{"id":1045,"date":"2012-08-29T12:33:31","date_gmt":"2012-08-29T12:33:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/2012\/08\/29\/newsletter-188-the-success-of-the-ows\/"},"modified":"2012-08-29T12:33:31","modified_gmt":"2012-08-29T12:33:31","slug":"newsletter-188-the-success-of-the-ows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/2012\/08\/29\/newsletter-188-the-success-of-the-ows\/","title":{"rendered":"Newsletter #188 &#8211; The Success of the OWS?"},"content":{"rendered":"<table style=\"height: 38px; width: 460px;\" border=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><strong>Ontario<span style=\"color: #990000;\">Wine<\/span>Review Newsletter \t\t\t188 &#8230; September 2012<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td align=\"right\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-781\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/ico_side_owrglass.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"31\" height=\"70\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Ontario Wine Review:\u00a0 <em>The Success of the OWS?<br \/><\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Grape Guy\u2019s Picks of the Bunch:\u00a0 <em>5 Highlights and a Dozen More<\/em><\/strong><strong> <\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Bi-Weekly OWR Updates<\/strong><strong>:\u00a0 <em>Video: Lailey Cab-Merlot and some Taste it Agains<br \/><\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Wine Event Spotlight:\u00a0 <em>Catch the Grape Guy in Waterloo<br \/><\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/owr_newsletter_0188.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">To download and print a PDF copy of this newsletter click here<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-782\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/ico_nav_archives.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"21\" height=\"21\" \/> <strong>Ontario Wine Review:\u00a0 <em>The Success of the OWS?<br \/><\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">For those of you who are not members of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ontariowinesociety.com\/\">Ontario Wine Society<\/a> (and trust me there are plenty of you out there), this is a &#8220;reprint&#8221; of the article I wrote for their <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ontariowinesociety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/2newsletter-July-Aug-12.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">July\/August, 2012 newsletter<\/a> &#8230; but before you say to yourself, &#8220;I&#8217;ve read that one already,&#8221; here&#8217;s the unedited version &#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Clearly the formation and success of the OWS for the past 20 years added another component of credibility to our industry. It showed there was major interest in learning and promoting our wines while revealing a great pride in our wines.&#8221;\u00a0 I&#8217;m not sure I would use the word &#8220;clearly&#8221; in that here, because clearly the Ontario Wine Society (OWS) has seen its share of ups and downs &#8211; unfortunately, in the province they call home it&#8217;s been mostly downs, through no fault of their own.\u00a0 Started in 1993, the mandate of the OWS was to promote Ontario wines to Ontarians &#8211; to prove that the province wine industry had moved past Baby Duck and Bright&#8217;s President, French Cross and &#8216;Fine Canadian Burgundy&#8217; and moved into a new era for Ontario winemaking, one of quality (using vitis vinifera grapes &#8211; those found in Bordeaux, Burgundy and other parts of Europe) &#8230; or as Debi Pratt (whose quote is also above) put it, &#8220;Belief [was] in the need for [a] club and how it could assist our industry efforts to sustainability as a premium wine growing region&#8221;.\u00a0 Lofty goals indeed, but the best goals usually come from a greater need &#8230; and Ontario was in need of fans for its new style of wines &#8211; especially due to its dark aforementioned past &#8220;accomplishments&#8221; in winemaking.<\/p>\n<p>In speaking with Society members, there seems to be a lot of chest-thumping amongst the ranks\u00a0 about what a great job they&#8217;re doing informing the public about the goodness of Ontario wines, but the truth of the matter is that they are a small group that has never raised membership above 400 people, across four chapters ranging from Windsor to Prince Edward County, but as the old saying goes, &#8220;where there&#8217;s smoke, there is some fire&#8221;, and if fire equals passions then this is one fired up group. