By Rick VanSickle and Brock News
Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute put on quite a show last Saturday as 500 guests gathered for an evening that featured world-class Ontario VQA wines and Niagara’s top culinary talent.
It was the 33rd edition of the Cuvée Grand Tasting featuring selections from the province’s top winemakers combined with delicious food pairings from the region’s leading chefs.
The evening brought with it an air of patriotism, celebrating VQA winemaking excellence and its starring role in industry worldwide. It’s a climate that has long been fostered by wine aficionados and Ontario-industry insiders, but in recent months has grabbed the attention of the public.
The evening also featured three key Cuvée of Excellence Awards given out just prior to the main event.
“The big takeaway here is although we have been celebrating VQA winemaking excellence for 33 years, it is now top-of-mind for so many people, including everyone at Cuvée,” said event manager Barb Tatarnic. “There’s this emergence of a ‘support-local’ movement that everyone is truly celebrating while recognizing the impressive talent we have right here in Ontario.”
As partygoers entered the aptly named Chardonnay Ballroom at the Holiday Inn and Suites St. Catharines Conference Centre, they were greeted by 10 food stations and over 30 wineries encouraging their palates and senses to explore.
The Cuvée Grand Tasting, the biggest celebration of VQA products of its kind, was held at the Holiday Inn and Suites St. Catharines Conference Centre.
“We had wineries that are brand new to the industry and some that have built a long tradition of winemaking,” said Tatarnic, CCOVI’s manager of professional studies and outreach as well as the manager of Cuvée. “Our guests loved the different wines and food pairings. You could see that in their faces.”
The evening was also an opportunity for CCOVI to honour current and future members of the industry, with eight awards presented.
The Cuvée Vineyard of Excellence Award — honouring a grape grower who promotes excellence in their vineyard — went to Tom Wiley of Wiley Vineyards in Jordan, while the Cuvée Winemaker of Excellence Award, presented by past winner and Creekside winemaker Rob Power, went to Thomas Bachelder of Bachelder Niagara in Beamsville. Bachelder has made wine in Burgundy and Oregon but is best known in Niagara for his terroir-driven Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays and Gamay Noirs that he has championed in the region under his own label, and as the winemaker at Domaine Le Clos Jordanne.
The Tony Aspler Cuvée Award of Excellence was presented to photographer Steven Elphick, who is well known for his wine images throughout Ontario. I was honoured to present the award to Elphick on behave of Aspler who was on a wine adventure in Barcelona with his wife Deborah.
“International wine judge, award-winning wine taster and self-confessed foodie, Steven Elphick expresses his lifelong passions through the photographic lens,” Aspler said in his notes. “As the exclusive photographer for Spectacular Wineries of Ontario, Steven took you on a captivating photographic journey through Ontario Wine Country, where vineyards flourish in picturesque settings and winemakers’ dreams are made.”
Aspler noted that Elphick’s images are widely published in books, magazines and advertisements worldwide. He has contributed to shows at the Royal Ontario Museum and the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, he was also the sole photographer for Tony Aspler’s award-winning, The Wine Atlas of Canada.
The remaining awards — made possible thanks to the Cuvée Legacy Fund, which supports scholarships in Brock’s undergraduate Applied Grape and Wine Science programs as well as graduate degrees in oenology, viticulture, wine science, business and tourism — honoured five students.
CCOVI Director Debbie Inglis, who presented the student awards, reminded the crowd that proceeds from the night’s tickets will be put to good use.
“Cuvée is a prime example of a community-university-industry partnership that benefits all involved, with funds raised at the event supporting student scholarships and grape and wine research,” she said.
Student award winners included Victoria Parsons for top marks in the Certificate in Grape and Wine Technology program; Evan Smith for top marks in second year of the Applied Grape and Wine Science (OEVI) program; Alex Klauck for top marks in third year of the OEVI program; Simon Koop for highest marks in fourth year of the OEVI program; and Master of Science student Reid Ball for scholastic achievements at the graduate level in grape and wine science.
Brock President and vice-chancellor Lesley Rigg joined in the celebration and praised CCOVI for its work supporting the industry and its next generation of leaders. “Brock’s strategic plan prioritizes community partnerships and regional development, and tonight’s event is a perfect example of those ongoing efforts,” she said. “We’re not just celebrating Ontario’s grape and wine industry; we’re investing in its future.”
