Written by Rosemary Mantini | 05 March 2010

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Preview the Top Chardonnays in Toronto on March 24th

Cool climate VQA Chardonnays from Ontario will be showcased in London, England when British wine writers and the wine trade gather at Canada House in Trafalgar Square on May 17th to sample a select group of wines. The tasting will feature 34 of Ontario’s top Chardonnays from 21 wineries chosen by a panel of Ontario wine critics.

“Britain is a huge market for wine, but the country only has a tiny domestic wine industry,” notes Bill Redelmeier, owner of Southbrook Vineyards in Niagara-on-the-Lake, who initiated the tasting. “The opportunity to showcase Ontario wines in London can provide a real boost for our product. A generation ago, the New Zealand wine industry launched Sauvignon Blanc in Britain, and it put New Zealand wines on the map.”

The 34 VQA Chardonnays chosen to travel across the ocean were selected at a blind tasting by a judging panel led by wine writer Tony Aspler and wine experts, Linda Bramble, Konrad Ejbich, Steven Elphick, David Lawrason, Michael Pinkus, Gordon Stimmell and John Szabo, MS (Master Sommelier). The tasting was organized by Sadie Darby, Wine Tasting Maven, and held at the LCBO Summerhill store in Toronto.

“Most people think Icewine is Ontario’s signature wine, but actually it’s Chardonnay,” says Aspler, who will be in England for the tasting in May along with Bill Redelmeier and other Ontario producers. “The London tasting will give the British press the opportunity to discover wines that are food-friendly and reminiscent of fine white Burgundies.”

Chardonnay is the most widely produced VQA wine in Ontario, according to VQA Ontario. The province’s expanding wine industry now boasts 113 VQA wineries; it’s estimated more than 90 produce Chardonnay. Like Tony Aspler, Bill Redelmeier is convinced Ontario VQA Chardonnay will impress the Brits. “We see a lot of people who say they don’t like Chardonnay, but when you pour a cool climate Chardonnay, they change their minds,” Redelmeier says. “Cool climates make for a much different and much superior Chardonnay.”

A Toronto dress rehearsal for the London event, entitled Ontario Chardonnay-Seriously Cool, is being organized by the Ontario Wine Society on March 24 at 6:30pm at Toronto Lawn Tennis Club. The public will have the opportunity to taste many of the same Chardonnays featured at the London media tasting. Tickets are $39 for members and $49 for non-members. Visit ontariowinesociety.com for information on purchasing tickets, or call 416.921.9798.