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Every great wine region has wine clubs or societies, so the Ontario Wine industry came of age in this department when the OWS began.&#8221; &#8211; Debi Pratt, Winery Public Relations, Great Estates of Niagara.<\/p>\n<p>There does seem to be a few origin stories behind the formation of the OWS and whose brain-child it originally was, Steve McAdam takes up the tale from here, &#8220;Heino Klassens and I met to discuss ideas on the viability of [the] creation of an Ontario Wine Society. In the meetings I was wearing two hats that of Industry Liaison as well as the key contact for Inniskillin, (Director of Sales and Marketing for Inniskillin Wines).\u00a0 In 1991 Inniskillin had just won the Grand Prix D\u2019 Honneur for the 1989 Braeburn Estate Icewine which elevated Ontario and Canadian Wines to classification amongst the Top Wines of the World. Their was a great curiosity of what the Ontario (and BC) wines were doing.&#8221;\u00a0 According to Debi Pratt, an original member, the OWS found a friend in one particular industry heavyweight: &#8220;with support from Inniskillin cofounder Donald Ziraldo.&#8221;\u00a0 And by all accounts also got immediate support from Tom Pennachetti (Cave Spring Cellars owner), as he became one of the founding board members.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Moore, member of the board since the inception, and past president (2006-2007), points to Ziraldo as a major influence, &#8220;I was approached by Donald Ziraldo to join the Board that was to be created with funding by the Wine Council. He said &#8220;You know as much as anyone on how to run a wine club and we need your help.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Yes it&#8217;s great to have industry support and pat yourself on the back as being industry players; but what exactly has the OWS accomplished in its 20 year history.\u00a0 For that we turn to past and present members for their recollections on how the industry has changed, what the OWS has meant to them and their impressions of the impact the OWS has had on the Ontario wine industry as a whole.<\/p>\n<p>The first thing, according to Steve McAdam, was to change the mindset of folks, especially those in the industry &#8211; and this from the eyes of a man, who, at the time, was working for Inniskillin, &#8220;Inniskillin always believed in industry promotion. The feeling at the time was very much [that] the competition was not Niagara or Canada but rather all the poorly made wines that were out there from around the world that people seemed to be drinking by rote.&#8221;\u00a0 Interesting to note that Ontario was not far removed from its own &#8220;poorly made wines&#8221;-days, but now wished to put that winemaking past in the rear-view mirror. <\/p>\n<p>Since those days, changes within the industry have been huge, from the ever expanding number of wineries, to the quality and diversity of the wines: &#8220;20 years ago it was based primarily on hybrid grapes.\u00a0 While some of these are still important, the impact of the varietals has been remarkable&#8221;, say Ken Burford, current OWS President. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The industry has focused on VQA standards and cool climatew wines to reinforce its sense of place and authenticity, which is vital to the credibility within a wine region.&#8221; (Debi Pratt)<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In the early days, we all tried to copy other wine regions: we tried to make Riesling like the Germans or Pinot Noir and Chardonnay like California or France. We have finally come into our own and realized that our terroir is unique to Ontario with all its challenges and advantages. What we are trying to do now is make a truly Canadian wine.&#8221; (Anne Weis-Pennachetti, Sales &#038; Marketing Cave Spring Cellars)<\/p>\n<p>But as for the actual impact the Ontario Wine Society has made &#8230; it&#8217;s sad to say not one member could give me one plausible impact the society has made on the industry (that could not be refuted by statistics) besides the usual platitudes of how great they are, what a wonderful thing the OWS is and what it has done for members&#8217; perceptions of the Ontario industry:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The OWS has given me a chance to learn more about the Ontario wine industry, meet the owners and winemakers and make friends through attending tastings and Board meetings. The OWS is a way for the wineries to showcase their wines to a group of enthusiastic people who appreciate that Ontario can produce award-winning wines. The OWS introduces some of the newer wineries to it&#8217;s members and guests who in turn can pass information on to their friends and colleagues.