I found a blog that is recently started by Master of Wine Tim Hanni. It is now part of this blogs links. Some of it is related to the flavour balancing seasoning Vignon. I can't comment on it because it isn't available in Canada to my knowledge. The over whelming amount of info is of straight educational value as far as I'm concerned and urge anyone interested to head over there and read it.
Sweet foods and Umami make a wine taste stronger sour food and salt make a wine taste milder. The recent updating and the related building on this foundation is readily available now from the source.
Click the title to acccess his blog or goto the links section on the side
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Gabe Magnotta a Maverick?
I never met Gabe Magnotta but I did hear of his actions in the Ontario wine industry. I was saddened to hear of his of his death Dec 20 2009.
He has been characterized as a maverick in the Ontario wine industry because of his confrontations with the LCBO and about how he went to market his wines. I went to dictionairy.com to get a clarification on the word Maverick and find myself not liking the connotation it infers.
Everything I see and read does not show a Gabe Magnotta who was out to subvert the system in place. I see someone who saw certain aspects of the system that were unfair to him and wineries in general and took advantage of certain practices in the system to right the wrongs that he saw.
The fact that he had the courage to take actions that were contrary to "the normal practices of the industry" for me is a point of respect and shows an ability to think outside the box. He had principles and "walked the walk" to stick to them.
Gabe was very open about blending wines from outside Canada with Canadian product and really does not share any of the fall out from the Cellared in Canada debacle. He made wines of varying qualities which range from Monday to Thursday quaffers to world class reds that beat first growth Bordeaux in blind tastings (Millennium comes to mind, which was made from Chilean grapes). Ice wine was made that was less expensive and allowed more people to sample the first wine product Canada became renowned for.
There were also innovative products like his Sparking Vidal, and Sparkling Cabernet Franc ice wines as well as Ice Grappa.
Gabe Magnotta was a man of principle who did what he thought was necessary to make his winery successful even if it meant he had do things that were perceived as unpopular. I own a small amount of stock
in his winery and it was these qualities that enticed me to participate in a small way and I'm glad I did.
Peace be with you Gabe. You did it your way.
There is an article that goes into specifics about Gabe Magnotta's life. Just click the title of this entry
He has been characterized as a maverick in the Ontario wine industry because of his confrontations with the LCBO and about how he went to market his wines. I went to dictionairy.com to get a clarification on the word Maverick and find myself not liking the connotation it infers.
Everything I see and read does not show a Gabe Magnotta who was out to subvert the system in place. I see someone who saw certain aspects of the system that were unfair to him and wineries in general and took advantage of certain practices in the system to right the wrongs that he saw.
The fact that he had the courage to take actions that were contrary to "the normal practices of the industry" for me is a point of respect and shows an ability to think outside the box. He had principles and "walked the walk" to stick to them.
Gabe was very open about blending wines from outside Canada with Canadian product and really does not share any of the fall out from the Cellared in Canada debacle. He made wines of varying qualities which range from Monday to Thursday quaffers to world class reds that beat first growth Bordeaux in blind tastings (Millennium comes to mind, which was made from Chilean grapes). Ice wine was made that was less expensive and allowed more people to sample the first wine product Canada became renowned for.
There were also innovative products like his Sparking Vidal, and Sparkling Cabernet Franc ice wines as well as Ice Grappa.
Gabe Magnotta was a man of principle who did what he thought was necessary to make his winery successful even if it meant he had do things that were perceived as unpopular. I own a small amount of stock
in his winery and it was these qualities that enticed me to participate in a small way and I'm glad I did.
Peace be with you Gabe. You did it your way.
There is an article that goes into specifics about Gabe Magnotta's life. Just click the title of this entry
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Video Updates
The first part of 2010 will see me very busy so I have put through a number of new videos. You can now view Oraganized Crime Winery. Birchwood Estate Wines, Stratus Vineyards, Strewn Winery, Inniskillin Winery and Flat Rock Cellars. All can be viewed on either the Wine Dining Vlog or Wine Dining Channel.
The links are the side of this entry.
The links are the side of this entry.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
If you own a restaurant can you help out
I received a request from Brock University to post this and I am happy to oblige. Basically it is a survey. It explains itself. Please Contact Maxim Voronov if you have any queries.
