunset” in the year 2000. But by then a few large wineries had shifted their business plan from Canadian fine wine to cheap and cheerful jug wines (but without the jug, at least). It's pretty hard to change a law that has allowed a few companies to grow rich and dominate the market, so the plan was carved in stone ... soapstone, as it turns out.

In 1993, when Canada signed the Free Trade Agreement, Ontario put a cap on the entire wine business. Only wineries establish before NAFTA would be allowed to import wine for blending. Moreover, only these wineries could own multiple site licenses. So we now have a two-tiered system: wineries that can do pretty much what they want, and those that can do little more than pay the bills.

Setting the Standard
VQA (see below) goes back to 1989, when a number of Ontario’s better winemakers decided that an “appellation” system would help give Ontario wines credibility in the world marketplace. Most Old World wine-producing countries have a system of controls that determine which wines meet their standards, including how to communicate that standard to the buyer. In France, for example, Grand Cru is one such a standard. To use the term Grand Cru on the label, the wine must have been grown entirely in the designated area – the appellation – using only approved grapes and methods. Vinification must also be up to snuff, and the wines are bottled on site to further guarantee authenticity. VQA wines follow similar standards, and the VQA symbol is a guarantee that the wine is from the named region. But not all home-grown wines get to be VQA.

Do You VQA? Perhaps Not
Ontario has four distinct classes of wines, three of which are 100% Canadian.

VQA: The Vintners’ Quality Alliance of Ontario is Ontario’s appellation system. Wines that carry the VQA symbol have been grown in designated vinicultural regions using approved grapes and vinified using approved methods. VQA wines must be 100% Ontario-produced and must also pass muster with a tasting panel. VQA’s standards are among the highest in the world. Ontario's VQA wine regions are Niagara, Lake Erie North Shore/Pelee Island, Prince Edward County, and Ontario if the grapes came from more than one region (e.g. Niagara and Prince Edward County).

Cellared in Canada: A limited number of Ontario’s wineries (25 out of more than 160) are allowed to produce wines made from imported wine blended with a portion of Ontario wine. The ratio has been modified from its original 50/50 a number of times, and now stands at 30% Ontario wine to 70% imported wine. These wines can also contain up to 25% water! The required Ontario content has been regularly lowered to accommodate a small harvest (even as low as 1%), but it has never been increased in the event of a larger than anticipated harvest. CIC wines currently make up about 80% of so-called Ontario wine sales.

Fruit Wines: Fruit Wines of Ontario oversees the Quality Certified (QC) system for wines made from something other than grapes: fruits, berries, honey, and such. The standards are similar to VQA and specify that all produce used in these wines is Ontario grown and that the wines adhere to rigorous standards. Fruit wineries may not join the Wine Council of Ontario if they don't grow wine grapes, may not use the word Ontario on their labels, and face certain restrictions in their access to Ontario markets.

Orphan Wines: Many Ontario-grown and produced wines have no certification – no birthright – for one reason or another, and therefore are not even recognized as products of Ontario. These wines may not use the word Ontario anywhere on their labels and packaging. Both grape- and fruit-wines can appear in this group. Of all the reasons cited for not applying for VQA or QC status, the cost of certification is the most common. The wines are taxed differently and market opportunities are limited.

What it all means
Only you can decide what your wine buying priorities are. If your main objective is to buy as cheaply as possible and still support the local wine industry, then you're likely forced to stick with CIC wines, although I have seen prices on these wines that approach abusive: $13.95 for a wine that is 70% of unknown origin and may even contain water? No thanks! Moreover, I have purchased many wonderful VQA wines for under $10 and even as low as $6.95.

If you want to support real Ontario wine and don't mind paying a bit more on occasion, then VQA is an easy choice. If you shop only at the LCBO, then go straight to the VQA display, but watch out. CIC wines occasionally get mixed in, which the store is not supposed to do. (Check out the VQA wines on my Wine of the Week blog.)

