Summer sure seems slow coming this year with cool days and frequent overnight frosts throughout most of May. Hopefully by the time you read this warm weather will have arrived and the outdoor patio wine sipping scene will be in full swing.
By all accounts, the Annual General Meeting (AGM) was one of the best in recent years. I am sorry to have missed it but appreciate Bill Ellis filling in for me on short notice. I would like to express my sincere thanks to outgoing directors Rutha Astravas, Martin Carriere, Pierre Fournier, Joe Hatz and Antonio Mauriello for their years of dedicated service on the Board. Welcome to incoming directors Ian Duncan, David Skinner, Rod Story and Nicole Vallee. They bring a wealth of varied experience to the Board and are already making their presence felt. It is refreshing to see how new people with fresh ideas and enthusiasm can invigorate the whole group. The coming year should be an exciting one.
An excellent outing to consider this summer is visiting some of the six wineries in the Ottawa valley. The Eastern Ontario Wine Producers Association (AVEO) was formed to assist development of a local grapegrowing culture using vine species adapted to cool climates that don’t need any winter protection and to educate the public on the region’s wine-making potential. This year, AVEO is developing an Ottawa Valley Wine Route and publishing a tour map. For more information, visit their Web site at http://site.voila.fr/aveo/. July and August are traditionally slow months for the Guild with people away on vacation or busy with other activities. We organize special outdoor events for summer that are always well attended and this year is no exception.
With last year’s retirement of the Cavalier family who hosted the Guild’s annual Mechoui for many years, we were hard put to come up with a suitable replacement. Thanks to the efforts of Joe Hatz, Maureen Murphy and member Sylvain de Margerie, a worthy successor is in the works. Sylvain, a prominent member of the Slow Food Society (SFS), suggested holding a joint event in late July where the SFS will provide the food and the Guild the wine. It will be held at a local lawn bowling club close to public transit and with lots of parking. Full details can be found in this newsletter. Book early as there are a limited number of tickets available.
To register for an event, click the Register for this Event button on the event's description page. This will take you to the EventBrite registration page.
The National Capital Sommelier Guild strongly supports moderate and responsible consumption of wine and spirits. Guild dinner events allow a designated driver to attend at a reduced price. The designated driver will not be served alcohol. Guild tasting events provide and encourage the use of spit buckets.
"Wine is bottled poetry." — Robert Louis Stevenson
