{"id":110925,"date":"2026-07-23T15:49:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T19:49:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=110925"},"modified":"2026-07-23T15:49:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T19:49:29","slug":"ccovi-shares-industry-expertise-at-cool-climate-chardonnay-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2026\/07\/ccovi-shares-industry-expertise-at-cool-climate-chardonnay-celebration\/","title":{"rendered":"CCOVI shares industry expertise at cool climate Chardonnay celebration"},"content":{"rendered":"

Expertise from Brock University\u2019s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) took flight last week, bringing wine education to the community and inspiring wine enthusiasts to explore the style and elegance of one of Ontario’s key grape varieties: Chardonnay.<\/p>\n

Held from July 16 to 19, the 16th annual International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (i4C)<\/a> gathered cool climate wine producers from Ontario and around the world to share their passion for the unique grape variety.<\/p>\n

A long-standing i4C supporter and collaborator, CCOVI presented \u201cWhat Kind of Cool Are You\u201d (WKOCAY) during Friday Night Flights at Niagara District Airport in Niagara-on-the-Lake.<\/p>\n

For CCOVI\u2019s Manager of Professional Studies and Outreach Barb Tatarnic, the interactive educational experience is all about guiding guests on a journey of self-discovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cFriday Night Flights gives us the opportunity to connect with guests of the i4C who are new to Chardonnay as well as enthusiasts who are diving deeper into their understanding of the unique varietal,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

At the WKOCAY table, event attendees taste four Chardonnays guided by CCOVI experts. Each Chardonnay falls under one of four styles: crisp, fruity, smooth and rich.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

Brock University\u2019s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute participated in the 16th annual School of Cool event, a cornerstone of the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (i4C) that offers participants from industry and media an educational experience featuring panels with wine producers and professionals. Chris Waters, CCOVI Instructor and Wine Writer for \u201cThe Globe and Mail\u201d moderated a panel titled \u201cPop Quiz: Sparkling Edition.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cWhen guests decide which style they prefer \u2014 or what kind of \u2018cool\u2019 they are \u2014 we present them with a card that lists all the Chardonnays being poured at the event that fall under their preferred category. Essentially, we give guests a personalized roadmap to help them discover their favourite ‘style’ of Chardonnay from the more than 100 different Chardonnays being poured from around the world at the event,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Year after year, guests return to CCOVI\u2019s table during the Friday evening event to continue their wine discovery journey, with many having visited wineries they learned about at i4C.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have hosted the WKOCAY event for the i4C for more than a decade, which speaks volumes to the enduring quality and value we deliver to the community. We have many people return to our table to do this tasting experience every single year, often bringing their friends so they too can discover their style preference,\u201d said Tatarnic.<\/p>\n

As Chardonnay is such a versatile grape variety capable of producing distinct styles of wines, the initiative presents an opportunity to bring wine education to the community in a fun and engaging way.<\/p>\n

“CCOVI has been an important partner of i4C for many years, and together we’ve always shared a commitment to helping people better understand cool climate Chardonnay. Friday Night Flights is the perfect setting for WKOCAY because it gives guests the opportunity to taste through different styles, learn something new and discover just how diverse and exciting Ontario Chardonnay has become. It’s exactly the kind of experience i4C was created to inspire,\u201d said Trisha Molokach, i4C Event Director.<\/p>\n

Also part of the i4C Education Committee, CCOVI participates annually in the School of Cool, a cornerstone of the i4C weekend that that offers participants from industry and media the opportunity to learn from wine producers and professionals.<\/p>\n

Taylor MaGee, CCOVI Operations Coordinator, said it was motivating to see how the Institute\u2019s contributions to Canada\u2019s grape and wine industry were woven into various elements of this year\u2019s educational programming.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the presence of many impressive CCOVI graduates who are now influential winemakers to advancing knowledge in sparkling wine production through CCOVI\u2019s Fizz Club<\/a>, the School of Cool reinforced the strong partnerships between Brock and the wider industry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, both Tatarnic and MaGee are energized by the momentum of i4C initiatives to continue sharing the stories of cool climate wine regions \u2014 \u00a0like Ontario \u2014\u00a0with the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are thrilled to continue our partnership with the i4C and help bring more awareness in the community as to how our Canadian industry moves the needle in innovative cool climate grape growing and winemaking,\u201d Tatarnic said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Expertise from Brock University\u2019s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) took flight last week, bringing wine education to the community and inspiring wine enthusiasts to explore the style and elegance of one of Ontario’s key grape varieties: Chardonnay.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":110927,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[41,1],"tags":[3853,11806,61,8115,15215,14767,15216],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110925"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110925"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110931,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110925\/revisions\/110931"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}