I invite you to participate in a research project, entitled “The Role of Local Wine in the Ontario Restaurant Industry: Challenges and Opportunities.” This project aims to develop a better understanding of how restaurants like yours can increase their success and reputation in the market, as well as the role that Ontario wines might play in this process.
Some of the questions we hope to answer with this study are as follows: What tools can we develop that might enable restaurants to compete more effectively in their local markets? How can more effective relationships be developed between restaurants and various stakeholders, such as wineries, restaurant critics, or government agencies? What challenges and opportunities relate to promoting VQA wines? By analyzing the insights provided by you and other restaurant owners, managers, and sommeliers across Ontario, we can achieve scientific bases for answering these questions.
Would you please take approximately 15–20 minutes to complete the questionnaire at your earliest convenience? You can fill out the survey at www.bus.brocku.ca/winesurvey.
Please rest assured that your individual responses will be kept completely confidential. Our interest lies in the average responses of all participants, so neither you nor your company will ever be identified in any way in any written reports.
To express my sincere appreciation for your willingness to share your valuable time and thoughts with us, I will be happy to send you a personalized Executive Summary of the study’s findings that compares your responses with the average responses of the sample and thus can help you understand how your organization measures up against other restaurants. Completing the survey will automatically entitle you to a $10 gift certificate, redeemable at any LCBO store. Each respondent also will be part of a drawing for one of five $200 gift certificates to LCBO stores.
If you have any questions about this study or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you so much for your assistance. Your input will be instrumental to the success of this research.
Sincerely,
Maxim Voronov
---------
Maxim Voronov, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Strategic Management
Department of Marketing, International Business and Strategy
Faculty of Business
Brock University
500 Glenridge Ave.
St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1 Canada
Tel: (905) 688-5550, Ext. 5189
Fax: (905) 378-5716
E-Mail: mvoronov@brocku.ca
http://www.bus.brocku.ca/faculty/faculty.php?id=133&d=MIBS
I invite you to participate in a research project, entitled “The Role of Local Wine in the Ontario Restaurant Industry: Challenges and Opportunities.” This project aims to develop a better understanding of how restaurants like yours can increase their success and reputation in the market, as well as the role that Ontario wines might play in this process.
Some of the questions we hope to answer with this study are as follows: What tools can we develop that might enable restaurants to compete more effectively in their local markets? How can more effective relationships be developed between restaurants and various stakeholders, such as wineries, restaurant critics, or government agencies? What challenges and opportunities relate to promoting VQA wines? By analyzing the insights provided by you and other restaurant owners, managers, and sommeliers across Ontario, we can achieve scientific bases for answering these questions.
Would you please take approximately 15–20 minutes to complete the questionnaire at your earliest convenience? You can fill out the survey at www.bus.brocku.ca/winesurvey.
Please rest assured that your individual responses will be kept completely confidential. Our interest lies in the average responses of all participants, so neither you nor your company will ever be identified in any way in any written reports.
To express my sincere appreciation for your willingness to share your valuable time and thoughts with us, I will be happy to send you a personalized Executive Summary of the study’s findings that compares your responses with the average responses of the sample and thus can help you understand how your organization measures up against other restaurants. Completing the survey will automatically entitle you to a $10 gift certificate, redeemable at any LCBO store. Each respondent also will be part of a drawing for one of five $200 gift certificates to LCBO stores.
If you have any questions about this study or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you so much for your assistance. Your input will be instrumental to the success of this research.
Sincerely,
Maxim Voronov
---------
Maxim Voronov, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Strategic Management
Department of Marketing, International Business and Strategy
Faculty of Business
Brock University
500 Glenridge Ave.
St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1 Canada
Tel: (905) 688-5550, Ext. 5189
Fax: (905) 378-5716
E-Mail: mvoronov@brocku.ca
http://www.bus.brocku.ca/faculty/faculty.php?id=133&d=MIBS
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Where is the V.Q.(EH) !
You see the neck
You see the label
You see the back
The point of this is to show that it is now very difficult to tell whether or not a wine is V.Q.A.
