I’m continually impressed with the ideas Ontario wineries come up with and I’ve been wondering what some might be doing to mark Canada’s 150th birthday.
Well, 10 of the EPIC wineries (the acronym stands for Essex, Pelee Island, Coast wineries) have released a special, limited collection of VQA wines under the EPIC 1867 banner. Each of the participating wineries have produced one wine that features a custom-designed label that talks about an aspect of the region’s rich winemaking history, which actually pre-dates confederation by a year. And, in keeping with the theme, each bottle retails for $18.67 (plus bottle deposit).
The idea behind the project was three-fold: to celebrate Canada’s sesquicentennial, to commemorate the role the region had as the birthplace of the Canadian wine industry, and to showcase the vibrancy of the region’s wineries today.
The limited edition wines (Melissa Muscedere of Muscedere Vineyards Estate Wines says that each winery produced only 100-150 cases of their featured wine) were released May 27th and are available while they last.
Here’s an alphabetical list of the participating wineries and their commemorative wine:
- Aleksander Estate Winery – Cabernet France
- Colchester Ridge Estate Winery (CREW) – Sauvignon Blanc
- Colio Estate Wines – Chardonnay/Pinot Grigio
- Cooper’s Hawk Vineyards – Cabernet Merlot
- Mastronardi Estate Winery – Pinot Grigio
- Muscedere Vineyards – Vidal Blanc
- North 42 Degrees Estate Winery – Summer Chill (a Riesling-Sauvignon Blanc blend)
- Oxley Estate Winery – 21st Century Red (a blend of HG 1, 3 and 4)
- Pelee Island Winery – Cabernet
- Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery – Sacré Blanc (an un-oaked Chardonnay-Sauvignon Blanc-Riesling blend)
Special Exhibit at Windsor’s Chimczuk Museum
From August 4, 2017 through December 31, 2017, Windsor’s Chimczuk Museum will host a special exhibit called “Toast to the Coast – an EPIC 150 Years”. The exhibition will tell the story of the region’s winemaking history. To compliment the exhibit, the museum will host a series of speakers later this year. (Details about the speaker series have not been announced – for more information, check the museum’s website.)
You can also get a commemorative poster ($10) that features all the different labels and the story – actually, the history – behind each.
You can also get a commemorative poster ($10) that features all the different labels and the story – actually, the history – behind each.