By Jamie Drummond

This is a message from Jamie Drummond, Chief Judge/Sommelier of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair Wine Competition and Director of Programs for Good Food Revolution.

As many of you are no doubt aware, I came on board with the Royal Winter Fair Wine Competition only a couple of weeks before the competition took place in the fall of 2009.

After carefully observing last year’s RAWF competition, followed by consultations with both wineries and industry professionals, I have decided made a number of major changes to the entry protocol for 2010 (detailed at the very bottom)

Despite approximately 170 entries in 2009 I felt that these changes were necessary to encourage more wineries to compete in the 2010 competition and to raise the standard of the RAWF competition in general.

The most notable change is regarding the number of bottles needed for entry:

In previous years 12 (twelve) bottles were required by the RAWF for each entry… I have reduced this number of bottles to 2 (two) for each entry, a number I am sure you will agree is a lot more palatable.

I have again assembled a stellar judging panel consisting of Sommeliers, Chefs, and Winemakers, augmented by a number of consumer judges, alongside CBC’s Matt Galloway.

If schedules allow I would very much like to have the same judging panel as the 2009 competition.

STOP PRESS  – JUDGES FOR 2010

Jamie Kennedy (Jamie Kennedy Kitchens)
Petra Cooper (Fifth Town Cheese)
Evan Saviolidis (Wine Tidings)
Craig McDonald (Winemaker-Hillebrand)
Ross Wise (Winemaker-Flat Rock Cellars)
Zoltan Szabo
John Maxwell (Allens On The Danforth)
Shiraz Mottiar (Winemaker-Malivoire)
Peter Boyd (Scaramouche)
Richard Healy (Air Canada Centre)
Anton Potvin (Niagara Street Cafe)
John Lee (Chippy’s)
William Predhomme (Canoe)
Sara D’Amato (Air Canada Centre)
Suresh Doss (Spotlight On Toronto)
Zinta Steprans (Malena/L’Unita)
Chris Sealy (Union)
Jeremy Day (Cafe Taste)

As the Royal Winter Fair has signed up as a Good Food Fighter with Good Food Revolution there will be full media coverage of this years competition, from judge profiles, to award announcements, and finally coverage of the award reception on Friday the 5th of November.

Online entries will be possible as of Thursday the 16th of September http://royalfair.org/EnterOnline

Although please do not get confused when it looks as if you are entering cattle! All of the agricultural entries are grouped together when one enters online.

Otherwise please use this entry form (RAWF Entry Form 2010) and fax to the RAWF entry office at 416.263.3488

I have also been given the task of creating a winelist for the RAWF Wine Bar this year… so expect to see a great selection of my favourite wines from all over Ontario!

I very much look forward to seeing your wines in competition this year.

Healthy vinous regards

Jamie Drummond

P.S. And if you have any questions, please email at jdrummond@royalfair.org

Categories are as follows:

WIN-0200-00001  Chardonnay Oaked under $20

WIN-0200-00002  Chardonnay Oaked $20 and over

WIN-0200-00003  Chardonnay Unoaked under $20

WIN-0200-00004  Chardonnay Unoaked $20 and over

WIN-0200-00005  Riesling under $20

WIN-0200-00006  Riesling $20 and over

WIN-0200-00007  Aromatic White under $20

WIN-0200-00008  Aromatic White $20 and over

WIN-0200-00009  White Blend

WIN-0200-00010  White Blend $20 and over

WIN-0201-00001  Merlot under $20

WIN-0201-00002  Merlot $20 and over

WIN-0201-00003  Cabernet Franc under $20

WIN-0201-00004  Cabernet Franc $20 and over

WIN-0201-00005  Pinot Noir under $20

WIN-0201-00006  Pinot Noir $20 and over

WIN-0201-00007  Other Red Varietal under $20

WIN-0201-00008  Other Red Varietal $20 and over

WIN-0201-00009  Meritage under $20

WIN-0201-00010  Mertage $20 and over

WIN-0201-00011  Red Blend

WIN-0201-00012  Red Blend $20 and over

WIN-0202-00001  Rosé

WIN-0202-00002  Sparkling

WIN-0202-00003  Dessert

Please note some important changes to this year’s Rules and Regulations:

Entry Opening Date:  Monday, September 13th 2010
Entry Closing Date:          Friday, October 15th 2010 – EXTENDED TO OCTOBER 27th!!!
Entry Fee:   $35.00 CDN per entry (2 bottles)

1. All entries must use the Entry form provided by the Royal found in the competition book or on the website
(www.royalfair.org). Entry fees must accompany the entry form.