With all the talk of Cellared in Canada wines misleading consumers about the Canadian content in a Canadian produced product, the V.Q. A. is now allowing the designation to be very inconspicuously displayed on the back. In my opinion this is a mistake. The V.Q.A. designation should be prominent on the neck and the front label of a wine . It should be very easy to identify a V.Q.A. wine. I know that it may not make much difference if the wine is in a segregated section of a LCBO or of a winery that sells nothung else but the medallion is the brand and needs to stand out in amy other situation including things as mundane as putting empty bottles in your recycling box and passers by see it or your your returning your bottles to the beer store and the people behind you see thst your returning Ontario wine.
The Wine Council of Ontario will be voting on whether or not a lobbying effort should be introduced that will conentrate on advancing the interests of V.Q.A. wines. It will be held Nov 17 2009. I hope it passes because it is a vote for innovation and value added niche products. It will not however, look very good if this push is made and consumers have to scan all sides of a bottle to find a medallion that cetifies they are getting
a quality Ontario wine.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Cellared in Canada
I have been holding back on commenting on the Cellared in Canada controversy because I just felt I hadn't enough of the facts to make a cogent argument.
The way I see it, the core of this issue is the labelling of these wines. The term Cellared in Canada makes people think, who are unfamiliar with wine, they are getting a Canadian product. This is not right and should be changed. Nothing has been done about it for over a decade even though Canadian wine writers have brought it up from time to time. It's unfortunate that it took Jancis Robinson's "great Canadian con" comments to actually stir up enough contrvorsey to force government to change labelling regulations. I don't agree with her that Canadian wine can't be taken seriously otherwise.
This "con' has been going on for years but that hasn't stopped Canadian wineries from producing world class
home grown wines that win international competitions. The fact that awards have been won over and over again proves that high end quality made Canadian wines can be taken seriously.
In general I am not against Cellared in Canada wines (so long as lt is clearly labelled as to what they are made from). They provide an inexpensive drinkable (for the money) product for people to have during the week nights when they come home from a long day at work and want to have a glass of wine to relax.
I had a bulk wine section on the main wine dining site a decade ago and regularly purchased it from Magnotta and Vinoteca. Only time and distance prevents me from still doing it.
What I would like to see happen at the LCBO is a section called International Blends with three level designations on the label:. International (wines with less than 30% Canadian grapes), International-Canadian
(wines with 30% to 50% Canadian grapes) and Canadian-Intenational (51% to 99% Canadian-grapes).
As far as the wasting of Ontario grapes that are not sold is concerned, I don't think there is an easy answer for this. All I can say is that vintners and growers should try to aim for niche markets through innovation and their production of value added products. Government policy should also reflect this goal.. If growers and vintners feel they can make a living competing strictly on price then good luck to them and let them do so but they should also be aware that they must deal with market conditions as they stand and the consequences they entail.
The real wealth will come through innovation and the making of niche, value added products.
Here is an article I a couple of years ago that is related to this topic
VQA Explained
When you enter a LCBO store and you come across the section that sells Canadian wine, you see two categories; VQA and Cellared in Canada. I just want to give a brief explanation on what these terms are so that you have a little more knowledge when you are considering a purchase from a Canadian winery. If you want more information on VQA just click on the link further along in this article.
When wines are made, the location of the grapes can play a significant role in its price, taste and quality. Old World countries such as France and Italy have a system of classifying grapes so that consumers have an idea of where the fruit that made up the wine came from. In France it is called Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC), in Italy, Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) and Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG). In both cases it is a system of rating the quality of the wine produced from the area of the country it came from. This system does not provide a guarantee that a consumer will automatically like the wine they try if they purchase one based on the designation the appellation system has given it, but at least it will assure the consumer that the grapes came from the area mentioned (if it is on the label). The grapes from each area are associated with a certain level of quality. (Again, please do not confuse this with a certainty that you will like the wine.)
Canadian wines have their own appellation system known as the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA). Originally an industry-organized entity, the VQA has become enshrined in law and is now the official appellation system used to verify origin and quality of Canadian wine. It operates out of Ontario and British Columbia and is administered separately in each province. I am going to focus on the two main designations for the Ontario VQA. They are the provincial and defined viticultural area.
