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A Taste of Vincor - November 19, 2002  

This is a wine fair of Vincor's Ontario and British Columbia Canadian Estates and Washington and California USA Estates.

• Inniskillin and Jackson -Triggs, Niagara
• Hawthorn Mountain, Inniskillin, Jackson-Triggs, Nk'Mip and Sumac Ridge, Okanagan
• Hogue, Washington
• R. H Phillips, California

Icewine Weekend - January 25 & 26, 2003  

Rieslings of the World - February 18, 2003  

Canadian Wine Awards - March 2003 

Annual Dinner - April 2003 

Fine Wine and Fine Glasses - May 2003 

Ontario Wine Awards - June 2003 

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

Meet the Stars - Saturdays in November
A tutored tasting of wines rated `four stars' in the Toronto Life Wine Guide. Featured wines will include Rieslings and Chardonnays from 1998 and 1999, as well as the 1998 Cabernet. Please call 905 562 3581 for reservations. $5.00 per person.

Niagara's No. 1 Vinifera - Saturdays in December
Explore the history of Chardonnay, which is now Niagara's most widely planted vinifera. Tasting will centre on Cave Spring Cellar's 1997 to 2000 vintages, including the rare Musqué clone. Please call 905 562 3581 for reservations. $5.00 per person.

Christmas Open House - November 30 to December 1
Come and enjoy hot mulled wine, check out our new releases, and find the perfect Christmas gift for that hard-to-buy someone.

Konzelmann Estate Winery Holiday `Open House' - December 7, 8, 12:00pm to 5:00pm
Be prepared for the holiday season and acquire knowledge on `cooking with wine'. Sample mulled wine paired with holiday delicacies, and receive recipes for Konzelmann Cabernet Cake and Vidal Icewine Muffins, to ensure exquisite never fail flavours for your holiday entertaining. Join us for this customer appreciation weekend and `Savour the Season'.

Taste the Season - November 9,10 & November 16,17, 11:00am to 4:30pm.
It's time to stock the cellar for holiday entertaining and support a good cause - Second Harvest and its programs to help feed the homeless - at the same time. Your touring passport entitles you to sample a different wine, selected by the winemaker, at each of the 14 participating Niagara-on-the-Lake wineries. There will be lots of stocking-stuffers and gift selections to discover at the winery boutiques, tips and advice on what to put in the cellar, how to plan your wine for a party, and ideas on matching food and wine for holiday entertaining. Visit at least six wineries over the weekend and receive a hand blown vintage 2002 glass ornament. Participating wineries are Chateau des Charmes, Hillebrand, Inniskillin, Jackson-Triggs, Joseph's, Konzelmann, Marynissen, Peller, Pillitteri, Reif, Stonechurch, Strewn, Lailey, and Sunnybrook Farm. Order your passport by calling Second Harvest at 416-408-2594. The cost is $20.

Our Christmas Weekend - November 28 to December 1
Count down to Christmas! Quai du Vin Estate Winery is proud to welcome Tammy Laye & the Christmas House Wreaths, Art, Ornaments and Gifts. Tour the winery. Enjoy our festive tastes!

Christmas Release Event - Saturday, December 7, starting at 9:00am.
Expect a similar format to last year, with great food and wine. We will be releasing our 2001 G.H. Funk Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2000 Sandstone Gamay Reserve and 2001 Sandstone Chardonnay. Volumes will be limited. Parking is along the lane behind the winery building. Look forward to seeing you.

Big and Bold Holiday Release - Saturday November 30, 12:00pm to 6:pm.
Ontario Wine Society members and their friends are invited to this event which will feature a number of our new BIG wines. We will be introducing a number of new wines and have a little food and a great party ambience. Some of the wines to be sampled are our 2000 Chardonnay Estate, Merlot and Cabernet Franc and 1999 Cabernet Franc Estate Reserve. We would appreciate a RSVP, but not absolutely necessary, 905 563 7737.

