In today’s edition of the Wine Wire, we touch on changes to craft brewery eats on Niagara Stone Road, a B.C. Chardonnay that’s a world beater, Pommies Cider apple tree giveaway and a Brock study on wine evangelists. Dig in …
OK, if you’re planning your craft beer + food destinations along the mini craft beer trail on Niagara Stone Road you may want to take note of the some changes in the kitchen.
First, The Tide and Vine Oyster Company announced that they would no longer be serving up their seafood heavy fare at Silversmith Brewing Company.
That followed with an announcement from the brewery on their next food partner:
“Silversmith is pleased to announce our next food service partnership with MASON beginning May 1. MASON is the brainchild of local culinary phenom and Niagara Top 40 Under 40 award nominee, Charlie Clowes. You may recognize Charlie from regional supper-markets and other events as the face of local food truck Ello Gov’na.
“While Ello Gov’na will continue to offer fine British fare, MASON will be something altogether different. Charlie intends to take inspiration from her global culinary adventures offering tried and true favourites with a unique twist and fresh, new, mouth-watering dishes unique to MASON, while maintaining her commitment to sustainable, locally supportive and eco-friendly values.
“In the meantime, we will continue to offer great food by the Tide & Vine Oyster Company. Our warm thanks to them for all their hard work and great food. We wish them the all the best.”
Shortly after that news, just down the street at Oast House Brewers, an announcement that a long-time partnership with El Gastrónomo Vagabundo was coming to an end so Chef Adam Hynam-Smith and his wife Tamara Jensen can pursue an as-of-yet not revealed new project. They posted a message on their Facebook here …. Here’s the Oast announcement:
“Today it’s with heavy hearts, but enthusiasm, that we announce food service with el gastrónomo vagabundo will be ending at the end of April. After three plus amazing years of working together, El Gastro will be moving along to fully concentrate on an exciting new personal venture. We could not feel any more fortunate to have had the culinary talents and friendship of Chef Adam Hynam-Smith, his lovely wife Tam and their awesome team at our brewery. With all the great memories in tow, we wish them nothing but the best of luck and eagerly await what they have in store for the future!!
“The last day of weekend food service will be Saturday April 29, but please join us the following Friday May 5th for one last Cinco de Mayo bash!”
Then, shortly after that, the announcements came full circle, with Oast naming their new partner to pair with their full roster of craft brews:
“Well if you’re in Niagara, these guys certainly need zero introduction. But we’re so shucking excited, we’re gonna do it anyway …
“Please say hello to the award winning The Tide and Vine Oyster Company, soon to be setting up shop at Oast!!
“Starting May 12, fresh oysters from Niagara’s Oyster professionals, full menu (seafood & non-seafood) w/ daily specials and Sunday Brunch on the patio. #BringOnSummer!”
So, there you have it … the changing tide (that was accidental, really!) on Niagara Stone Road
B.C.’s Summerhill Icewine awarded
best Chardonnay in the world
In case you missed it, Kelowna’s Summerhill Pyramid Winery won Best Chardonnay in the World at the internationally acclaimed Chardonnay du Monde competition in Burgundy, France.
Summerhill’s 2014 Chardonnay Icewine beat out 706 entries for the top 10 spot, coming in first. They are also the only Canadian winery to rank in Top 10 in the world.
Stephen Cipes, Founder/Proprietor of the Kelowna, B.C. winery, notes, “Winning the number one Chardonnay wine in the world is a triumph for organic growing and winemaking. It recognizes being in harmony with nature, and the Okanagan Valley’s truly ideal pristine growing conditions, which have been bringing pride to all Canadians for the last 25 years.”
The Chardonnay du Monde international competition recognizes the world’s best Chardonnay wines and is recognized as the most significant and legitimate qualitative competition for the distinction of best Chardonnay of the World.
Chardonnay du Monde has progressively distinguished itself from other international competitions thanks to much stricter quality standards and faithfulness to its founding principles, which have driven its success over the years: diversity, quality and high standards.
Pommies back for 5th annual
apple tree giveaway
Pommies Cider Co. is back for their fifth Apple Tree Giveaway, taking place at eight LCBO locations across Ontario beginning April 28. Pommies will be at each location sampling both their Original and Farmhouse ciders. Consumers who purchase 12 bottles or cans of Pommies Cider and/or Pommies Farmhouse Cider will leave the store with a gala apple tree. To this date, Pommies has put over 500 apple trees back in Ontario’s soil through this campaign.
