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(03/29/06)
MTCC uses unique Wine Council method to select new wine list
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TORONTO, Ontario – March 29, 2006 –The Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) has established a unique new way to select its list of wines for the 2006/2007 event year. Released today (see attached), the list of 70 Canadian, American and international wines was selected based on the ratings provided by a special “Wine Council”, which recently held its first annual meeting and blind wine tasting at the Centre.
The MTCC’s new wine list includes selections from all categories and price points. Henry of Pelham Family Estate Wineries, a family-run winery based in St. Catharines, Ontario, is one of the proud winners, with two wines selected, one a Chardonnay and the other a Riesling. Daniel Speck, one of the winery’s three co-owners, says being chosen by the MTCC is a significant accomplishment.
“For a Canadian boutique operation like ours to be showcased on a serious, quality-minded wine list for a high profile, high volume facility like the MTCC is just fantastic,” he said. “The Centre is the one of the largest single-unit Food & Beverage operation in North America and Toronto is a major international travel destination. This will do a great deal to promote Canadian wines and spread the Henry of Pelham name internationally, while at the same time helping the MTCC to deliver a distinctive experience to its clients, one with true regional flair and identity,” he said.
Richard Willett, the MTCC’s new Vice-President of Food & Beverage, designed the Wine Council format as a way to involve key stakeholders in the important decision of what wine selection is offered to the more than 1 million clients and their guests who wine and dine at the Centre each year. “We wanted to have a variety of palates in the room to make our selection. We believe wines are very personal and are based on individual tastes. We didn’t want to leave it to just one person the way it is usually done in restaurants and hotels,” he added.
Instead, Willett organized the MTCC Wine Council, which is comprised of experts such as local sommeliers and wine agents, as well as friends and staff of the Centre, plus a variety of the Centre’s social, show and convention clients. All together 22 people were in attendance at the wine tasting and rating event, held at the Centre on March 16, 2006. Many wines received top marks. Ranking among the favorites were Vineland Estates 2004 Sauvignon Blanc, Jackson Triggs Grand Reserve Chardonnay, Kendall Jackson Merlot and DuBoeuf Beaujolais Villages.
The group tasted and rated a whopping 194 fine Canadian, American and international wines that day, using a traditional professional wine tasting format of “taste, spit and score”. Council members were asked to give each wine tasted a score, using a system of 5 rating points for its colour, 5 points for its “nose”, and 5 points for its taste, for a total of 15 potential points.
Sommelier Craig Meier assisted the group by providing an introduction to each wine variety in terms of what to look for in that particular category. Categories included Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Ice Wine, Champagne, Shiraz, Merlot and Beaujolais, to name but a few. The wine tasters scored each wine without knowing its name; only the wine category was revealed. “I’ve never seen this done before on such a grand scale, especially in a facility like this.” Meier said. “It’s a really great idea.”
MTCC client Jeff Gilbert, Deputy Executive Officer of the Ontario Libraries Association, said he felt being part of the Wine Council was quite interesting as a process. “We spend a lot on wine as event planners, and it’s great to have some input into the selection we can choose from.”
Anne-Marie Laderoute, Facilities & Presentations Manager of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, couldn’t agree more. “Wines really complement an event and it’s good to know that you’re serving brands which have survived this kind of taste test, especially if you’re an event planner from the U.S. or abroad who is not familiar with Canadian wines.”
More than 100 Canadian, American and international wineries and suppliers were invited to participate in the blind tasting process, with close to 400 wine selections submitted to the request for submissions issued by the MTCC in mid-February. “The suppliers were all excited to have their wines juried,” Willett added. “They were all very confident that they had a good product that would stand up well in juried competition.”
Willett noted that using a competitive process and a Wine Council format to make the wine list selection is just one of the many ways in which the MTCC stands out in the industry. “The MTCC has big volume requirements. We serve about 75,000 bottles of wine annually. We also need a guarantee from the supplier that they can meet our needs for a minimum of one full year. Not all wineries and suppliers can do that. We also require detailed training information on selected wines and their possible food marriages.”
Willett added that other trade show and convention venues tend to have a very small, limited wine list which they offer to event clients. The MTCC is one of only a few facilities in North America to have its own in-house food and beverage operations.
The Centre has an award-winning Executive Chef Angelo Fernandes, a full-time team of more than 99 chefs, cooks and other kitchen staff, and over 18,000 square feet of state-of-the-art kitchens. Fernandes designs distinctive and original menus for each client event, overseeing the creation on-site of up to 10,000 freshly prepared meals each day.
“Our goal is to provide our clients and their organizations with a truly outstanding and memorable event experience,” said Barry Smith, MTCC CEO.
About the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC)
The Metro Toronto Convention Centre is Canada’s #1 trade and convention facility and one of the finest in North America. With more than 2 million square feet of state-of-the-art space, it is considered a world-class, tier-one facility. Since opening in 1984, the MTCC has hosted approximately 10,000 events, entertained nearly 40 million guests and has had a multi-billion dollar direct and indirect economic impact on the City and Province.
For Further Information Please Contact:
Heather Evans Richard Willett
MTCC Marketing Manager MTCC V.P. Food and Beverage
(416) 585-8126 (416) 585-8303
Please download the full article, for pictures and to view the MTCC Wine Selections for 2006-2007
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