Vincor International announces agreement to acquire Australia's Goundrey Wines   Perth, Australia, October 9, 2002

Vincor International Inc., one of North America's largest producers of wine and related products, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase privately held Goundrey Wines for A$62.5 million (C$53.7 million - A$1 = C$0.86).

Goundrey is based in the Great Southern viticultural region with winery and cellar door operations in Mount Barker, Western Australia, a region with an established reputation for the production of high quality, fine wine. Sales volume for Goundrey has grown from 17,000 cases in 1995 to expected sales of over 260,000 cases in the current year, 85% of which is in the super-premium category. As a result, Goundrey is one of the largest producers of Western Australian premium and super-premium wine for the Australian market.

"This acquisition is an important milestone in our international growth strategy to expand operations to all New World wine regions. Australian wine is the fastest growing segment of the international wine market and Western Australian wineries, Goundrey in particular, continue to demonstrate the ability to produce and market large quantities of premium and super premium branded wines", said Donald Triggs, Vincor's President and CEO. "Goundrey also has an excellent network of distributors and company sales force which provide an outstanding platform for continued sales growth within Australia." We look forward to building on Goundrey's domestic success and developing an equally strong export business through our North American distribution network."

"Having grown Goundrey into the leading domestic position it currently enjoys, I am pleased that joining Vincor and leveraging its economies of scale and growing distribution reach will provide an opportunity for our exceptional people and wines to realize their full potential in domestic and international markets", added Jack Bendat, Goundrey's owner and Chairman. "Equally important to our decision to join Vincor was its ongoing commitment to preserve the unique culture and identity of each member of its growing family of estate wineries."

The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions including the approval of the Western Australian liquor licensing authority. Vincor anticipates completing the acquisition by the end of October, 2002.

Wine Council of Ontario out to convince its home market by Chris Daniels.   Reprinted from Marketing Online

The Wine Council of Ontario is debuting a new ad campaign, part of a $20 million effort to boost its market share.

Kevin Nullmeyer, vice-president of marketing for the non-profit trade association, says its market share is 42% in Ontario. While he says that may seem commanding, he says in other wine producing regions of the world such as Australia and France, the home player has a 75% to 90% share. "We have an enormous opportunity to increase our reach," says Nullmeyer. "The goal behind the campaign is to increase market share to 50% in the next five years."

To help do that, Ontario wineries have invested $10 million, an amount matched by the provincial government. The money is being spent on a new branding campaign, breaking October 14, 2002. The campaign's positioning was developed by BrandSpark International in Toronto, a new strategy firm created by Robert Levy, the former VP of marketing for Cara. After extensive research, BrandSpark discovered why Ontarians weren't buying domestic wine. "Consumers say 'I know Ontario makes good wine, but I'm not sure why I don't drink more,' " says Nullmeyer. "Consumers have rational reasons why to buy Ontario wine, like its quality and value, but what they need was an emotional link."

The ad campaign, created by Taxi in Toronto, features three 30-second TV spots using the tag line "As much character as the people who make them." He says the spots feature real winemakers talking about their wines. "Wine can be intimidating," says Nullmeyer, "so we wanted to show they are approachable and passionate."

The campaign is supported with print ads in the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star, as well as ads in such magazines as Toronto Life, Canadian House & Home and R.O.B magazine.

This is a reminder to all members that this program is still in effect. Here's how it works:

• Every new member, whether referred or not, will be entitled to one free tasting event.
• An existing member will be entitled to one free tasting event for every two new members that they refer.

So, here's an opportunity for you to help us promote the Society. Make sure that the people you refer note your name on the form when they submit their application. Applications can be obtained by leaving a voice message at 416 921 9798, or writing to The Ontario Wine Society, P.O. Box 519, Station K, Toronto, Ontario, M4P 2G9. Or, you can apply through the web site at www.ontariowinesociety.com.

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