We talk taxes with MPP Sam Oosterhoff and I'm looking for your wines!

If you're in the Ontario wine business you'll want to listen to Sam and I speak about the current situation with the government in this Province. MPP Sam Oosterhoff was kind enough to find time in his busy schedule to speak with me.

Also, below is what I sent out last week. I want your wines! see below:

In the past, many of you may know I ran an awards and annual report for the Sommelier group S.O.S.A. Well, this fall I’m going about things a little differently. I’m not sure that anyone needs another wine competition, nor all the entry fees that this can lead to. What I’m doing this year is a list of “25 Top Wines of the Year” (the list will be larger in the future but the 25 top entries will be highlighted this year). I know 2020 was a pretty great vintage and after a few consistent years (without having to think of 2022’s outcome) it would be great to have entries only from current releases, but I will be open this year to “dealer’s choice”. 

 So far, what I’ve been doing is growing my audience (and thank you for listening by the way) in anticipation for what will be an annual “best of” list, highlighting chosen wines to round out the “the seven” chosen varietals plus that I’ll be looking into. The difference with what I’ll be doing this year – what I have not done yet – is promoting specific wines and the wineries from which they hail. 

 For all 25 wines and wineries chosen:
- I will be doing in-depth podcast episodes with each of you, twice throughout the year
- the wines chosen later this fall will appear and stay on my website (soon TBA) for the year. 
- plus promotion tied to your winery for the year you appear on the review.

I will not be asking for any entry fees, as this is a waste of good money for those who really can’t afford to be entering every single possible promotional venue out there – only to be left out of the list of winners. And also, to be completely transparent, I will be choosing from submissions – not paid submissions.

The varietals to be considered this year are:
- Chardonnay
- Riesling
- Cabernet Franc
- Gamay
- Pinot Noir
- Vidal
- Baco Noir as well as a general “Sparkling” category. 

What I’m hoping we can achieve is more of a personal story about all of you and the incredible wines you create. I know this is a "hand sell" and word of mouth business (until things can open up a little more for what we thought we had in the first place, “free enterprise” but that’s another story to be continued) but what I’m going to be doing, is what other wine writers have been doing for you day in and day out – only you and I will be talking together so everyone can hear from the winemakers themselves, what went into creating the great wines Ontario has to offer. I will be ensuring that this podcast carries on all year – even when you are all taking a well-deserved vacation at the end of this year or beginning of the next. I firmly believe that continuing the discussion about Ontario wines week in and week out is the key to forcing that door open a little more each week and bringing your message to the people of Ontario and far beyond – but I’d really like to turn all those Toronto folks into mass consumers!

 If you’d like to send me your wines for consideration (you can enter as many categories as you wish) just respond to this email or you can message me @rockandgrapes on Instagramand we can hammer out all the logistical details to get your wines to my front door. Please remember that I am happy to receive all the wines you wish to submit and they will all be reviewed within their chosen categories. After I have worked my way through them, the chosen wineries will be contacted and we will discuss the coming year’s events. I’m very excited and hopeful about what we are doing together