For the full local wine (loca-vin?) experience, head for the wineries. That's where you'll find the best selection. The LCBO carries just a few labels from fewer than half Ontario's wineries, although the Vintages offerings are getting better at including VQA wines. If, while at a winery, you try a wine that you like but it isn't VQA, ask why. Certification is expensive; it's also unforgiving. It may add unreasonably to the price of a small lot wine to have it certified. Or the wine may be made from an orphan grape, one that the governing bodies don't approve of. Too bad. I've had some excellent Ontario wines that were made from non-approved grapes. VQA wines also go through a stringent chemical analysis, and you may be told that the wine’s acidity was off by .5% and it cost too much to resubmit.

If your goal is to experience Ontario's many terroirs, then stick with VQA or visit the winery. There is no "sense of place" in a blended wine most of which came halfway round the globe.

Now for the bad news. I am one of the few tasters in our little wine writers group that always tastes the CIC wines. I think it's important that I have a baseline on what's being offered in this price and style category. My expectations are not high, but frankly it's become a lesson in how low the bar can be set. I can recall only two CIC wines that I'd consider drinkable, and I've tried pretty much all of them. It's also the category that contains the most atrocities. It baffles me that someone will produce and knowingly release a terrible wine. One the positive side, there's sure to be lots of it!

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What CIC Really Means

There's no way to discover the motives behind the switch from Product of Canada to Cellared in Canada. It may have been a response to consumers' confusion and anger over products labeled Canadian when they in fact were not. Many products bear the Product of Canada label. The official criterion here is that the majority of production costs must be incurred in Canada, not necessarily the product itself. CIC easily wines fall into this category, as just the cost of a bottle often exceeds the cost of the cheap imported wine that goes into that bottle.

The word “cellared” is supposed to help the buyer understand that there's more to wine than bottling and labeling. There's, uh, cellaring for instance. That means that the wines were parked in a humongous tank for a period of time. Hmmm... It's a bit like parking a Lada in your garage for a month or two, perhaps adding some seat covers and a bit of chrome, and then claiming it's somehow become a Product of Canada.

When the term Cellared in Canada was first announced, I thought it was a brilliant move. How better to continue to produce offshore product, package it as Canadian, and continue to lead the public to believe that it's domestic wine? Cellared in Canada has been a huge success. Consumers flock to Vincor (Wine Rack) and Peller (Vineyards) stores and the LCBO to scoop up millions of bottles of CIC wine in the belief they are buying local. CIC wines do help the industry. They provide a market for our grapes and employment for our neighbours. And they drive more money into Ontario's economy than does a bottle of imported wine. But no one – at least no one at the top – had been paying attention to the ancillary damage. Canadian wines still suffer from a dismal view on our own shores. That's not a result of us being too modest to brag about the 100s of VQA wines that have brought home international awards. It's caused by the cheap plonk that floods the LCBO's Ontario sections.

What Cellared in Canada really means is this: Blended and Bottled in Canada (I like to call them BBC wines). That's the terminology that wine jurisdictions around the globe use, because they, too, produce that type of wine. Canada could have gone the same route but chose not to. Instead we continued with the shady obfuscation. It's interesting to note how quickly Ontario's decision makers have changed course. When it became general knowledge that the labels were at best confusing, and at worst deceptive or even fraudulent, sales suffered. And when that happens, the big players scream loudly. My read is that if the public and the press had not reacted to the Vincor Olympics fiasco, then we would likely never see any change to the content, labels or wine store shelves.

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The Mountain Moved

Sorry, not a sexual reference. While we were all busy whining about CIC wines and the state of the Ontario Wine Industry, the government was doing something useful. Yes, the people spoke and the public servants actually listened. On Oct 14, 2009, the Government of Ontario announced significant changes to the wine laws. Certain important issues were completely ignored, but some of the rules that were keeping the industry needlessly unhealthy are going to change.

Beginning with the 2010 harvest, Cellared in Canada wines will be required to have 40% Ontario wine inside, up from 30%. Even better, the content must be per bottle, not the previous “per all the bottles we make and whatever else, more or less”. Under the old rule, a bottle of CIC wine could be 100% imported, as long as the winery produced enough VQA wine to offset the imported content. Another improvement is that the wineries will no longer be allowed to add water to stre-e-e-etch CIC wines. That means the wines will truly be 40% Canadian.

