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Annual Dinner - Tuesday, April 29, 2003  

Our featured restaurant for 2003 is Bb33 Bistro and Brasserie at the Delta Chelsea Inn in downtown Toronto. Creekside Estate Winery has matched the wines for the meal for us.

Bb33 chef Margaret MacKay began her cooking career in Toronto a number of years ago at Madcaps on Queen St. West, a restaurant owned by the "Blues Brothers", James Belushi and Dan Ackroyd. Since that time, Margaret has been honing her skills at Toronto's Le Papillion, Winston's, Oro, Scaramouche and JK at the ROM. Her European experience includes the Hotel Sacher in Vienna, Café Winkler in Salzburg and the Four Seasons Hotel in Zurich.

Creekside Estate Winery produces a range of premium wines and icewines from their two vineyards in Jordan Station and St. David's. They recently have won awards for their 1999 Vidal Icewine, 2000 Sauvignon Blanc and 1999 Laura's Blend.

Ontario Wine Awards - Wednesday, May 28, 2003  

The venue this year will be the Royal York Hotel and Tony Aspler will be on hand to lead the tasting.

Bus Tour to Prince Edward County - Saturday June 14, 2003  

Summer Cellar Dinner - August 7, 2003  

Matching Wine and Food - Tuesday, April 22, 2003, 7:00pm  

Our first Niagara event will be held at Chateau des Charmes winery and led by one of our regions most noted wine experts, Linda Bramble.

There are only 40 seats available. No tickets will be sold at the door. $25 per person. Cheque must be received by April 17. Mail cheque to: The Ontario Wine Society, Niagara Chapter, 4850 Cherrywood Dr., Beamsville, Ont., L0R 1B9.

Note: Members may attend events in either chapter.

Mail: P.O. Box 519, Station K
Toronto, Ontario
M4P 2G9

Voice Mail: 416 921 9798

E-mail: contact@ontariowinesociety.com

Web: www.ontariowinesociety.com

By Pat Dinsmore

In our first ever Sauvignon Blanc tasting event, there were some great moments and a few surprises. One of the most popular events to date, there were over 80 people in attendance.

Our goal with this unprecedented tasting, was to get an unbiased opinion as to which, from the collection, was the best Sauvignon Blanc. Quite naturally, we were looking for an Ontario wine to shine through, which on a show of hands did not appear to be the case. Once the tasting sheets were ranked, it turned out to be slightly different. From top to bottom, the ranking was as follows:

• 2002 Seifried (NZ)
• 2001 Mission Hill Private Reserve(B.C.)
• 2002 Graham Beck Coastal (SA)
• 2001 Les Baron Henri Bourgeous (Fr)
• 2002 Yalumba Oxford Landing (Aus)
• 2001 Chateau des Charmes, St. David's Bench
• 2001 Henry of Pelham
• 2000 Southbrook Triomphe
• 2000 Buena Vista Winery (Cal)
• 2000 Lailey Vineyard

Hrayr Berberoglou, affectionately known as Mr. B., led us through this tasting, eloquently and expertly explaining the different grapes that make up the Sauvignon Blanc family. To further illustrate the differences between the various regions, Mr. B. gave specific descriptions of each of the winemaking regions and the major characteristics of their efforts. Along with some fabulous selections from the Tasting Rooms, Mr. B. enlightened us with his own pairing choices, specific to each wine we tasted.

All in all, a successful evening. Great wine, great food and great conversation.

Going Vertical - April 5, 12, 19 and 26, 2:00pm
Riesling and Gamay, perhaps more than any other varietals, act as looking glasses into Niagara's terroir. See just how through a vertical tasting going back as far as vintage '98.

$5.00 per person. Reservations required. 905 562 3581 Ext. 302.

Easter Brunch - Sunday, April 20. Two-hour seatings at 10:00am, 11:00am, 12:00pm, 1:00pm and 2:00pm.
Bring the family for a celebration lunch. $18.95 per person.

Vineyard Café's Easter Brunch - Sunday, April 20, 11:30am - 3:30pm
Indulge in Chef Tony de Luca's spring inspired Easter menu. $35 per guest, exclusive of taxes and gratuities.

Savour the Sights - Saturday, April 12, 6:30pm until late.
Enjoy an epicurean experience including five courses of fine food and wine throughout picturesque locations in the Jackson-Triggs Niagara winery.

$125 plus taxes and gratuities. Bookings essential: 905 468 4637 Ext. 221.

