Canadian Wine Culture Debated

Client News Canadian Wine Culture Debated Webcast Tasting & Discussion Trended Across Canada Suggested Tweet: WATCH highlights from Canadian #wine culture panel via @plwinescanada: http://bit.ly/plwines #plwines #Kelowna

The Story: A first-of-its-kind webcast tasting and discussion on Canadian wine culture took place last week. Organized by Australia's Peter Lehmann Wines, the groundbreaking event, called The National Tasting, featured writer and broadcaster Anthony Gismondi, along with a panel of top sommeliers and wine educators gathered from across Canada.

Seven minutes of video highlights from the 1.5 hour event are now online at www.nationaltasting.ca.

The panel discussion was webcast, with queries submitted via social media. Supporting this, a conversation on Twitter was fast and lively, making the #plwines hashtag a trending topic across the country at the time.

Topics covered included how Canadians can make wine fit into their lifestyle, whether or not the Canadian wine industry is driving our food culture or vice versa, how social media is humanizing the wine business, and how Canada needs to embrace a unified national wine culture in order to make itself stand out on a world stage.

A few users noted technical issues at the time of the webcast, so if anyone missed part of the discussion, they may catch up via the key points in the summary video.

It's an incredible accomplishment that a world renowned Australian winery held its inaugural mentorship retreat in the heart of British Columbia's Okanagan Valley. The program was aimed at building bridges between Canada's thriving wine trade, industry professionals and wine enthusiasts. This gesture of selecting Canada to launch this international program, was made with the intention of giving back to the wine community and to help unite Canada's wine scene.

Due to feedback gained from the retreat, Peter Lehmann wines expects to hold regular online chats on the topic of the development and future of wine culture in Canada. Details will be announced soon.

About the Mentor Award and National Tasting:

The first-ever Peter Lehmann Wines Mentor Award was aimed at bringing together industry professionals and wine enthusiasts with an opportunity for up-and-coming Canadian oenophiles to grow and share their knowledge. A two-day retreat took place in Kelowna, BC on October 20-23 and was led by noteworthy author, internationally acclaimed wine expert and inaugural program mentor, Anthony Gismondi.

The following are the mentees for 2013: Britnie Bazylewski, student liaison & instructor, Canadian Food & Wine Institute at Niagara College, St. Catharines, Ontario Taylor Douglas, assistant manager, Kitsilano Wine Cellar, Vancouver, British Columbia Jonathan MacCalder, sommelier, e11even (Air Canada Centre), Toronto, Ontario Alex Keevil, assistant manager, Bin 905, Calgary, Alberta Michaela MacMullin, sommelier & manager, Bertossi Group, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Agostino Teixeira, sommelier & director of purchasing, 40 West Steakhouse & Raw Bar, Montreal, Quebec

This December one of the mentees willl be selected by a panel of esteemed judges to travel with Gismondi to Australia in 2014, and take part in the annual grape harvest. This five-day trip will further acquaint this year's recipient mentee with the Peter Lehmann winery and with Australia's famed Barossa Valley wine growing region - truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. For more information, visit mentoraward.ca or follow the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Australian Icon Celebrates Thriving Canadian Wine Culture

Client News: [Kelowna, BC] October 8, 2013

Australian Wine Icon Celebrates Thriving Canadian Wine Culture

Aussie-hosted Interactive Wine Tasting Centres in Kelowna

Suggested Tweet:

Discuss #wine culture with renowned online panel, in the @plwinescanada www.nationaltasting.ca Oct 21, 4pm PST #plwines

In Short:

Those from the wine world and beyond are summoned to be online on Monday October 21 at 4pm PST and join the conversation on wine culture in an online interactive event.

Organized by Peter Lehmann Wines, this first-of-its-kind event features writer and broadcaster Anthony Gismondi, and a panel of top sommeliers and wine educators opening the floor to wine lovers across Canada.

Pose questions to the panel and RSVP at www.nationaltasting.ca.

The Full Story:

Every industry has its pioneers. Radio had Marconi. Phones had Graham-Bell. Automobiles had Ford. You can't start a fire without a spark...