&#8221; (Fred Couch, former treasurer and founding member, Niagara Chapter)<\/p>\n<p>The best impact reaction, and the most honest, I could garner was from former Niagara Chapter president, Yvonne Trout, &#8220;To a certain degree [we have been helpful in promoting the Ontario wine industry]. We have no advertising budget so ours is a subtle role. We validate, thereby giving the image of the Ontario Wine Industry a boost, and provide a small stage to a limited but verbose sector of the market segment.&#8221;\u00a0 It is sad to note that this enthusiastic bunch has had little to no impact on the wine buying public at large &#8230; in a province of more than 13 million people, 400 members is barely a drop in the bucket.\u00a0 As a percentage of the population it&#8217;s less than 1% (0.0000307% to be exact)<\/p>\n<p>Current Niagara Chapter President, Clarke Baker, takes this approach, &#8220;I think that the OWS is trying to make the concept of local Ontario wine more real.&#8221;\u00a0 Which is quite a healthy attitude to take: they are not trying to change the world, just the perceptions of, as Yvonne put it, &#8220;a limited&#8221; segment of the population.<\/p>\n<p>In the end it&#8217;s the words of Heino Claessens, founding president, that ring truest, &#8220;I would not be so bold to say that the industry\u2019s success is a result of the OWS, nor would I even go so far as to say that the OWS has had a significant impact on the industry. The role of the OWS was to provide a forum for those interested in Ontario wine to come together to further their knowledge and appreciation of Ontario wines. For myself, the OWS surpassed this goal in that I was able to meet many kindred lovers of Ontario wine, while sharing with them the knowledge and experiences of Ontario wine makers often comparing Ontario wine against other quality international wines.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s also the realistic approach of current President Ken Burford, &#8220;&#8230; [we&#8217;re] just one of many organizations that are trying to raise the awareness of the super industry that we have here.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Or maybe, just maybe &#8211; after I poured over the numbers and replies I received and told Ken that this article was going to take on a much more downbeat look after what I had seen, Ken wrote back: &#8220;Look at the bright side, perhaps it would have been worse without us. I scratch my head and wonder why we don&#8217;t have millions of OWS members in this province. Why is there such a disconnect?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It was then that I realized what I was dealing with.\u00a0 After you cut through all the BS you&#8217;ll realize that what the OWS and its members really are, the Eliot Nesses of the Ontario Wine Industry &#8211; their trying to do some good, or as Fred Couch puts it, more diplomatically, &#8220;[we] are the unpaid ambassadors for the Ontario wine industry&#8221; &#8230; while the rest of Ontario just sits back, watches and waits to see what is going to happen &#8211; usually in a haze of not even knowing\/realizing they have a wine industry in their own backyard.\u00a0 The folks of the OWS know the difference, they love local and they are willing to shout about it if they must &#8211; and they must.\u00a0 They are not happy to be complacent observers.\u00a0 They want to see the waking-up of the province to their home-grown and produced wines, and they want it to happen sooner rather than later &#8211; the rest of the province just has to meet them halfway.<\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-783\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/ico_news_grapes.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"22\" height=\"21\" \/> <strong>Grape Guy\u2019s Picks of the Bunch:<\/strong> <strong><em> 5 Highlights and a Dozen More<\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Coyote&#8217;s Run 2010 Red Paw \/ Black Paw Cabernet Franc &#8211; $21.95<\/strong> (W)<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.coyotesrunwinery.com\" target=\"_blank\">www.coyotesrunwinery.