CIC domestic content will then increase by 10% each year until 2014, at which time the requirement will drop to zero. Huh? The rationale here is to save Ontario grapes for making Ontario wines. That will result in more emphasis on producing local wine while putting CIC wines firmly in the import category. (It will be interesting to see if the Chilean section fills up with Jackson-Triggs white label wines.)

Labeling is another issue that's being looked at, but at this point no one seems to know what an honest label looks like. Interestingly, the Wine Council of Ontario has retained a polling company to interview folks and come up with a means of clearly labeling CIC wines. It's interesting that when the goal is to simply be honest, the industry's main players have to get outside help to learn how to do that. There are some tax issues as well, all favouring VQA wines while softly penalizing CIC wines.

But don't start celebrating just yet. This new plan does nothing to help the 50 or so wineries and grape-growers who have no market this year, and who may end up in receivership. One winery has already closed its doors – foreclosure for an amount that, according to the winery's owner, could have been realized by just one season of farmers market wine sales. I'll keep you posted on any new developments. - tfo

Wining with the Stars - Cuveé 2009 Tasting

Every spring Niagara hosts a monster party called Cuveé to showcase the local wines. The party runs for a week and a half and all wineries get involved. The festivities culminate with a gala bash and the presentation of wine awards. The contest part, however, is a little different from other wine awards in that the wines are judge by the winemakers themselves.

We wine writers are usually given a chance to taste the candidates before the show. For 2009, we were invited to sample the "top-scoring" wine from each winery. There was some grumbling that this was not representative of the highest quality: one winery's Pinot, for example, could have been its top scorer whereas another winery’s Pinot might have done better in the overall competition. Little matter -- the wines were mostly terrific, with some exceptions. Here is what I took away from this tasting.

Quality
Across the board, Niagara wines are made to a very high technical standard. That's fairly common these days, and it certainly is how it should be. But good technique doesn't necessarily make for good wine. The grapes have to be of the right type and quality, and the winemaking style must be appropriate. Thankfully, most winemakers get it right. Some don't and a few even permit obvious mistakes to get through. (Interestingly, all these wines were VQA, which means they also passed through the LCBO analysis lab and a VQA tasting panel; the winemakers are not alone in being unable to catch some duds.)

Typicity
Mostly we're seeing winegrapes that fit the environment being made into wine styles that suit the grapes. What impresses me is to see Syrah and Viognier doing well in Ontario, as these are Southern Rhone grapes. In general, the only wines that failed to show their colours were the big warm climate grapes. Global warming will solve this problem for us, in time (but by then, getting consistently ripe Cabernet won't seem so important).

Availability
Of the 58 table wines made available at the tasting -- technically among the best we have to offer -- only 3 were available at the LCBO. And don't expect this to change. There's no way the LCBO is going to give up plonk-friendly shelf space to an award-winning Ontario wine. You'll just have to visist the wineries. (Oddly, the LCBO has in the past discontinued award-winning Ontario wines.)

Weirdness and Wrong-headedness
Niagara has the perfect terroir for Gamay, and yet only one Gamay appeared at this tasting. Every Gamay I've had from Niagara has easily bettered its counterparts from Beaujolais, and at a much better price. Attention grape growers: Please plant more Gamay.

Despite the hype and rumours, Niagara is still a bit of a way from consistently producing world-class Pinot Noir. There are occasional stellar wines, but too often I find Ontario Pinot underpowered, almost skeletal, and disappointingly tasteless.

Cabernet is still hit-and-miss. Our climate may be too cold, and the growing season is definitely too short to always ripen this demanding grape. It can be done, but ripe Cab in Niagara is the exception, not the rule.

An interesting marker for Niagara Chardonnay is "skunk". Like cat's pee in Sauv Blanc, coal oil in Riesling and barnyard in Pinot, a bit of skunk in a high quality Chard is quite appealing.

Speaking of Chard, Niagara is a great Chardonnay region. Not good; not very good; GREAT. Our winemakers routinely turn out Chardonnay that rivals the best in the world, and they do it year after year.

Pricing
I could make no sense of the pricing strategies in this group of wines. It made as much sense as prices from California or Bordeaux. Prices ranged from a low of $12.75 to $42.95 for table wines, and $29.95 to $189.95 for icewine. If you're looking for dollar value, you'll have to shop carefully. Price is no indicator of quality here, but that’s the case for most wine regions these days.