The wine industry also has those that created legacies. Champagne had the widow Cliquot and Dom Perignon. The California industry owes a debt to Robert Mondavi. And there's Australia's recently-late Peter Lehmann.

During his 50-year career, Peter Lehmann inspired countless people by sharing his talent, wit and passion for winemaking. Peter Lehmann Wines was founded in 1979 to assist the grape growers of the Barossa Valley in Australia, who at the time were facing financial ruin; now, the winery and the region mutually enjoy an international reputation for excellence in wine production.

It is this continued spirit of collaboration and inclusion that brings The Mentor Award - a first of its kind event - to Kelowna, BC, from October 20-22, 2013.

The Mentor Award, a two-day intensive retreat and seminar series to take place in West Kelowna on October 20/22, features inaugural mentor, acclaimed BC wine writer and broadcaster Anthony Gismondi, along with a panel of top sommeliers and educators.

The program, aimed at building bridges in Canada's thriving wine trade, brings together industry professionals and wine enthusiasts from cities across Canada, and provides opportunities for up-and-coming Canadian oneophiles to share and grow their knowledge. Delegates will gather to learn international perspectives from Gismondi and other leading wine experts, gaining insight to share with customers and colleagues in their home cities, ultimately helping to shape Canada's burgeoning wine culture from coast-to-coast.

While the Mentor Retreat is small, wine lovers across Canada are invited to join a highlight event: a spirited online panel discussion on the business of wine and how to foster a world-class wine culture. Conversation will touch on the value of high-quality wines and what they add to life, the current state and future of wine in Canada, as well as encourage friends and family to gather and conduct their own tastings at home while linked online.

Participants are encouraged to submit questions to the panel via YouTube and Twitter for a chance to win prizes from Peter Lehmann Wines. Online guests will also be encouraged to taste along with the panel from home using the #plwines hashtag.

The live discussion will be webcast on Monday, October 21 at 4pm (PST) and wine enthusiasts and consumers from anywhere in the world are invited to join in. Moderated by Ben Macphee-Sigurdson, wine columnist at the Winnipeg Free Press, confirmed panelists include Gismondi, Zinta Steprans, manager and sommelier of Toronto's Soho House, Harry Hertscheg, executive director of the Vancouver International Wine Festival, Samantha Rahn, wine director of Whistler's Araxi Restaurant and Matt Lane, VP Americas for Peter Lehmann Wines.

While on the surface it would seem to be only for the wine engaged, this retreat is an event to be recognized and celebrated. It's a rare honour that a world renowned Australian winery is holding its inaugural mentorship retreat in the heart of British Columbia's Okanagan Valley. This gesture of selecting Canada to launch this international program, and shoring up support for BC's rapidly-advancing wine industry, shows further leadership by Peter Lehmann Wines to propel an emerging wine region.

Aside from lively classroom-style seminars, and the webcast panel discussion on wine culture, one delegate will walk away having earned a five-day trip to Australia with Gismondi, to take part in the annual grape harvest. This will further educate this year's recipient with the Peter Lehmann winery and acquaint the mentee with Australia's famed Barossa Valley wine growing region.

"We want to give to the wine community, and help grow Canada's thriving wine scene," says Peter Lehmann's Matt Lane. "We see this program establishing lasting friendships, inspiring a new generation of wine lovers, and sharing the rich winemaking traditions of the Barossa Valley."

About the Mentor Award:

The first-ever Peter Lehmann Wines Mentor Award is aimed at bringing together industry professionals and wine enthusiasts with an opportunity for up-and-coming Canadian oenophiles to grow and share their knowledge.

A two-day retreat will take place in Kelowna, BC on October 20-22 and will be led by noteworthy author, internationally acclaimed wine expert and inaugural program mentor, Anthony Gismondi. Following the retreat, one participant will then be selected by a panel of esteemed judges to travel together with Gismondi to Australia, taking part in the annual grape harvest. This five-day trip will further educate this year's recipient with the Peter Lehmann winery and acquaint the mentee with Australia's famed Barossa Valley wine growing region - truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

In addition to the retreat, Canadians are invited to attend a spirited online panel discussion on the business of wine and how to foster a world-class wine culture. The event will be webcast on Monday, October 21 at 4pm PST.

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