Inspired by the 1976 “Judgement of Paris” wine-tasting competition–which has been credited with single-handedly launching the American wine industry–wine makers from Ontario and B.C. are joining together to showcase their product for selected wine writers in New York.
The “Seriously Cool Chardonnay” event will take place March 8 at New York’s McGraw Hill Building, with 31 wineries from Ontario and B.C. showcasing 54 Chardonnays–a grape variety that thrives in the cooler Canadian climate.
The event is the brainchild of Bill Redelmeier, co-owner of Southbrook Vineyards in Niagara-on-the-Lake, who launched the event last year in London, England as a way to raise awareness of Canadian wine in both foreign and domestic markets.
“It’s as much to get the attention in the destination area and then come back to Canadians and say ‘If it’s good enough to drink in London or New York it must be good enough to drink in Canada,’” he said. “What we need to do is own our market.”
Redelmeier said that Ontario consumers tend to favour imported wines (he claimed that “well under” 10% of all wine sold at retail is produced locally), but can be enticed to try regional wines that gain acceptance in foreign markets.
“One of the problems we have in Canada is we think imported wines are better than domestic, and that doesn’t change until somebody outside the country starts appreciating what we’re doing,” he said.
Redelmeier said the LCBO does a “great job” of selling Canadian wines based on consumer demand, which is the objective of the New York event. “If the consumer asks for more Ontario wines, the LCBO will sell them,” he said. “What we need to do is convince the Ontario consumers they should be drinking local.”
While the participating wineries are funding the event, it is also receiving PR support from the Wine Council of Ontario.