Lailey Vineyard Retrospective with wine expert Edward Finstein (a.k.a the Wine Doctor) - Saturday, April 19, 2:00pm
Includes a vertical tasting of Lailey Vineyard wines produced from the vineyard before the winery opened to the present. Tasting concludes with Québec cheeses and home-made bread.

$20.00 per person. Reservations required. 905 468 0503. Proceeds to the Canadian Cancer Society.

Easter Dinner Wines - April 12, 13, 12:00 to 4:00pm
Chardonnay Reserve, Pinot Noir and Paté. Enjoy a wine and food pairing sample.

$3 per person includes wine, food samples, and keepsake recipes.

Wines for your Easter Feast - April 14 to 17
Visit any of our seven retail locations during this week and discover which wines will accompany your Easter feast. Enjoy a complimentary wine sample selected by our Product Consultant.

For further information, please contact the winery at 1 800 461 9463 or visit our website at www.magnotta.com.

A Day for a Lady - Thursday, April 3, 11:30am to 3:00pm
Winery tour and tasting with a simple country buffet luncheon. After lunch presentations include: Attractions and Destinations in Durham Region, Growing Winter Hardy Roses, and the Kent Farndale Art Gallery. $20 per person. Reservations required.

Easter Brunch at Peller Estates Winery Restaurant - Sunday, April 20, 11:30am - 3:30pm
Peller Estates Winery Restaurant celebrates spring with an Easter brunch. Choose selections from a specially prepared menu created by Chef Jason Rosso. $35 per guest, exclusive of taxes and gratuities.

Jazz on the Ridge - Friday, May 23, 7:00pm
Please join us for this truly unique fund raising event that features four exciting 'jazz clubs' where guests stroll around the winery property and listen to celebrity musicians performing throughout the evening while savouring spectacular wine and food pairings.

Performers at this year's gala include Luis Mario Ochoa & Cimarrón, a nine-piece Latin jazz ensemble, The Clayton/Scott Group, Frank DiFelice Quartet and John Neudorf Trio.

The Founder's Club of Peninsula Ridge, a non-profit organization initiated by winery owner Norm Beal, has pledged to raise $250,000 over the next five years from proceeds of Jazz on the Ridge for the capital fund raising campaign to build a new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital for our community.

Tickets are $175, $75 tax deductible receipt. Black tie optional. Please call 905 563 0900 Ext. 25 to reserve your tickets. Donations for the silent and live auctions are also greatly appreciated. Please contact Johanna Burkhard at 905 563 0900 Ext. 28 or jburkhard@peninsularidge.com.

The Ultimate Dinner - Saturday, April 5, 7:00pm
In our 125 year old barrel cellar indulge yourself in a spectacular evening of fine wine, ambiance and outstanding service!

$70 per person plus taxes and service charge. Limited seating. Call winery for reservations and additional info.

ABC of Chardonnay Aromas - Saturday, April 5, 10:30am and 2:30pm
This 45 minute seminar is an in-depth look at the various aromas found in our favourite Chardonnays. Conducted in the historical atmosphere of our Wine Library, explore the aromas of a Chardonnay wine by using the Wine Awakenings aroma kit followed by a tasting of current and rare vintage Stoney Ridge Chardonnays in their best presentation. Limited spaces available, reservations required. Complimentary.

Vins et Fromages - April 6 and 27, 12:00pm to 4:00pm
Enjoy a variety of gourmet cheeses with a pairing of selected Stoney Ridge wines while listening to soft jazz at our premium wine tasting bar.

Wine Library Tasting Series - April 12, 13, 12:00pm to 4:00pm
Each month, Stoney Ridge Estate Winery will feature a tasting of vintage wines from our Wine Library. This educational tasting will focus on a single grape variety from various years and vineyards. This month's grapes are Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer. $5 per person.

Wine and Food Series - Saturday, April 26th, 12:00pm to 4:00pm
Each month, Stoney Ridge Estate Winery will feature a pairing of wines and foods to simplify your entertaining needs. This month's feature is "What do I serve with my cold cut and cheese trays?". $2 per person.

LCBO VQA Thursday Nights in Niagara's Wine Country - Thursday, April 3, 4:00pm to 7:30pm, LCBO Fairview Mall, St. Catharines
Thursdays are VQA tasting nights at the new LCBO Wine Country store in St. Catharines. Join us as we pour our general list wines paired with taste creations from Mark Picone at Vineland Estates restaurant.

For information about the VQA program or this new location, call in store Event Coordinator, Mary Berry at 905 646 1818.