The Ontario designation is less stringent and allows wineries not located in a designated viticultural area to carry the VQA label. Examples would be Ocala Orchards winery in Port Perry, northeast of Toronto, and the wineries of Prince Edward County in the Picton area (for the present anyway). To qualify, the grapes must meet minimum sugar levels that are set for each grape variety at harvest and also indicate on the label the year in which 85% of the grapes used in the wine were grown and be made of 100% Ontario grown grapes which are of an approved varietal. The more stringently defined viticultural area requires meeting minimum sugar levels that are set for each varietal at harvest. Eighty-five percent of the grapes used in a wine must come from a single designated vitcultural area (100% must be Ontario grown). The grapes used must be of approved vitis vinifera varieties and indicate on the label the year in which 85% of the grapes used in the wine were grown. The defined viticulture designation allows the winery to add additional label information of either estate bottled or the name of the vineyard where the fruit came from. (It must be 100% grown from the mentioned estate or vineyard).
When an area develops (like Prince Edward County) individuals with expertise and experience from the academic and Ontario wine communities are assigned to assess the suitability of a region and to define the area it will encompass. When it is determined that an area qualifies, then government regulation formalizes the viticulture designation.
The standards for the VQA designation are among the most stringent in a world. Wineries must apply and meet standards set for record keeping productions methods and vinification procedures. Every five months regular audits are performed on member wineries on these aspects, as well as checks on wines that have made claims for VQA approval to verify that they are consistent all along. Spot checks are made on wines that have already been granted VQA approval to ensure there has not been any alteration. All wines must be blind tested by a board of independent tasters to ensure that the characteristics associated with approved varietals are present. Any winery caught during an audit of falling short of standards set, can have their VQA designation revoked. Wineries can also be prosecuted if they use terms regulated by the VQA without approval.
There is another term used in labeling wines that consumers should be aware of and that is "Cellared In Canada" which essentially means that the wine can be made from any grapes sourced from any part of the world. The wine could be mostly from Canadian vineyards or literally from elsewhere, there is no way of telling by looking at the label. I don't like to tar all these wines with one brush as plonk, but I think it is fair to say though you have a higher chance of scoring a loser than you would otherwise.
There are no guarantees when you buy a VQA wine other than you know that it has met certain standards for quality and the grapes come from a Canadian vineyard. You could be just as liable to purchase a VQA wine and a Cellared in Canada wine and windup liking the second one better. In the end, all you can really do is try different wines and find the ones you like, but if you find that you like a certain VQA wine take satisfaction in knowing of all the extra steps the winemaker took to ensure that the product he made for you was a certified Canadian wine of quality
The way I see it, the core of this issue is the labelling of these wines. The term Cellared in Canada makes people think, who are unfamiliar with wine, they are getting a Canadian product. This is not right and should be changed. Nothing has been done about it for over a decade even though Canadian wine writers have brought it up from time to time. It's unfortunate that it took Jancis Robinson's "great Canadian con" comments to actually stir up enough contrvorsey to force government to change labelling regulations. I don't agree with her that Canadian wine can't be taken seriously otherwise.
This "con' has been going on for years but that hasn't stopped Canadian wineries from producing world class
home grown wines that win international competitions. The fact that awards have been won over and over again proves that high end quality made Canadian wines can be taken seriously.
In general I am not against Cellared in Canada wines (so long as lt is clearly labelled as to what they are made from). They provide an inexpensive drinkable (for the money) product for people to have during the week nights when they come home from a long day at work and want to have a glass of wine to relax.
I had a bulk wine section on the main wine dining site a decade ago and regularly purchased it from Magnotta and Vinoteca. Only time and distance prevents me from still doing it.
What I would like to see happen at the LCBO is a section called International Blends with three level designations on the label:. International (wines with less than 30% Canadian grapes), International-Canadian
(wines with 30% to 50% Canadian grapes) and Canadian-Intenational (51% to 99% Canadian-grapes).
As far as the wasting of Ontario grapes that are not sold is concerned, I don't think there is an easy answer for this. All I can say is that vintners and growers should try to aim for niche markets through innovation and their production of value added products. Government policy should also reflect this goal.. If growers and vintners feel they can make a living competing strictly on price then good luck to them and let them do so but they should also be aware that they must deal with market conditions as they stand and the consequences they entail.
