David Hulley
On Wine
A night to remember
It was once again up to Gretzky to close out the night on a winning note. The “game” was in Toronto, but not at the Air Canada Centre. The setting was a roaring bonfire on Olympic Island framed by the blaze of the downtown lights across the inner harbour. The water was a perfect mirror; the breeze was light and even the damp chill of the night air could not diminish the warmth of the gathering. The “game” was to win the favour of the visiting international meeting planners and secure conventions for Toronto and assisting areas. Once again, Ontario wine played a major supporting role in Toronto’s bid for business.
That evening and the days surrounding were expertly hosted and organized by the professional teams of Tourism Toronto. Domestically and abroad, the Tourism Toronto teams always proudly feature Ontario wines in their events. That night Creekside and Wayne Gretzky Estates were the supporting wineries. Creekside table wines wowed and surprised the international guests during the dinner and Gretzky Icewine closed the successful night fireside. It was my honour to stand behind the wines and represent the Ontario wine industry as a whole.
As the astonished guests took in the compelling stories about our burgeoning wine industry, I realized that most Ontarians would probably be equally amazed. We have achieved a notable place of honour in the international wine industry in a mere 30 years. Today our premium table and sparkling wines, not to mention our world-dominating Icewine, can stand toe-to-toe with the best the world has to offer. In fact, there are more international gold medals per capita in Niagara than in any other wine-producing region in the world. How is that for a stat?
Ontario began its climb to prominence with just a handful of pioneering wineries. As the years passed, each group pushed the quality envelope and in turn welcomed new winery partners to aid in the quest for excellence. In the early years quality was self-regulated, but the industry knew that a formal system of quality, set in federal law, was necessary for our efforts to be taken seriously on the international stage. From that idea, the Vintner’s Quality Alliance (VQA) was born. There are now ninety-seven wineries producing VQA wines with Chardonnay being the most prolific and Riesling and Cabernet Franc coming in a close second. In 2006 we produced approximately one million liters of world industry leading Icewine keeping other international producers in our wake.
We have much to celebrate. Our wine industry has grown with a focus on quality and it has the international competition “hardware” to prove it. Still, the true test is in the glass and given the surprise and satisfaction in the eyes of our international visitors, I think Ontario wines have truly come of age. Now, can I tell you about their reaction to “smores?”
(Enologist, David Hulley is president of Enosgroup Consulting, a company specializing in corporate wine/social etiquette training, and wine/winery investments. He can also be heard nationally on Weekends — “Food and Wine with David Hulley.” Locally you can tune him in on Saturdays on 1010 CFRB. David can be reached at
david@davidhulley.com)