Winemaking Techniques
It's possible to create a clean, quality Gewurztraminer with absolutely no nose. How this is done I can't imagine, especially given that Gewurz is another grape that loves Niagara soil.

Viognier and oak do not go together. Period. Please stop wasting good Viognier. The grape does too well in Niagara to hobble it this way.

Never lose sight of the importance of blending. The Marynissen "Cabernet Merlot" should serve as a model of this winemaker's art: 51% Cab Sauv + 34% Merlot + 7% Syrah + 4% Cab Franc + 4% Gamay = wonderful and, remarkably, under 15 bucks!

The Best of the Best of ...

13th Street Gamay Sandstone Old Vines 2008 - $25. Fabulous nose, great palate. Think Cru Beaujolais.

Calamus Estate Gewurztraminer 2007 - $15.20. Look for a rich nose showing lychee, beeswax and honey. Medium-dry with a racy acidity, oranges and roses on the palate, and a treacly back palate.

Cattail Creek Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2007 - $19. Quite crisp and clean with apple, butter and toasty flavours. Reach for this instead an import at twice the price.

Cave Spring Cellars Chardonnay Musqué 2007 - $15.75. The Musqué grape can have more in common with Muscat or even Riesling, as we find here. Slightly off-dry, it will be very welcome at the table.

Chateau des Charmes Chardonnay Musqué 2007 - $16.95. The nose here is a bit underpowered, but the off-dry palate shows rich apple flavour and a touch of smoke.

Colio Estate CEV Lily (Riesling-Chardonnay) 2007 - $16.25. The nose shows lemon, lime, apple and mineral aromas, with just a trace of tar. The palate is lightly fizzy, with a crisp acidity and mainly apple flavour. A bargain.

Dan Aykroyd Cabernet Shiraz 2007 - $16.95 (Winery & LCBO). Rich berry, cherry, wet cement and a touch of pepper on the nose. Nice red berry flavours; approachable, with a mild acidity. Very good value.

Flat Rock Cellars Pinot Noir 2007 - $19.95. The nose here shows subtle berries, root veg, liquorice and a touch of oak. The palate is both sweetish and tangy, with light tannins and ripe red berry flavours.

Grange of Prince Edward Cabernet Franc Northfield Block 2007 - $29.80. The nose shows a slight dilly note, but also offers up ripe berries, spice, caramel, and a hint of sassafras. The palate is tangy, with cherry and raspberry flavours, with very good body and length, and a sweetish mid-palate.

Harvest Estates Merlot 2006 - $14.95. Look for green pepper and hints of berries on the nose. Made in a modern style, is shows solid tannins, a fine acidity, and crushed berry flavour.

Kacaba Vineyards Reserve Meritage 2004 - $42.95. Rich, dark, with gobs of classic aromas: green pepper, black berry, black currant, and sweet oak, following up with blackberry, plum and a slight raisiny note on the palate, atop robust tannins. Impressive.

Lailey Vineyard Syrah Niagara River 2007 - $25. Wonderful: rich dark fruits and spicy pepper.

Legends Estates Riesling Reserve 2003 - $29. Overtones of lychee and stonefruits with a zesty acidity.

Marynissen Cabernet-Merlot 2006 - $14.80. Rich and smooth with light tannins with gobs of aromatics.

Niagara College Teaching Winery Dean's List Pinot Noir 2007 - $32.95. Loads of Pinot 'funk' here,splendidly smooth with just a hint of tannin.

Pelee Island Cabernet-Merlot Reserve 2006 - $14.95. A bit shy on the nose but rich and spicy on the palate.

Peninsula Ridge Sauvignon Blanc Wismer Vineyard 2007 - $18.95. Light and cheery with understated sauvignon character.

Rockway Glen Estate Winery Fergie Jenkins World Signature Series Riesling 2007 - $29.95. A rich tapestry on the nose with authentic paraffin, lime and mineral aromas.

Stoney Ridge Estate Winery Reserve Cabernet Franc 2006 - $29.95. Very complex on the nose with a solid assertive palate.

