October 25, 2024 (St. Catharines): The Grape Growers of Ontario, with the Honourable Speaker of the Legislature and MPP for Wellington-Halton Hills, Ted Arnott, hosted the 45th Annual Wine Tasting event at Queen’s Park on Wednesday, October 23rd. The following have been chosen as the official wines of Ontario’s Legislative Assembly for 2025:
Sparkling Wine: 2019 Traditional Sparkling Rose by Fielding Estate Winery, Beamsville Bench
Red Wine: 2022 Cabernet Franc by Fielding Estate Winery, Beamsville Bench
White Wine: 2022 Lailey White by Lailey Winery, Niagara River
“As the legacy partner of the Legislature’s wine tasting event, the Grape Growers of Ontario thank the Hon. Speaker Arnott for continuing the tradition of choosing the official VQA wines of the Legislative Assembly for the coming year,” said Matthias Oppenlaender, Chair. “Our agriculture value-added industry is rooted in the land, and the Grape Growers of Ontario look forward to continuing to work with the Government of Ontario to support Ontario’s grape and wine industry. Congratulations to Fielding Estate Winery and Lailey Winery on their wines being selected.”
“The wines showcased at this event reflect the connection between 100% Ontario grown grapes and the winemakers who craft them. We congratulate all of Ontario’s wineries on producing top-quality VQA wines and thank the 50 MPP’s, and over 200 guests along with the six wineries who participated in this year’s tasting,” said Debbie Zimmerman, CEO.
“We were in good company on Wednesday at Queen’s Park for the annual tasting. We are very pleased to have two Fielding wines selected for the 2025 wine list. 2025 is an exciting year for us as we celebrate 20 years of crafting premium small lot wines, and we can’t think of a greater honour than to have our Sparkling Rose and Cabernet Franc in the Legislature for all to enjoy. Cheers!” Said Heidi Feilding, Director of Marketing, Fielding Estate Winery.
"The historic Lailey Winery is among the oldest and smallest family-run wineries in Niagara-the-Lake. The Lailey White was made with one hundred percent, hand-harvested estate grown grapes from our low-yielding 40-year-old vines. With its floral notes and crisp acidity, this easy drinking wine is equally at home paired with a wide variety of dishes as it is enjoyed on its own. We are tremendously proud that it will be poured at Queen's Park for the 2025 season and showing the level of quality that 100% Ontario grown wine can provide." Said Faik Turkmen, owner/president, Lailey Winery.
Members of Provincial Parliament gathered to select the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s official VQA wines to be served at legislative functions throughout 2025. Participants tasted and marked their preferences on a voting ballot to determine which wines would be selected from six Ontario VQA wineries. The Grape Growers of Ontario thank the Honourable Speaker Ted Arnott and look forward to continuing the tradition of the Legislative Wine Tasting.
The Grape Growers of Ontario is the official organization that represents over 500 actively producing farm families of 18,000 acres in the province’s three viticulture areas: Niagara Peninsula, Lake Erie North Shore and Prince Edward County, and emerging regions across Ontario.