Much to my delight, there was a blind-tasting component for attendees to partake in at their leisure that consisted of four VQA wines. Participants were asked to identify not only the grape, but the winery, winemaker, sub-appellation, residual sugar level, and alcohol. This was such a fun addition to the event!

From my overall tasting experience of Taste Ontario! it’s clear to see that winemaker’s are continuing to take more original and unique stylistic approaches with their wines, where their character coupled with the terroir are becoming focal points of interest. Wines are more focused, winemakers are tapping into their creativity, and showing an extensive reach of well-crafted, quality wines.

Winemaker Mackenzie Brisbois of Trail Estate is a prime example. She excels in her winemaking style through expertise for off-beat wine, such as Pet Nat and Orange Wine, by elevating those styles into a high-quality bracket that are distinct to her winemaking touch. Therianthopy winemaker David Eiberg is another example. David focuses on site-specific, organically farmed, low intervention wines. This includes his low to zero sulphite additions, and no fining/filtering methods that leaves his raw wines with a charismatic defined signature.

Modern and classic wines alike, I fully appreciate winemakers that are doing commendable jobs of showcasing the best on both ends of this spectrum. The Media Tasting Room this year truly shed light on Ontario’s cool climate Chardonnay. Through Traditional Method sparkling, and still wine, Chardonnay is being showcased at an all-time high from each appellation. There also seemed to be a more significant showing of full-bodied red blends that provide a revamped, elegant new take on an old style.