Strewn Three Terroir 2006 - $26. Reminds of syrah with its complexity; juicy yet elegant.

Tawse Winery Sketches of Niagara Riesling 2007 - $18. Textbook off-dry reisling; my notes say "awesome".

Thirty Bench Small Lot Cabernet Franc 2006 - $35. Plenty of rich ripe red fruits on nose and palate. Very nicely done.

Vineland Estates Elevation Chardonnay 2007 - $25.20. Unoaked chard that flaunts its pedigree. Might age magnificently.

Wayne Gretzky Estates Shiraz-Cabernet 2006 - $22.95. Somewhat oak driven, yet rife with juicy berry and spice; a bargain at the price.

Inspirational Quote Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it. (Anonymous)

A Response to Hilary Dawson’s letter of Aug 19/09 in Niagara This Week

I was disheartened to read, once again, Ms Dawson’s defense of Cellared in Canada (CIC) wines. As the president of the Wine Council of Ontario, she must be painfully familiar with the struggles that Ontario wineries must endure. To have an important representative claiming that CIC wines are good for Ontario’s wineries, I believe, shows a lack of insight or disregard for the problems that CIC wines create.

The CIC program was instigated to provide a stop-gap solution while growers and wineries upgraded their vineyards. The program, which originally required a minimum 50% Ontario wine, was to “sunset” in 2000. Unfortunately, the CIC producers soon discovered they had a wind-fall business and the program continues to this day. We now have the situation of the “tail wagging the dog”: the Ontario content requirement is routinely adjusted to accommodate the needs of CIC producers and not the grape growers. Yet in a good year like 2008, grapes are left to rot when simply increasing the domestic portion of CIC wines could have benefited everyone.

Yes, CIC wines do provide a market for roughly half of Ontario’s winegrape crop. But to sustain the current high volume of CIC wines, Ontario’s CIC producing wineries get to import far more cheap wine from off-shore. The current CIC formula calls for 30% domestic content and 70% foreign content. Interestingly CIC wines can even contain up to 25% water!

The CIC laws allow only a few wineries to produce these wines. Ms Dawson says that CIC wines benefit the wine industry. How can it when only a handful of wineries can make CIC wines? As it now stands, three or four mega-wineries -- one of them not even Canadian owned -- control all CIC wine. No other wineries benefit, dollar-wise, from these wines. While the industry’s high-rollers are building designer wineries, many of Ontario’s wineries are wondering whether they will survive into next year. My advice to anyone going into the wine business in Ontario is “Don’t quit your day job.”

I do not buy the argument that CIC is the only way Ontario wines can compete on price, or even that CIC wines necessarily deliver a price advantage. I have seen CIC wines selling for as much as $13.95 -- fully into the premium price range. How can a premium price be justified for a bulk product that lacks a pedigree, that is essentially a mongrel? I’ve also seen (and am glad to purchase) VQA wines for as little as $7.95.

My own purchasing is driven by pricing, and at every VQA price point I can find quality and value plus the typicity we wine folk look for in “wines of origin”. I buy imported wines nearly as often as I buy VQA because I value what terroir and heritage bring to wine. Whether a Nero d’Avola from Sicily or and Old Vines Foch from Niagara, I want to experience the “sense of place” that these wines offer. I’m also much happier to direct my money to the wine makers that promote regionality, authenticity and honesty in wine. CIC provides none of this.

Above all, what I find most distressing is the effect CIC wines have on the public’s perception of Ontario wine. Most of the CIC wines I’ve tried over the years have been, at best, disappointing. Many are even an insult to wine drinkers. The fallout from this is that the average person thinks Ontario wines are mediocre, cheap, and at best lack-luster. Worse, the international wine press are shaking their heads tying to figure out why Ontario is so firmly committed to a course that makes us a laughing stock among international wine regions.

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Creative Fusion, July 1, 2009

Anne Ptasznik of Creative Fusion did a wee interview with me and posted it on Facebook. Anne has graciously permitted me to reproduce the text here. Please do visit Anne’s online material. And if you would like to improve your communication, PR, etc., drop by Anne’s pages for some of her great communication tips.

