Judges at the 2015 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair‘s annual wine competition held earlier in September in Toronto are raising their glasses to the Niagara College Teaching Winery. The student-run winery at the college’s Niagara-on-the-Lake campus took home the prizes for “Best in Show Red” and “Best in Show Overall” for its delicious 2012 Dean’s List Merlot.
“It is a real honour to be recognized for such a prestigious wine award, particularly considering the wide field of extremely high-quality VQA wines from well-established Ontario wineries that this competition attracts,” said Gavin Robertson, Winemaker at the Niagara College Teaching Winery. According to Robertson, the warm 2012 growing season in Niagara helped produce spectacular later-ripening red Bordeaux varieties with a good balance of flavours and structure. “I’m happy we were able to carry this quality through to bottle, and it’s wonderful that the end product of a great growing season in the vineyard and gentle handling in the winery should be recognized as it is now,” he said.
2012 Dean’s List Merlot – Best in Show and Best in Show Overall in 2015.
Wine Description: Deep ruby with violet tinting in appearance, this wine is a bold hefty Merlot that shows the ripeness of the warm 2012 growing season. The nose is plummy with floral notes, mocha, cedar and fresh turned earth. The palate is full and round with flavours of red currant, plum cake and raisins for a warm, spicy finish.
Run in co-operation with the Independent Wine Education Guild, the annual wine competition event provides an opportunity for wineries to earn recognition for VQA wines made with 100% Ontario-grown grapes from some of the province’s most-respected wine experts. The Independent Wine Education Guild is considered the premier organization for wine and spirits education in Canada. Its experienced faculty have graduated thousands of students, many of whom have progressed to leading positions in the Canadian wine and spirits industry.
Winning wines will be served at dining venues at The Royal and featured at various events during its 10-day run from November 6–15, 2015, at Exhibition Place in Toronto.
You might want to pick up a few bottles of the award-winning vintage at the Niagara College Teaching Winery on your next stay in Niagara-on-the-Lake!
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