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s been a staple at Coyote&#8217;s Run to do it with Pinot Noir and a few times with Cabernet Franc &#8230; and in 2010 it was once again time for Cab Franc to shine in the Red and Black soil spotlight.\u00a0 The difference is delicate versus heft.\u00a0 Red Paw has a very pretty nose loaded with cherry, spice, graphite and smoke &#8230; Black Paw is earth laden with cigar box notes.\u00a0 Palate wise Red Paw is soft and supple but with loads of acidity: sour cherry, hints of smokiness and fresh acidity.\u00a0 Black Paw doles out Franc&#8217;s robust nature: dark berries, black raspberry and cherry with a smoky, earthy quality that leads to a graphite and dark fruit finish.\u00a0\u00a0 It really depends on how you like your Franc, but my take is this:\u00a0 Price $21.95 &#8211; Red Paw: *** 1\/2+; Black Paw: ****+<\/p>\n<p><strong>BONUS:<\/strong> <a href=\"wine-reviews\/coyotes-run-2010-red-paw-merlot\" target=\"_blank\">Coyote&#8217;s Run 2010 Red Paw Merlot &#8211; $24.95<\/a> (**** 1\/2)<br \/><strong>BONUS:<\/strong> <a href=\"wine-reviews\/coyotes-run-2010-black-paw-pinot-noir-\" target=\"_blank\">Coyote&#8217;s Run 2010 Black Paw Pinot Noir &#8211; $35.95<\/a> (****)<br \/><strong>BONUS:<\/strong> <a href=\"wine-reviews\/coyotes-run-2010-red-paw-pinot-noir-\" target=\"_blank\">Coyote&#8217;s Run 2010 Red Paw Pinot Noir &#8211; $24.95<\/a> (****+)<br \/><strong>BONUS:<\/strong> <a href=\"wine-reviews\/coyotes-run-2009-meritage-\" target=\"_blank\">Coyote&#8217;s Run 2009 Meritage &#8211; $21.95<\/a> (*** 1\/2)<br \/><strong>BONUS:<\/strong> <a href=\"wine-reviews\/coyotes-run-2010-pinot-noir-\" target=\"_blank\">Coyote&#8217;s Run 2010 Pinot Noir &#8211; $19.95<\/a> (****+)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Huff Estates 2011 Reserve Riesling &#8211; $21.95<\/strong> (W)<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffestates.com\" target=\"_blank\">www.huffestates.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>A very interesting Riesling and one that seems to be following a new trend to ferment Riesling dry (instead of leaving a touch of sweetness behind).\u00a0 The fruit for this wine comes from the Fox Vineyard in Niagara.\u00a0 The nose is grapefruit and pear &#8211; that may not seem all that appealing, but it finds a way to lure you in.\u00a0 Palate has a real tart presence, mostly on the finish, peach goes front to middle then lemon zest takes over and carries through to the finish.\u00a0 Price: $21.95 &#8211; Rating: ****+<\/p>\n<p><strong>BONUS: <\/strong> <a href=\"wine-reviews\/huff-estates-2010-medium-dry-riesling-\" target=\"_blank\">Huff Estates 2010 Medium Dry Riesling &#8211; $17.95<\/a> (*** 1\/2+)<br \/><strong>BONUS:<\/strong> <a href=\"wine-reviews\/huff-estates-2011-pinot-gris-\" target=\"_blank\">Huff Estates 2011 Pinot Gris &#8211; $19.95<\/a> (****)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Malivoire 2009 Pinot Noir &#8211; $29.95<\/strong> (W)<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.malivoire.com\" target=\"_blank\">www.malivoire.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>2009 was a great Pinot Noir vintage &#8211; ask anyone who makes Pinot and they&#8217;ll trip over their tongue trying to describe the greatness of the vintage for that particular variety.\u00a0 One of those Pinot specialists is Malivoire, who turned their base-model Pinot into a gentle, easy-spiced-black-cherry-with-a-hint-of-cranberry number.\u00a0 There&#8217;s also some nice vanilla and spicy tannins on the finish &#8230; while the acidity cleans the whole thing up nicely.\u00a0 Price: $29.95 &#8211; Rating: ****<\/p>\n<p><strong>BONUS: <\/strong> <a href=\"wine-reviews\/malivoire-2010-m2-small-lot-chardonnay-\" target=\"_blank\">Malivoire 2010 M2 Small Lot Chardonnay &#8211; $19.95<\/a> (*** 1\/2)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Peller Estates 2010 Private Reserve Cabernet Franc &#8211; $21.95<\/strong> (W)<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.peller.com\" target=\"_blank\">www.peller.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Peller is no stranger to making nice with this grape.\u00a0 In 2007, a similar vintage to &#8217;10, their Franc was one of the best in class.\u00a0 So it should come as no surprise that the 2010 Franc measures up well.