Richard Best is a best-selling author and a self-described frugal wine expert. His latest book "The Frugal Oenophile’s Winegrape Primer," available from http://www.frugalwinebooks.com, is great for people who like to explore new wines but don't know exactly which one they'll most enjoy. I did this quick Q and A with Richard yesterday. Creative Fusion: First of all, I just need to ask: What is a frugal wine expert? Richard Best: Usually we assume the word frugal means inexpensive, or at least price conscious. That certainly is appropriate with today’s economy. But in its broader sense, frugal means careful. I like to think in terms of value. Value maximizes quality and enjoyment at any given price point. No matter what your wine budget may be, a frugal wine is the best one you can get for the price. Creative Fusion: Are there any specific wines that you would recommend for Canada Day? Richard Best: I would never hesitate to recommend a Canadian wine for Canada Day or any other day. We make great wine. And again, it’s something that most of us are likely thinking about right now, both economically and environmentally. I could list a few wines that I like, but that would penalize the ones I haven’t tried yet. In general, the VQA wines you’ll find on LCBO store shelves are high quality. VQA is how you can tell the wine was actually grown in Ontario. However, my best advice is to do what I am going to do. I’m heading for wine country (Niagara) where I’ll enjoy the sights and the hospitality of the wineries. I’ll also try the wines, and I’ll buy a few bottles of the ones I like. (Did you know that we have about 150 wineries in Ontario?) Creative Fusion: Would there be wines better for a BBQ? How about a picnic lunch? Richard Best: For many of us, summer means it’s time to put away the big reds. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have character-filled red wines on a hot day. Just stick with lower tannin, fruit-forward reds such as Shiraz, Zinfandel (the red one), and good ol’ Ontario Baco Noir. Most white wines work well in warm weather, especially the fruitier ones such as Pinot Gris, Riesling, or Grüner Veltliner. It’s also pink wine season, but look for quality dry or off-dry rosé. A word about serving temperature: We often serve red wines too warm and white wines too cold. Put a bottle of red wine in the fridge or on ice for about 1/2 hour before serving. White and rosé wines can take about 2 hours to come to a suitable temperature. Creative Fusion: Sometimes when I go to a party, I don't know what to buy the host. Would your book help me and, if so, how? Richard Best: I wrote my latest book mainly for my own use. I can’t keep the details of 200+ grapes in memory, so I compiled a lot of notes. These eventually became the book and, frankly, I refer to it all the time. It gives thumbnail portraits of all the grape names you’re likely to see on wine bottles, along with the grape’s history, what sort of wine it produces, and a list of foods that will go with it. If you’re looking for a new wine to try or if you see an unfamiliar name on a label, you can look it up in a matter of seconds and get just enough information to help you make an informed decision. Creative Fusion: What is so important about knowing about the grape when you are purchasing wine? Richard Best: Let me compare it to selecting from a restaurant menu. No matter where you are or how the dish has been prepared, chicken is still chicken and beef is still beef. In a quality wine, the grape variety, or combination of grapes, is the single most important factor. Terroir (i.e. where the wine was grown) and winemaking techniques are important, but their proper role is to capture the quality of the grapes. If you understand what sort of wine a certain grape produces, then you have a better chance of discovering wines you’ll like. And if you have a good cross-reference to different grapes and wine styles – such as my Winegrape Primer -- you can more easily branch out to new wines. Now it's up to you folks. If you have any other questions, I'll be sure to pass them along to Richard, so he can try and answer them here www.facebook.com/anne.ptasznik. And please let me know what you think of my new feature. Please ask your friends to join us here at Creative Fusion.

About Anne Ptasznik

Head thinker, writer and communications strategist with Creative Fusion, a writing and communications company serving companies and organizations that take social responsibility seriously.

http://morethanprofit.ca/http://twitter.com/CreativeFusion

http://www.facebook.com/anne.ptasznik

http://bit.ly/ora2C

Inspirational Quote Penicillin cures, but wine makes people happy - Alexander Fleming

Welcome to The New Blog

Well I've been waffling about my newsletter for over six months now, trying to decide whether I still have the wherewithal to continue doing it. Yes, I know I've been through this dilemma before, and I can't say I won't go through it again. I'm busier now, and I have fewer things that I’m researching about wine -- hence the rapid decline in "educational" features. But am I done with the whole newsletter concept? I don't think so.

