Put on your party attire, fire up the laptop and get ready to celebrate the Ontario VQA wine industry as Brock University moves its annual Cuv\u00e9e event online.<\/p>\n
The Cuv\u00e9e 2020 Online Experience launches on Friday, May 22 at cuvee.ca.<\/a> The virtual experience will feature the 48 wineries, 12 restaurants and seven breweries\/cideries that were originally slated to take part in the physical Grand Tasting experience last month. The free online experience does not require tickets and will be accessible until the next Cuv\u00e9e.<\/p>\n In videos created exclusively for the experience, participating winemakers virtually pour and reveal what they chose as their favourite wines for Cuv\u00e9e, give pairing tips and share unique product signature styles that make their choices truly special.<\/p>\n A link to each participating winery, brewery\/cidery and culinary partners\u2019 online store will also be featured, so guests can bring the complete Cuv\u00e9e Grand Tasting experience into their living rooms by placing online orders at any time.<\/p>\n Niagara band Jonesy<\/a> also contributed a special performance video for the online experience so guests can dance the night away in an at-home version of Apr\u00e8s Cuv\u00e9e.<\/p>\n Organized by Brock\u2019s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI), Cuv\u00e9e was originally scheduled to take place on April 25 but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Barb Tatarnic, Manager of Cuv\u00e9e, says organizers worked hard to develop a fun, virtual experience so wine-lovers could still celebrate an experience they look forward to all year.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat makes Cuv\u00e9e special is its ability to bring the industry together in celebration of excellence in the Ontario VQA wine industry and, in 2020, our guests can still do that virtually, whenever they want,\u201d she says. \u201cGet dressed up in your best gala attire \u2014 or stay in your sweats, go to cuvee.ca<\/a>, and get ready to meet our industry partners, listen to their stories, and learn more about the labour of love that drives their craft.\u201d<\/p>\n Tatarnic also says the experience helps support the wineries, breweries and restaurants that are being directly impacted by the pandemic, financially and otherwise.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough no one could have imagined the challenges brought about by COVID-19, it is important to now stand together, while apart, and support local industry,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Thomas Bachelder, Winemaker and Co-owner at Bachelder Niagara and Winemaker, at Le Clos Jordanne, is thrilled the opportunity to gather virtually with colleagues and friends can still take place.<\/p>\n \u201cCuv\u00e9e is a moment in time \u2014 a brief shining moment, once a year \u2014 where all come together as one collegial community,\u201d he says. \u201cWe have learned how to reach out and hug our fellow human beings virtually, and to all of you who have dreamt your \u2018Cuv\u00e9es\u2019 into being\u00a0but are not able to physically be together to pour them, to all of us, we say \u2018Sant\u00e9.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Cuv\u00e9e also serves to honour and acknowledge successes and breakthroughs in the industry and advance vital grape and wine research \u2014 something CCOVI Director Debbie Inglis says is important now more than ever.<\/p>\n \u201cBringing Cuv\u00e9e online showcases Brock\u2019s ability to still support and celebrate our VQA wine industry while it navigates unprecedented challenges,\u201d she says. \u201cBeing able to raise a glass together, even if only virtually, will unite us and help us emerge stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n The Cuv\u00e9e Online Experience also coincides with the #30DaysofVQA, an initiative created by Wine Country Ontario to promote the province\u2019s VQA wine industry.<\/strong><\/p>\n Proceeds from Cuv\u00e9e support the Cuv\u00e9e Legacy Fund, established to fund industry-driven research initiatives and scholarships for students. This year\u2019s Cuv\u00e9e Hosting Award for Academic Excellence recipient is Brock Oenology and Viticulture student Jessica Oppenlaender. All of the 2020 industry-related Cuv\u00e9e awards will be presented at the next Cuv\u00e9e.<\/p>\n