Vineland Estates Chef & Winemaker at the James Beard Foundation, New York - Wednesday, April 9.
We are proud to announce that Chef Picone has been asked to be the star chef, designing a gourmet dining experience for the members of the exclusive James Beard Foundation in New York City.

Allan Schmidt, General Manager and Original Winemaker will accompany Mark and lead this group through an informative Winemaker's Dinner that will discuss the development of our menus to pair perfectly with our estate made wines. Mark's exquisite culinary creations enhance and support the wine experience and have been ground-breaking in the development of Niagara's regional cuisine style.

For information on the James Beard Foundation, visit their website at: info@jamesbeard.org for more information on this event or menu information, please call Myrna at 1 888 846 3526 Ext. 37.

Vineland Estates Golden Princess Wine Cruise ~ Barcelona to Venice - May 4 to 17
Vineland Estates Winery presents an exclusive wine cruise from Barcelona to Venice hosted by Allan Schmidt, General Manager and Original Winemaker of Vineland Estates Winery. This unique experience is limited to 50 guests for 12 nights aboard the "Golden Princess". Special features include an exclusive pre-cruise Winemaker's Dinner at Vineland Estates, a special Icewine tasting onboard, and cocktail reception and Vineland Estates gift basket.

For information on this executive cruise package or to call and reserve your cabin, call Regal Cruises and Travel at 1 800 461 7447.

Who Killed Baby Duck? - Jim Warren - Thursday April 24, Oakville Conference Centre, 2515 Wyecroft Road, Oakville, Ontario (QEW & Bronte Rd.)

Please join us for the final dinner of the 2002/2003 season.

Our guest speaker, Jim Warren, will conduct a mini-wine tasting of 3 specially selected Ontario wines prior to dinner. Following dinner he will discuss the major changes that have taken place in the Ontario wine industry over the past 30 years and what he sees as future trends and challenges.

We are delighted that Jim will be joining us for this entertaining and informative evening. He is best known by the general public as the founder of Stoney Ridge Cellars but he is equally well known in the wine industry for his award-winning winemaking abilities, his knowledge of winery management, his consulting expertise and his teaching skills.

If you appreciate good wine and food, if you want to know more about Ontario wines and the dynamic growth in the industry, if you are interested in opportunities in the industry, or if you just want to meet one of the nicest guys in the business, you won't want to miss this event!

Cash Bar 6:00pm, mini-wine tasting 7:00pm, dinner 7:30pm.

Canadian Club Members $28, non-members and guests $38, includes mini wine tasting.

To inquire about registration contact the Canadian Club at P.O. Box 52148 Oakville, Ontario L6J 7N5. Tel. 905 845 2862, Fax. 905 339 0469, e-mail rjtpreston@cogeco.ca, www.canadianclub.ca.

May 6 to 10

Toronto hosts this five-day premier wine festival. Santé was founded in 1998 and is jointly organized by the Bloor-Yorkville Business Improvement Area (BYBIA), the Wine Council of Ontario (WCO), and Toronto Life Communications.

In 2002, this successfully growing Festival featured 69 wineries from 10 countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain and the United States.

Each year, it is Santé's goal to present a line-up of events that will both entertain and educate the Toronto consumer as well as provide a beneficial opportunity for participating wineries to showcase and promote their products to Toronto's many existing and aspiring wine lovers.

What sets Santé apart from other wine & food events? For a winery to be accepted into the Festival they must guarantee the attendance of their winemaker or owner. It is these winemakers or owners who pour the wines for guests attending any of the Festival's events.

Tickets for Santé events will be available from TicketMaster in February 2003. For detailed information about events, visit www.santewinefestival.net.

April Feature Winery - Creekside
In April our featured winery of the month is Creekside. We promote this winery's products throughout the month and offer it for wine pairings in our Bistro.

Bb33, 33 Gerrard St. West, Toronto, 416 585 4356

Winter Winemaker's Series:
Rief Estate Winery, April 4, 7:00pm
Henry of Pelham, April 25, 7:00pm

Our goal is to provide outstanding food, award-winning wines and the opportunity to meet our local winemakers, all at an affordable price.

Upcoming are Rief Estate Winery, April 4 and Henry of Pelham, April 25.

$85 per person. Dinner with wine including all taxes and gratuities. For information and reservations please call 905-468-1222. 1399 Lakeshore Rd., Niagara-on-the-Lake (at Strewn Winery).