Recently I got lured into wine-related social networking (Facebook, Twitter) but those arenas are often too limiting. So I'm proposing a compromise, if you're still with me. I am starting yet another blog where I can post the articles I have written, without any pretext of creating an "issue". Indeed, I have quite a few articles drafted or at least started, so I'm not really out of material yet.

People often asked me why I never charged a fee for my newsletter. Well, on the one hand there are a lot of good wine publications available at no cost, so the competition is just too fierce. But mostly I didn’t want revenue and deadlines to drive things. I much prefer my freewheeling approach.

So to kick things off, I'm going to offer only my second reprint. This article appeared a little over a year ago, but in Ontario the information has suddenly become more relevant. So where do you buy wine if the LCBO is not an option? The looming strike may have been averted, but alternatives may be just the thing given much of what is going on in the world, and especially Ontario, these days.

Wine Buying Alternatives
(originally appeared in the Spring 2008 issue of The Frugal Oenophile newsletter)

One piece of advice I hand out without reservation is to find a good wine store. That's a good policy for most of the world, but unfortunately here in Ontario there really is no such thing as an independent wine store. There's the government's company store, but if you don't want what they got, then what options do you have?

Well, you do have options, although it can take a bit of work to take advantage of them.

LCBO Consignment Program
If someone imports it into Ontario, there is a good chance you can buy it. The LCBO runs a program whereby you can purchase wine -- by the case only -- from any wine agent, and then have your wine shipped to an LCBO store of your choice. This is a good option if you find a wine you like at a restaurant or a wine show. Find out who represents the wine (the OIWBSA website is a good place to start) and then contact the agent. They will take it from there and see that the wine gets into your hands. (You can buy from local wineries this way too, but why bother? See below.)

Vintages Classics Catalog
In addition to the Vintages stores and “corners” at LCBO stores, the monolith also has a catalogue store, known as the Classics Collection. As described on their website: “Whether it is the wines of the top châteaux of Bordeaux or Grand Crus from Burgundy, Super Tuscans from Italy or top-flight Shiraz from Australia, you will find variety, quality and prestige in The Classics Collection.” They’ve even been known to include an occasional Canadian wine!

The wines on offer tend to be high end, and sometimes in limited quantities. You order through the website or by phone and your order will be delivered to an LCBO outlet of your choice.

Shop the Winery
With more than 100 wineries in Ontario, there’s bound to be one near you. But if a personal visit is not an option, most wineries now offer shipping. As long as the shipment is within the province, there should be no problem. The advantage here is that the winery's entire book will be available, from newest releases to bin ends to library items. You may be required to purchase a case, but often you can buy just a bottle or two. Some outlets will absorb the shipping fee if you purchase a certain number of bottles or a certain dollar value. A number of wineries have what they call a wine club. For a fixed “membership” fee, they will send you a selection of wine. You can sign up for a set number of bottles and the offerings are usually monthly.

A good way to locate wineries in your area is to drop by a regional wine producers association, and I've collected a lot of these on my website. For example, to find Ontario member wineries, visit the Wine Counsel of Ontario. And in North Carolina, for example (yes, they make wine there), you can visit the North Carolina Winegrowers Association. There's also a website for Fruit Wines of Ontario. You should be able to find a winery association for just about every state in the US and every province in Canada.

Company Stores
Company stores can be very handy, provided the parent company makes wine that you like at a price you’re willing to pay. In Ontario we have a small number of stores that serve as outlets for brands from Vincor (Wine Rack), Peller/Hillebrand (Vineyards), Colio Estates and Magnotta.

The wines in the stores are a mixed bag. Because these are large, well-established wineries, most are able to offer Cellared in Canada wines. So far only Magnotta makes an effort to tell consumers which of these wines are not from Ontario -- or even from Canada. Elsewhere in the stores you’ll find a good assortment of VQA wines, most of which can’t be had from the LCBO.

