The last two speakers are going to talk about the two main part of drinking wine: the wine it self and the glass
Derek Barnett, from Lailey Vineyards, will talk about wine making in Ontario. Derek was born in England and studied agriculture in the UK. He came to Canada to work in agriculture in 1973. In 1991, he had the opportunity to make wine for a small winery north of Toronto called Southbrook winery. While at Southbrook, Derek made strong connections with vineyards in Niagara-on-the-Lake, including Lailey vineyard.
Derek’s passion for winemaking and his expertise developed over ten years of making wine at Southbrook. There, he learned to express the terroir of Niagara. He earned many awards for his wine, and was voted Winemaker of the year in 2000 at the Air Ontario wine awards. In the fall of 2001, Derek moved to Niagara-on-the-Lake to become winemaker and business partner at Lailey Vineyard.
Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc are Derek’s favourite varietals, but they also provide the greatest challenges. With all grapes, the balance of acid, fruit and sugar at harvest is central to quality wine production. This is especially true for the three varietals Derek has chosen as his favourites.
Richard Ritchie, of will be speaking about wine glasses and their affect on the wines we taste. If you ever asked the question, whey are their so many different types of wine glasses? And do they really make a difference. Well, this talk is for you…
See you all on Wednesday!