\u00a0 The nose has an array of interesting smells: raspberry, dried-strawberry, cherry-tobacco and cr\u00e8me brulee.\u00a0 The palate shows mucho complexity as well: cherry-raspberry, tobacco, cranberries, milk chocolate &#8230; and it seems to keep on giving.\u00a0 Great for drinking now or give it another 5+ years.\u00a0 Price: $21.95 &#8211; Rating: ****+<\/p>\n<p><strong>BONUS:<\/strong> <a href=\"wine-reviews\/peller-estates-2010-private-reserve-cabernet-sauvignon-\" target=\"_blank\">Peller Estates 2010 Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon &#8211; $21.95<\/a> (****)<br \/><strong>BONUS:<\/strong> <a href=\"wine-reviews\/peller-estates-2010-private-reserve-meritage-\" target=\"_blank\">Peller Estates 2010 Private Reserve Meritage &#8211; $22.95<\/a> (*** 1\/2+)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rosehall Run 2009 Rosehall Vineyard Pinot Noir &#8211; $34.00<\/strong> (W)<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rosehallrun.com\" target=\"_blank\">www.rosehallrun.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s surprising sometimes what you can derive from a young vine.\u00a0 Now in vine years 8 is pretty young, but winemaker Dan Sullivan seems to be able to coax lovely flavours out of his own fruit from his home vineyard.\u00a0 This wine was aged 12-14 months in new French oak, but it seems to have integrated its oak flavours very well.\u00a0 The nose has plenty of sweet red fruit with a predominance of cherry-vanilla.\u00a0 On the palate that red fruit continues with a lovely juiciness of cherry and raspberry keeping just a touch of vanilla on the tongue.\u00a0 Smooth and lush with a suppleness of fruit and easy going tannins.\u00a0 Wanna know why 2009 was such a great year for Pinot &#8211; look no further than this.\u00a0 Price: $34.00 &#8211; Rating: ****+<\/p>\n<p><strong>BONUS:<\/strong> <a href=\"wine-reviews\/rosehall-run-2011-defiant-pinot-noir\" target=\"_blank\">Rosehall Run 2011 &#8216;Defiant&#8217; &#8211; Pinot Noir &#8211; $18.95<\/a> (*** 1\/2)<br \/><strong>BONUS:<\/strong> <a href=\"wine-reviews\/rosehall-run-2011-liberated-chardonnay-\" target=\"_blank\">Rosehall Run 2011 &#8216;Liberated&#8217; &#8211; Chardonnay &#8211; $15.95<\/a> (*** 1\/2+)<br \/><strong>BONUS:<\/strong> <a href=\"wine-reviews\/rosehall-run-2009-rosehall-vineyard-chardonnay-\" target=\"_blank\">Rosehall Run 2009 Rosehall Vineyard Chardonnay &#8211; $39.00<\/a> (****)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Availability legend:\u00a0 W (Winery) \u2013 L  (LCBO\/Vintages) \u2013 WTH (Winery to Home) &#8211; OL (On-Line).<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-784\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/ico_news_bottles.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" \/><strong> Bi-Weekly OWR Updates<\/strong><strong>: <\/strong><em>On the Road articles &#8211; What I&#8217;m Drinking Reviews<\/em><strong><em> <\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">NEW<\/span> &#8211; Video Wine of the Week:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p> <em>WineFox.ca and the Grape Guy have teamed up to bring you the Ontario Wine of the Week<\/em><br \/> <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>This week&#8217;s videos:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.winefox.ca\/articles\/outstanding-bargain-red-blend-for-15-2\/\" target=\"_blank\">Lailey 2010 Cabernet Merlot<\/a><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/ontheroadwithgrapeguy.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>On the Road with the Grape Guy<\/strong><\/a><br \/>(Trips, tours and tastings \u2013 join me as I review the highs, and sometimes, the lows)<\/p>\n<p><strong>All Stars in the Vineyard at Rosewood<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/owrlostandfound.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Lost and Found (blog):<\/strong><\/a><br \/>(Wines that got &#8220;lost&#8221; in my cellar &#8211; some are Treasures others Trash \u2026 Find out what happened)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/owrlostandfound.blogspot.ca\/2012\/08\/lailey-vineyard-2005-canadian-oak.html\" target=\"_blank\">Lailey Vineyard 2005 Canadian Oak Cabernet Franc<\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/owrlostandfound.blogspot.ca\/2012\/08\/cattail-creek-2008-chardonnay-no-oak.html\" target=\"_blank\">Cattail Creek 2008 Chardonnay &#8211; No Oak<\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/owrlostandfound.blogspot.ca\/2012\/08\/eastdell-estates-2005-cabernet-franc.html\" target=\"_blank\">EastDell Estates 2005 Cabernet Franc Reserve<\/a><\/p>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/tasteitagain.