Each year, the Ontario Legislative Assembly chooses a red and a white Ontario VQA wine to serve at legislative functions.
At this year’s tasting, the votes cast selected Georgian Hills Vineyards 2016 Seyval Blanc – made at the vineyards near Ravenna, located west of Collingwood – as the official white wine of 2019.
In a press release issued by the Grape Growers of Ontario, Robert Ketchin and John Ardiel, the partners behind Georgian Hills Vineyards, said they were excited to see their wine chosen.
As a winery in the emerging wine region of Georgian Bay, they said it was "a special honour" showcasing their commitment to producing high-quality wines made from 100 per cent Georgian Bay, Ontario-grown grapes.
The tasting event, hosted by the Grape Growers of Ontario and the Speaker of the Legislature, MPP Ted Arnott (Wellington-Halton-Hills), took place on Oct. 29. This was the 40th annual event.
The other wines chosen include Strewn Winery 2017 Rogue’s Lot Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon from Niagara-on-the-Lake, and Chateau Des Charmes 2017 Vidal Icewine also from Niagara-on-the-Lake. This is the first year icewine has been included in the selection.
“The wines showcased at this event reflect the connection between 100 per cent Ontario-grown grapes and the winemakers who craft them,” Grape Growers of Ontario CEO Debbie Zimmerman said in a press release. “We congratulate all of Ontario’s wineries on producing top-quality VQA wines, and thank the six wineries who participated in this year’s tasting.”
The Grape Growers of Ontario represents more than 500 actively producing grape growers of 17,000 acres in the province’s three viticulture areas: Niagara Peninsula, Lake Erie North Shore and Prince Edward County, and Norfolk County.
