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Record number of wines poured for Cuvee judging

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By Michael Lowe

Preparations for the 24th annual Cuvée Awards, which honour the very best of Ontario wine, are in full swing. But weeks before the award presentations, to be held March 2nd at Fallsview Casino Resort, a panel of judges faces the daunting task of tasting and scoring the wines submitted for review.

This year sees a record 264 wines submitted by 64 wineries. An esteemed panel of judges, consisting of winemakers, blind taste all the wines to determine if they meet the Cuvée Standard of Excellence and obtain the honour of being poured at the Cuvée Gala.

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Winemakers Angela Kasimos (Riverview) and Eric Pearson (Konzelmann) at the Cuvee judging. (Michael Lowe photo)

Fifty-one winemakers, and an independent review panel, gathered on Jan. 19 at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites in St. Catharines to taste and score the wines. The judging is unique in that there is an element of peer pressure as the judges taste each other’s wines without knowing whose wines they are sampling. They are only told the vintage and varietal or blend.

The role of the independent review panel, consisting primarily of respected sommeliers and wine writers, is to act as a sense-check, or buffer, when there is a lack of consensus from the winemakers. If a wine is rejected by the winemakers, the panel tastes and ultimately decides whether the wine is of sufficient quality to be poured at the gala.

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Winemaker Lydia Tomek (Hernder) tastes at Cuvee. (Michael Lowe photo)

As Aussie Marc Bradshaw, associate winemaker at Strewn Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake remarks, “there are lots of them and some nice sparkies too.”

Winery owner and winemaker Art Reimer agrees that, after starting the day with the effervescent freshness of sparkling wines, they are showing very well and tasting them was a joy. “I like sparkling, so that’s not a real hardship,” he says. “This is my first year judging and, at first, I didn’t want to do it but my wife said you can always learn something so, here I am.”

Fred DiProfio of Pondview Estate Winery says, “I was impressed by the sauvignon blanc and riesling entries.” When asked about red wines he adds, “there are a couple of ’07 pinots and lots of ’09s.”

A tasting event on this scale does not happen without rigorous organization and plenty of hands. Twenty-five volunteers assist with pouring and serving of wines and tabulating score sheets. Approximately 12,000 wine glasses and over 1,000 bottles of wine will be emptied before they are through.

Awards will be announced at the Cuvée Gala, also known as the “Oscars” of the Ontario wine industry. For more information on the gala and other Cuvée events or to obtain tickets visit www.cuvee.ca or call 905-684-8688.

More photos from the Cuvee Judging:

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Winemaker Arthur Harder (Calamus) goes through a flight of whites. (Michael Lowe photo)

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