News from the Ontario Vines

Fred Couch, Ontario Wine Society – Niagara Chapter

November 2009

If you haven't been to Sue-Ann Staff's new winery in Jordan, Ontario yet, it will be open on weekends only from 11:00 am until 5:00pm until December 20th. For more information go to the website at www.staffwine.com

From accounting to wine? Sounds like a drastic switch, doesn't it? However, a number of Chartered Accountants in Ontario and British Columbia have given up their careers in finance to own, manage, or write about wineries. Even with their financial expertise, these CAs are finding that owning a winery is not that easy. Read their stories in this article from the CICA magazine at www.camagazine.com/archives/print-edition/2009/oct/features/camagazine30232.aspx

Congratulations to Kacaba Vineyards, Vineland, Ontario for being awarded the 2009 “Canadian Wine of the Year” at the Wine Access Magazine's Canadian Wine Awards. The award was for their 2009 Syrah Reserve, which also picked up a Gold.

Well known wine writer, educator, and long-time contributor to VINES magazine, Linda Bramble has written a new book - Niagara's Wine Visionaries: Profiles of the Pioneering Winemakers. The book tells how a handful of idealists and stubborn, single-minded enthusiasts created a great wine region in Niagara . More information can be found at - www.formac.ca/formac-lorimer/ under “New Books”.

Prince Charles will commemorate the opening of the Wine Visitor and Education Centre at Niagara College on November 5 th . The Royal Visit is the lead event celebrating the opening of the $3.6 million Wine Visitor and Education Centre, a unique state-of-the-art industry centre set in the College's teaching vineyards. The Centre will showcase and promote the Ontario and Canadian wine industry, provide wine tourism information services, and feature academic and wine industry programming. In a media release, Niagara College President Dan Patterson stated, “The new facility will also serve as a living laboratory for Niagara College 's leading cluster of wine, culinary and hospitality and tourism students. The graduates from these top-rated programs are in high demand across Canada , and throughout the world.”

Niagara College Teaching Winery is located in Niagara-on-the-Lake In 2000 the college established the Winery and Viticulture Technician program. The program is the first of it's kind in Canada in that the Teaching Winery facilitates the learning enterprise of the program

Previous Articles by Fred G. Couch

~ Aug 1 2009

~ Aug 15th 2009

~ Sept 2009

~ Oct 09 Grape King

~ Calamus Estate Winery