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Village Squire, 1976-04, Page 10Royal wines from royal vines was the message of this promotional photo taken during harvest in an Ontario vineyard. The claim is a trifle heavy perhaps but experts are slowly coming to agree that Ontario wines have made great advances in recent years. Ontario wines gaining a growing reputation even with international wine experts In the worjd of food and drink, nothing has carried so much mystery, so much snob appeal as wine. The appreciation of wine has been regarded in the same awe as the appreciation for opera or symphony: something simply beyond most people. There was a certain elitist intimidation about the whole thing that frightened off the ordinary middle-class bloke. One thing was taken for granted, however: North American wines were infinitely inferior to European and Canadian wines little better than dishwater. We were told that again and again and we believed it. But slowly and surely things have been changing. The grape revolution started quietly in Ontario vineyards more than 20 years ago and has now come into full maturity with the result that Ontario wines are earning highly favorable, and in some cases astonished, appraisals from wine connoisseurs. The newly introduced dry and lightly flavored table wines have been quickly accepted by Ontario consumers, and indicate a bright future for Ontario's long established wine industry. Cuttings from European grapes were grafted onto sturdy and disease resistant North American root stocks to provide the heeding base for French hybrid grapes which now make up almost 40 per cent of the purchases taken for wine processing in Ontario. Testings carried out by the Horticultural Research Institute of Ontario and by independent wineries proved that these premium varieties, and also certain pure vinrfera or European grapes, could he grown commercially in Ontario For the first time a complete rangy; of g, VILLAGE SQUIRE/APRIL 1976 • - approved uawines Dessert wines cproveh as sherriesqlity and ports, tofrom the pop wines, sparkling, medium sweet red and white varieties, to the fully dry "zero" rated table wines is being grown in Ontario. Although the dry varietal wines have been getting most attention in recent months, the majority of Canadian palates still favor the medium sweet wines for which Ontario wine makers have been noted since the turn of the century. -Wine recommendations in the past have been submerged in a complicated jargon that seemed designed to scare away the inexperienced. Refreshing changes have taken. place, and as Keith Matthie, secretary - manager of the Ontario Grape Growers' Marketing Board advised recently, "...wine drinkers should drink what they damn well enjoy." Good advice. Wine provides an excellent starting point in the arrangements for parties and receptions, and particularly during' the winter months when get-togethers with families and friends are so popular. Served with selections of Ontario cheeses they simplify the work of the hosts as no mixes are required, and the lower alcoholic content compared with spirits ensures that the party spirit will stay happy and pleasantly relaxed. Some tips on the wines to select when entertaining are always useful: For quality linked with economy Ontario wines are tough to beat. Remember that unless your guests are fairly experienced wine samplers, not all will he able to appreciate the really dry wines. Listings in wine stores and LCBO outlets show the 'brix rating' which indicates the sweetness of the wine. /pro rating means completely dry. A rating of 4 or 5 indicates a medium dry wine; anything above this is in the medium sweet to sweet classification. Make your party selections from several different sweetness ratings to provide a good variety for tastings. Sparkling and crackling wines are great party favourites, but they should be properly chilled to below 40 degrees farenheit before serving. White wines improve with chilling also. Red wines, unless sparkling or crackling are usually served at room temperature and in most cases it really does improve red wines toy have the bottle opened half an hour or so before pouring. Cheese and soda biscuits go well with all types of wine. Fortified wines, the ports and sherries, have a higher alcoholic content usually around 18 per cent. Table wines, the medium sweet wines such as Cresta Roja and some sparkling wines are generally 12 per cent, while the pop wines such as Baby Duck and several crackling wines average 7 per cent alcohol. When it comes to wine with meals the old adage that red wine goes with red meat and white wine with fish and poultry still seems the general guide. The most important thing to remember is to select the wine you personally enjoy, whether it is red or white, sweet or dry_ Blindfoldtastings by six wine experts selected by the Globe and Mail brought surprising high ratings for Ontario wines, with many judged to be "imported". The test underlined that even ackowledged experts cannot agree on what makes a good wine. In several instances the experts' assessments of the same wine ranged all the way from first place to last place in the class!