Last night, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) and Wine Country Ontario hosted the Ontario VQA Wine + Fall Harvest Tasting at the Burroughes Building on Queen Street West. Twenty-two Ontario producers sampled a total of 24 wines to go along with eight food stations representing local chefs, cheeses and foods.
Each winery presented a single wine, mostly in the $15-20 range. The one winery that sampled a higher-end product was Norman Hardie winery from Prince Edward County. Their table poured their Unfiltered Niagara Pinot Noir ($39) which was noticeably denser and richer than the others. Still, the other Pinot Noirs from Henry of Pelham, Coyote's Run, Rosehall Run and G Marquis (Magnotta) were tasty and fresh, as well as being excellent values.
The producers that poured two samples were Andrew Peller who poured the Trius Brut and the Wayne Gretzky Baco Noir; and Pelee Island Winery which poured an exotically fragrant Traminer Muscat blend and a Baco Noir.
For far too long, people unfairly dismissed Ontario wines based on decades-old misconceptions. It's good to see them finally getting the respect and recognition that they deserve.