2. Send entry forms with fees to: Wine Competition Clerk, The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Door #32, Manitoba Drive, East Annex, Ricoh Coliseum, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON, M6K 3C3. Wines should be shipped under separate cover and prepaid to the same address.

3. Each wine may only be entered once but each exhibitor (winery) may enter more than one wine in any given category. As long as each entry is uniquely different from the other entries from that particular exhibitor.

4. All exhibitors must be located in Ontario and all entries must be VQA or QC approved.

5. More than one vintage of a given bottling designation may be entered as long as every vintage submitted is commercially available.

6. A minimum 50 case commercial availability (from winery of LCBO) is required for each entry.

7. Each entry will consist of two (2) standard size (750ml) bottles or larger. Four (4) half bottles (375ml) may be substituted if the wine is available in no larger size.

8. The Royal staff will place the entries in the appropriate classes for judging based on the information provided on the entry form.

9. Placements of wine and award decisions by the Chief Judge are final. Awards may not be given in all applicable categories based on the number of submissions.

10. The Royal will take price into consideration, allowing each wine to compete against its price peers according to the categories specified. All price categories will have the opportunity to compete for “Grand Champion” awards. All retail prices must be quoted in Canadian dollars.

11. Winners will be offered the opportunity to showcase their wines at the awards ceremony to take place on Monday November 8th of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

Royal Agricultural Winter Fair “Friends of The Greenbelt” Wine Competition 2009

WHITE WINE

Class: 1 – Chardonnay Oaked under $20

1st 2006 Mountain Road Wine Company Chardonnay “Barrel Fermented” Chardonnay

2nd 2007 Mike Weir Winery “Unoaked” Chardonnay

Class: 2 – Chardonnay Oaked $20 and over

1st 2007 Huff Estates “Southbay Vineyards” Chardonnay

2nd 2007 Southbrook Vineyards “Poetica” Chardonnay

3rd 2007 Flat Rock Cellars “The Rusty Shed” Chardonnay

Class: 3 – Chardonnay Unoaked under $20

1st 2008 Creekside Estate Winery “Queenston Road Vineyard” Chardonnay

2nd 2008 Fielding Estate Winery “Unoaked” Chardonnay

Class: 5 – Riesling under $20

1st 2008 Rosehall Run Vineyards Riesling

2nd 2008 Flat Rock Cellars Riesling

3rd 2008 Fielding Estate Winery Riesling

Class: 7 – Aromatic White under $20

1st 2008 Rosewood Estates Winery Gewurztraminer

2nd 2008 Rosewood Estates Winery Semillon

3rd 2008 Fielding Estate Winery Pinot Gris

Class: 9 – White Blend

1st 2008 Fielding Estate Winery “Conception”

2nd 2007 Peninsula Ridge Estates “Equinox”

Class: 11 – Grand Champion White

1st 2008 Rosehall Run Vineyards Riesling

Class: 12 – Greenbelt Award of Excellence – White

1st 2008 Flat Rock Cellars Riesling

RED WINE

Class: 1 – Merlot Under $20

1st 2007 Wayne Gretzky Estates Merlot

2nd 2077 Rosewood Estates Winery Merlot

Class 2 – Merlot Over $20

1st 2008 Southbrook Vineyards “Triomphe” Merlot

Class: 3 – Cabernet Franc under $20

1st 2007 Calamus Estate Winery Cabernet Franc

2nd 2008 Sandbanks Estate Winery Cabernet Franc

Class: 5 – Pinot Noir under $20

1st 2007 Henry of Pelham Family Estate Pinot Noir

Class: 6 – Pinot Noir $20 and over

1st 2007 Flat Rock Cellars “Gravity” Pinot Noir

Class: 9 – Meritage under $20

1st 2007 Creekside Estate Winery Laura “Red”

2nd 2007 Frog Pond Farm Organic Winery Cabernet/Merlot

Class: 10 – Meritage $20 and over

1st 2007 Southbrook Vineyards “Poetica” Cabernet/Merlot

2nd 2006 Alvento Winery Cabernet Franc/Merlot

Class: 11 – Red Blend

1st 2007 Wayne Gretzky Estates Shiraz/Cabernet

Class: 13 – Grand Champion Red

1st 2007 Wayne Gretzky Estates Shiraz/Cabernet

Class: 14 – Greenbelt Award of Excellence – Red

1st 2007 Wayne Gretzky Estates Shiraz/Cabernet

DESSERT

1st 2007 Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery Riesling Icewine

2nd 2007 John Howard Cellars Megalomaniac “Coldhearted” Riesling Icewine