“The campaign not only highlights the fact that Pommies ciders are natural products made from 100% local Ontario apples, but it also showcases just how well apples grow in Ontario,” said Nick Sutcliffe, owner, Pommies Cider Co. “Consumers get to drink our cider while planting trees and reaping the harvests for years to come.”
“The Ontario Craft Cider segment has continued to demonstrate great growth in the LCBO,” said Mark Wilson, Acting Category Manager, Beer & Cider, LCBO. “The LCBO is proud in its commitment to support this campaign that encompasses the local business community, and encourages green initiatives.”
Pommies Cider tastings and tree giveaways will take place at the following LCBO locations:
• Toronto LCBO (1654 Queen St. E) – Friday April 28, 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• Guelph LCBO (16 Wellington St W) – Friday April 28, 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• Orangeville LCBO (40 Broadway) – Saturday April 29, 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
• Cambridge LCBO (101 Holiday Inn Drive) – Friday May 5, 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• Stoney Creek LCBO (2273 Rymal Road E) – Friday May 5, 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• Newmarket LCBO (180 Green Lane East – East Gwillimbury) – Saturday May 6, 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
• Nobleton LCBO (13255 Hwy 27) – Friday May 12, 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• Milton LCBO (830 Main St E) – Saturday May 13, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
The heritage gala apple trees that will be given away at each location are approximately three feet tall and one year old. These dwarf variety trees will not exceed a height of eight-feet tall when fully grown. Detailed planting and growing instructions will be provided with each tree.
Keeping the faith: ‘Evangelists’
are good for the wine industry
With sales of local wines steadily rising, and domestic vintages crowding the lists at more and more fine restaurants, Ontario is getting a legitimate rep as a world-class wine destination. But this rising pedigree may be due to more than just quality and value.
Research out of Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) strongly supports the notion that passionate “evangelists” play an important role in raising awareness and popularity of Ontario wines — which now control 31 per cent of the LCBO’s wine market share.
Professors Maxim Voronov and Wesley Helms, from Brock’s Goodman School of Business, helped lead a study examining years of institutional change in Ontario’s wine industry, the steady improvement to the reputation of domestic wines and the development of a critical mass of support for the industry.
“Domestically, we’ve seen a lot more acceptance and enthusiasm for Ontario wine and internationally, there’s been a great deal more recognition of Ontario wines’ high quality,” said Voronov, who is a fellow of CCOVI.
“If you measured the acceptance of Ontario wines by the number of restaurants that have VQA wine lists, the number has jumped dramatically since 11 years ago when I first came (to Canada from the United States).”
Their article, “Emotions Uncorked: Inspiring Evangelism for the Emerging Practice of Cool-Climate Winemaking in Ontario,” is published in the April edition of the Academy of Management Journal, and was co-written by Felipe G. Massa, from Loyola University in New Orleans, and Liang Wang, of the University of San Francisco.
One focus of their research was the ritualistic behaviours that drive people to voluntarily spread the gospel, if you will, about local wines and wineries.
Expanding on their 2016 paper, Evangelism and the Amazing Spread of Quality Reputation of Ontario Winemaking, “the key seems to be the creation of people who aren’t simply content to buy a bottle of wine and leave it at that,” Voronov explained.
“They are not simply buyers or supporters, they really have this almost religious fervour that is going to drive them to advocate on behalf of Ontario wine, and they use whatever opportunity they can to convert their friends and family members.”
Preachers in the consumer space are not a new construct. In relentlessly progressive Silicon Valley, tech companies like Apple create actual “evangelist” roles within their organizations, people whose job is to be visible and vocal in imploring the appeal of a product or brand.
What is less understood, Voronov argues, is how people develop into these passionate ambassadors in the first place – something they explored in-depth in their study.
In the wine industry, he says this occurs through three specific rituals:
- Provenance-themed: Sharing the story of the wine; where it came from, who made it?
- Hedonic-themed: The enjoyment and pleasure of wine consumption and the social interaction associated with consuming it.
- Glory-themed: Emphasizing the praise, distinctions and honours that the wine or winery has garnered. People most likely to be driven by these rituals are those who connect with them emotionally, such as foodies or locavores. While the idea of cultivating evangelists is applicable to the marketing of products, Voronov stresses that there’s more to the picture.
“These rituals are about building authentic relationships with audiences, not just consumers. What we want to think here is not just about how to get this person to buy one or two bottles of wine — we want them to become part of the movement, and advocate on behalf of the winery and the industry.” He also pointed out that these findings aren’t restricted to the wine industry, either, and that the creation of these “evangelists” can be beneficial to many different organizations. The full study can be found here
Comment here