Toronto is doing everything it can to become the centre of the local food movement. Restaurateurs such as Anthony Rose (The Drake), Roberto Martella (Grano) and Christopher MacDonald (Cava) have all championed buying their goods close to home, but have overlooked Ontario wine as a local resource. Reinforcing an already unfortunate perception of poor quality, too many of Toronto's top restaurants have not paid enough attention to the wines we grow just down the road.
When the average consumer thinks of fine wine, the minds dart to France, Italy and, to a lesser extent, Australia and Argentina. Rarely does Ontario, or any Canadian wine for that matter, receive the respect and kudos it deserves. Marred by the cheap and unpleasant $7.45 Ontario wines sold at the LCBO, Niagara and Prince Edward County's fine wine establishments are playing at a serious disadvantage. Often filled with juice from Argentina or Chile's lesser grape growers, the cheapest Ontario wines that do not bear the Vitners' Quality Assurance (VQA) stamp of approval do measurable damage to the perception of all wines from Ontario.
This doesn't need to be the case according to some. John Gay was formerly general manager of Susur and Scaramouche, and currently a wine broker representing a wholly Ontario wine list, and doesn't think Ontario wines get their due respect around town. He notes, "we don't support our local wines like they do in BC. The poor nature of non-VQA wines does measurable damage to our perception of quality." His point is validated at any number of fine dining establishments in Toronto. Ontario wines are constantly the anomaly, not the norm, and in many cases, when they do make the list, they are among the cheapest and lowest quality.
Weighing in with similar sentiments as Gay is Jamie Drummond, sommelier of the troubled Jamie Kennedy restaurant empire. "We could have an all Ontario wine list; it's not out of the realm of possibility. But we're a wine-bar first and foremost and we need to be able to offer our customers as wide a variety as possible." Drummond proudly notes that his wine list at the former lunch hot spot JK at the Gardiner was in fact, 97% Canadian, but also remains steadfast in his position that, "one shouldn't have a Canadian wine on a list just because it's Canadian." So why have few others jumped on board? Toronto's big spenders seem far more comfortable putting down top dollar for more prestigious wines from Italy and France than from our own backyard. Drummond boils it down to simple ignorance: "We haven't embraced local wineries here in Canada, but really, there are fantastic wines of excellent reserve and complexity available."
While some may think an all-Canadian, quality wine list is impossible, the renovated AGO re-opened its new flagship restaurant, FRANK, with a focus on local and seasonal fare and a completely Canadian wine list. The list still maintains an elegant diversity and price point with most major grapes and flavour profiles well represented (Malbecs, pinot noirs, gamays, cab francs, reislings, chardonnays and gewürztraminer are all available, at prices ranging from $30 to $140).
Many restaurateurs are afraid that their profits will be hurt by selling Ontario wine because of the generally accepted belief that local wine shouldn't cost more than $10 retail or $25 on a wine list. What we all seem to forget is that Ontario produces internationally acclaimed, award-winning wines, including Konzelmann's 2006 Vidal Icewine (Niagara), which became the first Canadian vineyard with a bottle in Wine Spectator's famed Top 100 Wines list in 2008. That 375mL bottle fetches $65 in an LCBO, which would cost well over $180 in a fine dining restaurant. As evidenced by the AGO list's price range, many local-loving chefs can certainly learn a lesson from FRANK and still make fair dollar on local wines.
As Drummond puts it, a completely local wine list is "logical from an environmental standpoint, but illogical from a business standpoint." So while it is unreasonable to assume that restaurants will completely switch over their lists, certainly the AGO, Cowbell, Globe Bistro and Café Taste's all or predominantly Canadian lists can serve as inspiration to others that it can be a feasible way to run their list.
If Toronto's top restaurants eventually come around and put our best wines at the center of their lists, we can only expect the word to spread in a positive way. We need to support our local wineries not just because they are local, but because they can measure up to the quality standards we expect of wines from of the world.
Here, here...none of this Cellared in Canada stuff. Good article on need for local wines, thank you.
"VQA all the way" is the cheer of the day.
The problem is mainly one of picking through a lot of marginal VQA wines. Start by tasting those wines that win medals at Ontario Wine Awards, Canadian Wine Awards, and All-Canadian Wine Awards.
There is bound to be something on those medal winning lists that would appeal to different tastes.
Maybe that should be "hear, hear" ???
What's needed is to pressure the LCBO is first off remove the 'Cellared in Canada' designation in favour of 'International Blends', something that clearly makes it NOT the 'local' product in consumers minds.
The second thing is to change the placement of these wines in the LCBO shifting the 'Blends' to the rear of stores where they will invariably sell less, and more room can be made for VQA on our shelves.
It would actually also help if the LCBO showcased BC VQA wines better, they barely cover them, and there is an incredible selection available that would help build the VQA brand in Ontario.
very informative article...I was one of those consumers who would shoot right past the local wines in the LCBO. The general impression floating around is that you have to pay too much to get a decent Ontario wine and so I never bothered to give them a chance. After reading this article I will be sure to give VQA wines a chance.
I agree with previous posters that Cellared in Canada wines are the scourge of our local industry and serve only to bring down the reputation of "Ontario" wines all the while padding the wallets of the wineries that sell such plonk with hefty profits.
But I take issue with Dean's suggestion that you must wade through oceans of "marginal" VQA wines before you hit a winner. I would argue that the ratio of marginal to good wines from VQA appellations is about the same as that from other regions.
I think one thing that has hampered commercial success to some extent is the fact that consumers tend to have misguided expectations in terms of style when it comes to local wines. Our strengths are in leaner, more elegant styles rather than the blockbuster, high alcohol, jammy wines that are so popular with many wine drinkers.
People need to realize that cool climate wines are not going to taste the same as those from warmer climates... that doesn't make them inferior, just different, as they should be!