Buying On-line
The internet wine store saga would make a good novel -- it’s filled with intrigue, plot twists, power manoeuvres, and a fair amount of cloak and dagger. Mostly the business is slowed by the cross border issue. First, check to see if the online seller can ship wine to your location, then start looking for those online bargains (remember that internet stores are supposed to pass on the savings from not having store-fronts and showrooms to maintain).

There are two retailers active in Ontario, and their reach is rather telling. Winery to Home specializes in the wines of Ontario. It's a great way to discover Ontario VQA wines without making the trek to Niagara, Erie North Shore and now Prince Edward County. The company’s wine picks are run past veteran wine writers Tony Aspler and David Lawrason. It’s possible to buy small lots and mixed cases, which is a nice feature given the restrictions on other buying methods.

Wine Online also runs an online wine store in Ontario. They handle imported as well as Ontario wines, and you can purchase small lots and mixed cases.

The main problem here is shipping. Winery to Home ships only within Ontario, and Wine Online ships to Ontario and Nova Scotia. As this form of business becomes more popular -- and if governments can manage to become less paranoid -- we may yet see more options rolled out.

Cross Border Shopping
Nowhere is the prohibition mindset so obvious as in the area of cross-border wine sales and delivery. There is a valid argument in that wine could be unknowingly sold and delivered to a minor, but in reality under-age drinkers rarely go through legit channels where a lot of personal information and credit cards are involved.

Most of the resistance comes from the dominant players. Every state or province has at least one monster winery or distillery that has the market somewhat tied up. These companies lobby long and hard to keep outsiders away from what they see as their market. In Ontario the situation is especially bad, with the government’s liquor outlet taking the lead in protectionist practices. You will find wine sellers around the globe who will gladly ship anywhere, but they tend to blanch when you ask them to deliver into Ontario. This will change, but, as we are seeing in the US, it will likely take a decision from the Supreme Court to get any action.

Currently cross-border delivery is a hot topic, and wine publications carry a story on developments practically daily. A website and action group called Free the Grapes has been attentively watching the issue of cross-border wine shipping in the US.

Wine Clubs/Tasting Clubs
Some wine clubs, in addition to organizing tastings and wine junkets, make special wine purchases available to their club members. The best known of these is the Opimian Society, named after the Roman consul Lucius Opimius (c. 125 BCE), who was a man who truly appreciated his wine. The club sources quality wines, announces the offer in its newsletter, and then take orders from its members. In Ontario, the wines are delivered to an LCBO outlet, where members can pick up their purchases -- in case lots only, as per local regulations. The wines are usually good value, though not necessarily cheap, and may not be available any other way. A club can be a great way to socialize and learn more about wine as well as to make unique additions to your cellar.

Only in BC, you say
An interesting development in British Columbia is the appearance of VQA stores. These outlets carry brands from different Canadian wineries, the only qualification being that the wine must be VQA certified. This is something I’d like to see happen in Ontario, but I'm not holding my breath.

Wine Auctions
Charity wine auctions are big business these days. Both the Toronto and Kingston Symphonies do a large part of their fund-raising through annual wine auctions, as does the Canadian Opera Company. The LCBO's Vintages group also does an auction each fall, and it usually features a good number of cult and collector wines. The best auctions will put out a detailed catalog well before the event so you can scout out items and lots you may be interested in.

When the industry is controlled by a state or province liquor commission, there is generally no means for an individual to sell wine. Auctions give you an opportunity to hand off your surplus wine (they won't accept junk) and exchange it for a tax receipt. While this may limit the potential of wine as an "investment", it at least gives you a way to turn over those extra bottles.

Farmers’ Markets
Some jurisdictions allow farms that make fruit wine to include their wines as part of their farm market selections. Once again, it's a well-established tradition throughout the world ... but not in Ontario.

Try, don't buy
An interesting initiative that blossomed recently in Quebec is a wine store where you can’t buy wine. The stores are tasting outlets where you can sample locally produced wine. The idea is that you'll stop by, taste the wines, and be blown away by their quality. Then, when you find out that you can't actually buy anything, you’ll be appalled at the government’s lack of support for the local wine industry. The move hopes to draw attention to the way the government retail chain -- the SAQ -- has shut out Quebec-produced wine in favour of off-shore imports. So far the reception has been much what the organizers were hoping for -- a good thing.