Cuvee celebrates Niagara excellence
A normal part of any industry is to somehow, someway, recognize significant contribution and excellence. It has been nearly 30 years that the Cuvee weekend has been that venue for the Niagara wine industry.
The wine industry contributes more than $3 billion to our local economy each year and continues to see steady growth in our region. That is an impressive number considering its roots of where the industry has come over the many decades in Niagara.
Cuvee is an event that has grown and developed over the years, with an underpinning of social consciousness that brings connection to many charitable partners over the years. The event has supported such groups as Grey Gables School to its current support for the students of Brock University at the cool climate oenology and viticulture institute. The proceeds from the weekend go to supporting scholarships for Brock students, and equally important it helps fund graduate research at the institute in the growing grape and wine industry.
The style and format of the event has seen many changes over the years. The soul of the weekend is the Grand Tasting event for which black ties are dusted off, gowns are chosen and the best VQA wines are showcased along with incredible Niagara cuisine. This event has grown from a few hundred people attending through venues such as Queen’s Landing, White Oakes Resort and Spa and Fallsview Casino to its current home at Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls.
It was once the “Oscars” of the Ontario wine world, with medals awarded for varietal excellence, but has since been transformed to focus on showcasing what Niagara has to offer with wine and food and having the opportunity for the public to taste the region’s most exciting wines and food in one place.
My introduction to the Niagara region came in 1999 as a guest chef at Cuvee, then being held at Queen’s Landing, and subsequently returned for two more years. It was an eye-opening experience being able to see such great wines being produced that otherwise I had not been exposed to. Perhaps it was foreshadowing my future but at one Cuvee I had luminary Niagara chefs Tony DeLuca on one side and Mark Picone on the other, and who would know that they would one day become by colleagues at the college. The story gets even more serendipitous when the top white wine for that first Cuvee of mine was from a new teaching winery at Niagara College. Perhaps there was some sort of messaging happening in my life that just took a decade to figure out.
So, mark your calendar with a garnet-coloured wine stain to remind you that March 24 the Grand Tasting for Cuvee 2017 will take place at Scotiabank Convention Centre.
You can go to cuvee.ca for more information, but all you really need to know is you will be able to experience world-class wine and food and remember when you see a tuxedo that fits perfectly you know it must have been rented.
— Craig has been in the food and beverage industry for three decades as a chef, restauranteur, professor, international competitor and now dean of the Canadian Food and Wine Institute at Niagara College. His passion for all things food and wine has led him to Niagara to lead the institute to become the world’s foremost educator in fermentation sciences and culinary arts.