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Taste it Again Grape Guy (blog)<\/span><\/strong><\/a><br \/> Find out what has happened to some of my favourites over the years<\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/tasteitagain.blogspot.ca\/2012\/08\/thirty-bench-2005-cabernet-franc-small.html\" target=\"_blank\">Thirty Bench 2005 Cabernet Franc &#8211; Small Lot<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/tasteitagain.blogspot.com\/2012\/02\/lakeview-2005-cabernet-sauvignon.html\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> <\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/michaelpinkusgg.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">What I\u2019m Drinking Tonight (blog)<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div>When it\u2019s not an Ontario wine, here\u2019s what I\u2019m pulling out of the cellar<\/div>\n<div><strong>New Posts Added:<\/strong> <em>Chilean Syrah and German Riesling<\/em><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><br \/><\/span><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/grapeguyvintages.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Vintages Release (blog)<strong> <\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> <\/span><em>Vintages Release for September 15, 2012<br \/><\/em><strong><br \/><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"> <\/span> <\/span><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #990000;\">Advertisement<br \/><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-1043\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/waterloo-sept-2012.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Waterloo_Food_Drink_Expo_2012\" title=\"Waterloo_Food_Drink_Expo_2012\" width=\"576\" height=\"252\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/waterloo-sept-2012.jpg 576w, https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/waterloo-sept-2012-480x210.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 576px, 100vw\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #990000;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-786\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/ico_nav_events.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"21\" height=\"21\" \/> <\/em><strong>Wine Event Spotlight:<\/strong><em> <br \/><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em> <\/em><em><strong> <\/strong><strong> <\/strong><\/em><strong>Where I&#8217;ll Be &#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wagjag.com\/?w=88326\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/wagjag.jpg\" border=\"0\" title=\"WagJag Offer\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Special Price on Tickets to The Grape Guy&#8217;s Tastings at <br \/>the <a href=\"http:\/\/fooddrinkexpo.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Waterloo Region Food and Drink Expo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8211; $29.00 for 1 ticket (a $112 Value) &#8211; <br \/>Taste 8 wines as we compare Ontario wines versus the world<br \/>and walk away with a set of 6 Schott Zwiesel glasses when it&#8217;s over<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.wagjag.com\/?w=88326\" target=\"_blank\">Click the WagJag logo above to Take Advantage of this offer<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em><strong>Other Events of Note &#8211; Coming Soon<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>TASTE community grown &#8230; <\/strong>will be held on Saturday, September 29, 2012 from 11am &#8211; 4pm at the historic Crystal Palace, Picton, Ontario.\u00a0 A tight-knit community of chefs, winemakers, cider and beer masters, artisanal food producers and farmers united for one day to create the picnic of a lifetime.\u00a0 Tickets in advance are $25 and include: wine glass, $5 worth of sampling tickets, attendance at seminars and cooking demos, great music, parking and lots of fun. $30 at the door.\u00a0 You can purchase tickets online at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tastecelebration.ca\" target=\"_blank\">www.tastecelebration.ca<\/a> or call 1.866.845.6644.