Ontario Wines Featured
From the design to the décor to the menu, Tundra evokes the image, the texture and the taste of Canada. The creative mind behind the Canadian inspired cuisine of Tundra restaurant is chef John Cirillo. And this year the team at Tundra has paired up the best Ontario wines with the best Canadian cuisine.

The up coming monthly features are:
March - Lailey Vineyards
April - Vineland Estates
May - Thomas and Vaughan Vintners
June - Malivoire Vineyard

Check out www.toronto.com/tundra for the feature wines from each winery. Fabulous cuisine, distinctive wines, and stylish ambiance, what could be better!

TUNDRA, at Hilton Toronto, 145 Richmond Street, West. Please call 416-860-6800 or e-mail tundra@hiltontoronto.com for reservations.

By Bob Moore

At a recent wine event, I ran into John Maxwell, the owner of Allen's, who proudly told me that he had won the Royal Bank award for the best V.Q.A. restaurant wine list at last year's Niagara Grape and Wine Festival. Since then, it has just been announced that he also was the winner of a Cuvee Award of Distinction for Excellence in an Ontario Wine List at this year's ceremonies on February 28, 2003. A double gold!

Before opening Allen's in 1987, John had started Joe Allen's on John St., Toronto, in 1980, which later became Orso with a huge Italian wine list. After opening Allen's he was using the usual bit-of-everything wine list but then started to introduce V.Q.A. wines. And, unlike other restaurants that have a good component of these, his entire list now is a well-chosen and reasonably marked-up collection of Ontario and some British Columbia products. On his wine list each has a brief characteristic description and/or background on the winery. Now, there are 16 white and 4 top dessert wines from Ontario and 16 reds from Ontario and 3 from B.C., many available by the glass. John also has been buying older vintages for the cellar which will join the Stoney Ridge 1995 Merlot Barrel Select, of which he has the last remaining bottles in 1.5 litre format listed at $145.

So that his staff is knowledgable about Ontario wines, he periodically takes them to Niagara to visit wineries to better understand the products. His overall aim is to present the best V.Q.A list in Ontario. At first, he had some trepidation over this strategy, but, has been delighted to see his dollar sales increase considerably from an appreciative cliental. In addition to the wines, Allen's has an imposing array of craft and imported beers by draught or bottle and a stunning collection of single malts and other whiskies.

The menu is eclectic with 17 appetizers and salads from $3.95 to $10.50 at lunch with 17 mains from $8.95 to $20.95. The dinner menu is similar with slightly higher prices on some of the mains.

In 1997, John opened Dora Keough next door, a real Irish pub complete with a snug and private room at the "back of yer ma's kitchen". This is available for up to 14 people. This is an aptly named room ... my mother had the identical 1940's G.E. refrigerator!

Allen's, 143 Danforth Ave., Tor., 416-463-3086.

Whitecap Books, 2002, 333 pages, ISBN 1-55285-398-5, $22.95 paper covers. Reviewed by Dean Tudor

This is by well-known food writer Kathleen Sloan-McIntosh, who left life in Toronto for the Niagara peninsula in 2000. This is her account of the year 2001 in that region. And, a great idea it is too ... a lot of this book qualifies as Canadian cuisine, with its local recipes using local produce, descriptions and profiles of local food growers and merchants, bakers, chefs, innkeepers, and winemakers. The book is seasonally arranged, beginning with winter in January 2001 and moving through to Christmas. Matthew Speck, Henry of Pelham winery, provides a brief monthly commentary on life in the vineyard.

Ted McIntosh, a sommelier, provides Niagara wine recommendations for the recipes, which include root cellar chowder, star anise-crusted duck breast, rabbit rillettes, rhubarb fool, salmon on fiddleheads ... about 150 recipes in all. My colleague Steve Elphick provided the landscape photos.

There is an extensive sources list and directory of addresses, with separate indexes for recipes and for people. Some nitpicking: while porcetta is raved over at one point in the book, there is no recipe for it, and Cuvee is held in late winter, beginning of March, not early spring.

What I don't like about this book: the typeface is a little too light, sepia lavender ink, for a sustained reading of the narrative, and the Wine Council of Ontario maps are too small. Readers will need a magnifying glass. The maps also include extraneous regions such as Lake Erie and Toronto.

What I do like about this book: its seasonal approach, and style of writing. Quality to Price Ratio rating: 91.

Dean Tudor, Wine Writer and Professor Emeritus of Journalism, Ryerson University, Toronto www.ryerson.ca/~dtudor.

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