The winemakers’ favourite wines
A total of 32 wineries poured two wine each from are the winemakers’ most cherished wines. Here is what they served:
• 13th Street Winery NV Blanc de Blanc $30.65 and 2023 Syrah $30.65
• Calamus Estate Winery 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon $24.95 and 2023 Unoaked Chardonnay $18.95
• Chateau des Charmes Eclat Sparkling $18.95 and 2022 Gamay Noir Droit $24.95
• De Simone Vineyards 2020 Riesling $28.00 and 2021 Merlot $60.00
• Divergence Wines 2020 Blanc de Blancs Hughes Vineyard $75.00 and 2023 Gamay Rosé Creek Road Vineyard $26.00
• Domaine Le Clos Jordanne Claystone Terrace Pinot Noir $42.00 and Claystone Terrace Chardonnay $42.00
• Flat Rock Cellars 2021 The Rusty Shed Chardonnay $32.99 and 2021 Gravity Pinot Noir $35.99
• Front Road Cellars 2024 Bright Side Off-Dry Riesling $19.95 and 2022 Renegade Marquette-Cabernet $27.95
• Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery 2017 Cuvée Catharine Blanc de Blancs ‘Carte Blanche’ $44.95 and 2022 Speck Family Reserve Baco Noir $24.95
• Icellars Estate Winery 2023 Sauvignon Blanc $36.00 and 2020 Syrah $79.00
• Inniskillin Winery Montague Vineyard Chardonnay $27.99 and 2022 Reserve Cabernet Franc $20.99
• Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate 2018 Grand Reserve Entourage Brut $34.95 and Grand Reserve Shiraz $29.95
• King and Victoria Winery 2022 Pinot Noir $55.00 and 2024 Sauvignon Blanc $30.00
• Leaning Post Wines 2021 Pinot Noir Senchuk Vineyard $79.30 and 2024 Sauvignon Blanc $29.58
• Magnotta Winery 2022 G.Marquis Chardonnay The Silver Line $19.95 and 2020 Magnotta Enotrium Gran Riserva $59.95
• Malivoire Wine Co. NV Bisous Rosé $32.00 and 2022 Small Lot Gamay $22.00
• Marynissen Estates 2021 Platinum Cabernet Sauvignon $44.95 and 2024 Heritage Riesling $22.95
• Peller Estates Winery 2023 Peller Estates Private Reserve Gamay Novelle $22.00 and 2022 Andrew Peller Signature Series Sauvignon Blanc $32.00
• Peninsula Ridge Estate Winery 2020 BV Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon $35.20 and 2024 Wismer Sauvignon Blanc $19.25
• Pillitteri Estates Winery 2020 Exclamation Cabernet Franc Reserve $68.00 and 2022 Andre De Grasse Seven Viognier $35.00
• Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery 2022 Reserve Patricia’s Block Riesling $32.95 and 2020 Reserve Nancy’s Block Cabernet Franc $66.87
• Redstone Winery 2018 Redstone Blanc de Blancs $33.95 and 2020 Redstone Merlot $40.95
• Riverview Cellars Estate Winery 2023 Riesling East Block Angelina’s Reserve $24.95 and 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Basket Press Salvatore’s Reserve $59.95
• Rosewood Estate Winery 2022 Chardonnay $40.00 and 2020 Pinot Noir $50.00
• Stratus Vineyards Stratus Red 2020 $55.00 and 2023 Field Blend Ancestral $35.00
• Strewn Winery 2023 Distinctive Small Lot Chardonnay Musque $24.00 and 2020 Terroir Cabernet Franc $83.00
• Tawse Winery 2022 Sparkling Rosé $30.95 and 2022 Cherry Ave Pinot Noir $49.95
• Thirty Bench Winemakers NV Sparkling Riesling $40.00 and 2021 Extended Barrel Aged Pinot Noir $36.00
• Trius Winery NV Trius Showcase Blanc de Noirs $58.00 and 2022 Trius Red $76.00
• Wending Home Estate Vineyards and Winery 2020 Chardonnay Estate $34.95 and 2021 Wending Home ‘Up Above’ Pinot Noir $42.95
• Westcott Vineyards2022 Reserve Chardonnay $50.00 and 2021 Reserve Pinot Noir $50.00
Note: With information provided by Brock News and Richard Wright
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