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- Hello and welcome everyone thank you for joining us
my name is Marie and I'm the Director
of New World and Ontario Wines for the LCBO.
This means that I have the distinct privilege
of working alongside our local wine industry
to bring the very best to local Ontario VQA products
to LCBO stores and online at LCBO.com .
Joining me today to talk all things Ontario wine
is one of Ontario's wine growing pioneers
Paul Speck, President of Henry of Pelham winery.
Paul planted some of the earliest vineyards in Ontario
over 30 years ago with his brothers, Matt and Daniel.
They began the business development
of Henry of Pelham estate winery in an Agra region.
Paul is also the founding director
and current Vice-Chair of VQA,
former chairman of the Wine Council of Ontario
and former director of the Canadian Vintners Association.
He continues to play an active role in promoting
and developing the premium wine industry
in Niagara and Ontario, welcome Paul.
- Thank you so much Marie for it's great to be here.
- Welcome and we're so glad to have you her.
In your opinion what is it that makes
Ontario's wine country so special and world-renowned?
- You know, what excites me so much about Ontario
is we're basically buying
and growing vines that are available all over the world
and we're bringing them to our unique sites and soils,
it's our unique climate and just the growing conditions
that we have and then as wine makers and grape growers
we put our unique touches to the production of wine
and what's exciting about it is it's unique and distinct
to Ontario you cannot get a wine
that's made in Ontario anywhere else
and I think that makes it special and it's a very small area
in our country really that we can grow
these European grape varietals.
- And we're seeing Ontarians really gravitating
towards local, we see that at the LCBO
with an increase in Ontario wine sales over last year
including tremendous growth
with customers shopping for rose, sparkling and red wines.
So what can we expect from this year's vintage?
Do you have any insider knowledge from the vineyards
that you can share with our viewers?
- Well, you know, it's, first of all
it's fantastic that people have gravitated to rose
I remember when it was difficult to sell rose
and we do an amazing job at rose
and what's exciting about rose
is it's not only being drunk during the hot summers
but also all year long
and there's so many great roses made in Ontario.
This year, we've been really blessed, you know
despite the challenges we've had with the pandemic
the one thing that's worked well with the grape growers
and wineries its been the weather
and once we got through the somewhat wet spring
we had just an absolutely amazing summer hot dry
we ended up getting some rains when we needed them
and even right now I'm looking out my window
and we're doing harvest right now
and the grapes are coming in beautifully.
We're actually unusually relaxed right now
because the weather's cooperating so well
we've even pushed off harvesting some grapes.
So they get even riper and richer
so it's going to be one of those vintages where red white
and rose are all going to be fantastic
and particularly if you like red wines
with a little more richness, a little more full body
this is going to be the year
2020 its going to be a particularly a red wine year.
- Excellent, that's great
we're excited to try the new vintage next year.
So you mentioned rose
can we talk about Ontario's wine regions
as well as the other signature wines that they produce?
- Yeah, I think what's neat about Ontario
is we're considered a new world country in terms of wine
but we're really an old world country in terms of the wines
that we grow, our climate,
our climate because of the great lakes
is more of a continental climate.
So we focus more on cooler climate grape variety
so the ones that really are a highlight
and are quite easy to grow and they're very consistent
here are Chardonnay, Riesling,
Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio
and in reds, Pinot noir, Cabernets are low blend.
So blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
and we're low blended together in the same way
that some other countries do
we find those great varieties blended together
I think they show is our best wines
and of course, back on (mumbling)
which is something that you can really only get in Niagara.
- I think that Ontario is absolutely
leading the charge in sparkling wines.
Do you have any comments about sparkling wine
here in Ontario?
- Yeah, I can't believe I forgot that
because we grow Pinot noir and Syrah so well
it's a natural to do massive traditional sparkling wine.
So, yeah, you're a 100% right Marie
the sparkling wines have been I think really amazing
over the last 10 or 15 years
and what's exciting now is that
we're starting to make more Charmel style method
sparkling wines as well, so that little, you know,
fruity or fresher style as well.
So we're really branching out as an industry
into all of the sparkling types of wine.
So it's pretty cool I'm excited about sparkling wine.
- We are too, we have a stellar collection
of new VQA sparkling wines
that have just head out to LCBO shelves
ranging from exactly what you're talking about
some of those more fruit forward,
lighter styles of sparkling wine,
right down to more sophisticated traditional
method styles of wine.
So there is really something for every taste
and every budget
so I would really encourage customers to come in
and discover our new selection of VQA sparkling wines.
So let's move on for those that are watching, what is VQA
and what does that mean for the Ontario wine industry?
- Well, VQA is the Vintners Quality Alliance.
it's our Appalachian systems.
So every fine wine growing region around the world
has a certain set of laws on how the wines are produced
and so that's what VQA is for us.
So it's a set of rules and regulations
of what types of grape varieties to grow,
certain quality standards
and really, it's also about the label itself.
Once you see a VQA label, you know
that the wine has a 100% only grapes grown in Ontario.