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Savour Stratford Perth County Culinary Festival, September 21-23, 2012 &#8230; <\/strong>Ontario\u2019s foremost celebration of authentic local cuisine with 12 award winning chefs, 30 illuminating tutored tastings, cooking shows and skills workshops led by renowned culinary authors, artisans and innovators and exclusive sampling events.\u00a0 Click here for all the details: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.visitstratford.ca\/culinaryfestival\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.visitstratford.ca\/culinaryfestival<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Ontario<span style=\"color: #990000;\">Wine<\/span>Review\u2019s                bi-weekly newsletter is devoted to the love, enjoyment  and           promotion    of  the wines of Ontario and the wineries  that  make    them. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em> <\/em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-787\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/ico_nav_askgg.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" \/> <strong>What can  the Grape Guy do for you \u2026 <\/strong>Michael                Pinkus (Grape Guy) provides a variety of wine related      services      that     you  might be interested in taking advantage  of:\u00a0     he gives      lectures,     leads  seminars, conducts tastings,  sets    up  tours;      consults, selects   and    judges.\u00a0 He also  gives     interviews,      broadcasts, podcasts and   writes.\u00a0 <a href=\"component\/option,com_contact\/task,view\/contact_id,1\/Itemid,90\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Contact the Grape Guy if you require any of  these services or have any questions<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-788\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/ico_news_passiton.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" \/> <strong>Psst, Pass It On<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> \u2026 keep the good wine flowing. Forward this newsletter to your mom in                Milton, your son in Smith Falls, or any other family member   or       loved     one    that you know needs good wine advice.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-789\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/ico_nav_lingo.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"21\" height=\"21\" \/> <strong>Socially Speaking \u2026 <\/strong><br \/> Follow Michael Pinkus, the Grape Guy\u2019s (almost) daily <strong><em>Tweets<\/em><\/strong> at <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/TheGrapeGuy\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">http:\/\/twitter.com\/TheGrapeGuy<\/span><\/a> . <br \/> You can become a friend on <em><strong>facebook<\/strong><\/em>: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/?ref=home#%21\/mepinkus\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/?ref=home#!\/mepinkus<\/span><\/a> .\u00a0 <br \/> Those who are \u201c<em><strong>Linked In<\/strong><\/em>\u201d can find Michael at <a href=\"http:\/\/ca.linkedin.com\/pub\/michael-pinkus\/14\/704\/4b8\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">http:\/\/ca.linkedin.com\/pub\/michael-pinkus\/14\/704\/4b8<\/span><\/a> .<\/p>\n<p>To contact us with feedback, article ideas, comments, concerns or  questions \u2013 email <a href=\"mailto:michael@ontariowinereview.com\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">michael@ontariowinereview.com<\/span><\/a> We look forward to hearing from you!<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">\u00a9                OntarioWineReview.com 2012. All  rights reserved. You may     use     the        content of this newsletter by including full  credit    to     Michael    Pinkus,     Grape Guy and a link to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ontariowinereview.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.ontariowinereview.com<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>OntarioWineReview Newsletter 188 &#8230; September 2012 \u00a0 Ontario Wine Review:\u00a0 The Success of the OWS? Grape Guy\u2019s Picks of the Bunch:\u00a0 5 Highlights and a Dozen More Bi-Weekly OWR Updates:\u00a0 Video: Lailey Cab-Merlot and some Taste it Agains Wine Event Spotlight:\u00a0 Catch the Grape Guy in Waterloo To download and print a PDF copy of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-owr-newsletter-archives"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1045"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1045\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}