The real wealth will come through innovation and the making of niche, value added products.
Here is an article I a couple of years ago that is related to this topic
VQA Explained
When you enter a LCBO store and you come across the section that sells Canadian wine, you see two categories; VQA and Cellared in Canada. I just want to give a brief explanation on what these terms are so that you have a little more knowledge when you are considering a purchase from a Canadian winery. If you want more information on VQA just click on the link further along in this article.
When wines are made, the location of the grapes can play a significant role in its price, taste and quality. Old World countries such as France and Italy have a system of classifying grapes so that consumers have an idea of where the fruit that made up the wine came from. In France it is called Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC), in Italy, Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) and Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG). In both cases it is a system of rating the quality of the wine produced from the area of the country it came from. This system does not provide a guarantee that a consumer will automatically like the wine they try if they purchase one based on the designation the appellation system has given it, but at least it will assure the consumer that the grapes came from the area mentioned (if it is on the label). The grapes from each area are associated with a certain level of quality. (Again, please do not confuse this with a certainty that you will like the wine.)
Canadian wines have their own appellation system known as the Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA). Originally an industry-organized entity, the VQA has become enshrined in law and is now the official appellation system used to verify origin and quality of Canadian wine. It operates out of Ontario and British Columbia and is administered separately in each province. I am going to focus on the two main designations for the Ontario VQA. They are the provincial and defined viticultural area.
The Ontario designation is less stringent and allows wineries not located in a designated viticultural area to carry the VQA label. Examples would be Ocala Orchards winery in Port Perry, northeast of Toronto, and the wineries of Prince Edward County in the Picton area (for the present anyway). To qualify, the grapes must meet minimum sugar levels that are set for each grape variety at harvest and also indicate on the label the year in which 85% of the grapes used in the wine were grown and be made of 100% Ontario grown grapes which are of an approved varietal. The more stringently defined viticultural area requires meeting minimum sugar levels that are set for each varietal at harvest. Eighty-five percent of the grapes used in a wine must come from a single designated vitcultural area (100% must be Ontario grown). The grapes used must be of approved vitis vinifera varieties and indicate on the label the year in which 85% of the grapes used in the wine were grown. The defined viticulture designation allows the winery to add additional label information of either estate bottled or the name of the vineyard where the fruit came from. (It must be 100% grown from the mentioned estate or vineyard).
When an area develops (like Prince Edward County) individuals with expertise and experience from the academic and Ontario wine communities are assigned to assess the suitability of a region and to define the area it will encompass. When it is determined that an area qualifies, then government regulation formalizes the viticulture designation.
The standards for the VQA designation are among the most stringent in a world. Wineries must apply and meet standards set for record keeping productions methods and vinification procedures. Every five months regular audits are performed on member wineries on these aspects, as well as checks on wines that have made claims for VQA approval to verify that they are consistent all along. Spot checks are made on wines that have already been granted VQA approval to ensure there has not been any alteration. All wines must be blind tested by a board of independent tasters to ensure that the characteristics associated with approved varietals are present. Any winery caught during an audit of falling short of standards set, can have their VQA designation revoked. Wineries can also be prosecuted if they use terms regulated by the VQA without approval.
There is another term used in labeling wines that consumers should be aware of and that is "Cellared In Canada" which essentially means that the wine can be made from any grapes sourced from any part of the world. The wine could be mostly from Canadian vineyards or literally from elsewhere, there is no way of telling by looking at the label. I don't like to tar all these wines with one brush as plonk, but I think it is fair to say though you have a higher chance of scoring a loser than you would otherwise.
There are no guarantees when you buy a VQA wine other than you know that it has met certain standards for quality and the grapes come from a Canadian vineyard. You could be just as liable to purchase a VQA wine and a Cellared in Canada wine and windup liking the second one better. In the end, all you can really do is try different wines and find the ones you like, but if you find that you like a certain VQA wine take satisfaction in knowing of all the extra steps the winemaker took to ensure that the product he made for you was a certified Canadian wine of quality
Monday, September 28, 2009
Reif Estate Winery Niagara on the Lake
Another video is up featuring Reif Estate Winery. It can be viewed on the Wine Dining Vlog or Wine Dining Channel. Go to the links on the side
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