- Absolutely, so its that true stamp of authenticity,
and I should mention to our viewers
that customers can shop and discover VQA Ontario wines
at the LCBO in the VQA wine section or online at LCBO.com
and if you're unsure if a product is 100% Ontario wine
look for that VQA logo that Paul mentioned.
What does one country's journey look like
and how can Ontarian support
our local producers and industry?
- Well, you know first of all, you know,
I could even just say on behalf of our industry,
I'd like to say for sure everybody Marie at the LCBO
has been super supportive through this crazy time.
I don't even think my lights would be turned on right now,
my computer might not even be working
if I didn't get the support
and we did get the support as an industry that we had
from the LCBO not just at your end
but at the front line staff
who I know worked super super hard, you know
for small businesses like us, it was absolutely critical
as things opened up and we got to stage three
we were able to open up our wineries to invite guests
and that's been, you know, there's one good thing
about coming to Ontario wine country
is there's lots of room to social distance.
You know, we have, you know 100s of acres of vineyards
and big fields available.
So again, we were really blessed
because the weather has been cooperating this year.
So we've, you know, most if not all wineries have been open
and I believe they are going to be open through the fall
and we can do tours and tastings
really encourage people to look for the,
the wine country, Ontario tour book
as well as to go online to winecountryontario.ca
and really make sure when you're coming out to wine country
that you do a little investigation beforehand
'cause some hours have changed
and you know, there's different procedures
and it's kind of always a shifting target
something I think we've all learned
that everything's kind of shifting a little bit
but there's tours, there's tastings,
there's events going on, all done in the you know,
safe and appropriate manner.
But there's lots going on out here
and it's just even a great opportunity
to get out of the city and see some beautiful country.
- Yeah there's no more beautiful time
than the fall harvest season to visit wine country
thank you for that information Paul.
At the LCBO we are proud of our good partners
making a positive impact on Ontario and the wine industry.
Why is buying VQA a sustainable choice?
- In terms of sustainable wine making Ontarin
it's important because, well, first of all,
we started this programme in 2003
and then about two or three years ago
we actually started to get independent audits
and I think there's about 13 or 15 wineries
that are certified,
Henry of Pelham is certified as a sustainable wine producer
and we get an audit and it basically looks at
all of our uses of things like
water, energy, carbon footprint
and so that's one piece of sustainable wine making
in a sustainable grape growing
and that's you know,
that's about keeping your carbon footprint low
'cause there also sustainability also incorporates local,
it incorporates supporting your community,
supporting your neighbours, fellow citizens.
- Yeah absolutely and I think you mentioned
the impact in terms of the local communities,
local businesses, so there absolutely is, you know
an economic perspective to shopping VQA.
The purchase of each bottle of Ontario VQA wine
generates $98 and 20 cents of economic impact
to the Ontario economy
and the wine industry creates 18,000 jobs.
So it's very important right now more than ever
to shop local.
So moving on, Thanksgiving's around the corner
what type of Ontario VQA wine will you be uncorking
with your circle of friends and family this Thanksgiving?
- If I have to pick one, I think with Turkey
I generally I always end up back at Pinot Noir
you know, Turkey is a little bit bigger bird, you know
it's a little more dense than say chicken,
and you know you have the dark meat and the gravy
and the stuffing and so you don't generally
I don't generally like to have a huge massive red
but I like to have a red with the Turkey
and so I always like Ontario Pinot Noir
where you get through that kind of mid weight
balance of rad little bit of Oak
a little bit of structure, but it's not too overwhelming.
If I was going to do a white I would definitely do
sort of a Chardonnay that has a little bit of Oak to it
so that it can keep up
with all the other foods on your table.
- Wonderful, great selections, so to wrap up
this month as a part of our together for Ontario campaign
we are pairing it forward to local businesses
and communities across the province
to help rebuild our food and beverage industry
and support Ontario.
We've been creating a chain reaction to spotlight
Ontario's products and producers
pairing local beverage, alcohol products
with independent businesses,
whether farmers, growers, bars and restaurants.
So Paul, before we go, can I ask you to pair it forward
to a local small business in your home community?
- Yeah, you know, I think that's such a cool idea
and I've been seeing it in the stores all the restaurants
and whether or not that are being paired up
and you know, when I was asked, you know
as you asked this question is just no question
who just down the road for me is a local farming family
who've been farmers for, I think well, over 100 years,
I think they're in their third or fourth generation,
the Vaughn's Mr and Mrs. Vaughn
and they have a tiny little store
on their farm called Lake Land Meats
and they raise chickens and all kinds of different animals
and you can get fresh eggs
and you know, whatever meat they have.
- Well, that's wonderful, thank you
and of course we can't talk about Ontario wines
without a cheers with local VQA wine
thank you so much Paul,
for joining and sharing your expertise
and to our customers and the many many VQA fans
cheers to Ontario and to a successful harvest season
for all of our local producers.
- Thank you very much Marie cheers.
- Thank you Paul, please come together for Ontario
and shop VQA at your local LCBO on LCBO.com
and get out there and explore Ontario's wine country
and don't forget to pair it foward.
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