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From Two Wine Regions,
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Paying tribute to Canada's leading wine regions, such as the Okanagan Valley, in British Columbia and the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, the first Unity wines, launched today, have blended the very best vitis vinifera wines from both these regions, in equal proportion, to create wines of unique character that are expected to challenge and stimulate the palates of young and seasoned wine lovers alike.
"We are creating an entirely new category of wines with Unity," said Rob Scapin, Chief Winemaker for Vincor, who, for the past two years, has spearheaded the concept of marrying the highest quality vinifera wines from different parts of the country. "It's all about learning how wines made in different climatic regions, with different geographical characteristics and different soils, can work to bring the very best out of each other!" This distinct combination of growing conditions is known in the industry as "terroir."
Unity wines do not currently qualify for the Canada's Vintners' Quality Alliance (VQA) designation, which is tied exclusively to a single geographic area (or "appellation,") such as the Okanagan Valley or the Niagara Peninsula. Nevertheless, the new Unity wines are made to meet, if not exceed, Canada's exacting VQA standards. They are also in good company in the international marketplace. Australian-born Scapin noted that, "several New World countries, and Australia in particular, move wine between appellations to craft sensational wines that both capture and enhance the best of their diverse terroirs."
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The first Unity wines to be launched in Canada are a Chardonnay 2001 and a Cabernet Sauvignon~Merlot 2001, priced in Ontario at $24.95 and $29.95 respectively. Available in extremely limited quantities, with only 300 cases of each made in the first year of production, the majority will be sold in select Wine Rack locations across Ontario. In addition, both Vintages in Ontario and the BCLDB in British Columbia, will soon receive samples of Unity with a view to establishing select distribution in each market.
Choosing the wines for the Unity portfolio is Scapin's responsibility. Having the privilege of tasting every single wine at each of Vincor's Canadian-based estate wineries, during every stage of their production and maturity, he is in the unique position of being able to select only wines of the highest quality for the cross-Canada blending. Depending on the vintage conditions in the different wine regions, he expects to be in a position to release a number of exciting new wines each year carrying the Unity label. "However," he explained, "we fully expect that the blending process may not always work its magic, and we may choose not to release any wines some years rather than compromise our standards of quality and innovation."
Summarizing the impact of the new wine launch, Donald Triggs, Vincor's President and CEO, noted that it represents a new direction for the Canadian wine industry. "With our growing success in the world marketplace, both in terms of international awards and distribution, we are seeing new confidence among our winemaking team. Unity is a perfect example of how they are becoming more creative in their pursuit of excellence."
Vincor International Inc. is North America's fourth largest producer and marketer of wines, with leading brands in all segments of the market. Publicly-traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange, the company's premium brands include Inniskillin Wines, Jackson-Triggs Vintners, Sumac Ridge, and Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards in Canada: R.H. Phillips, Toasted Head and Hogue Cellars in the United States; Goundrey Wines in Australia, and Kim Crawford in New Zealand.