Erie Shore Vineyard and Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery have plans for your Sunday’s this summer.

Every Sunday during July and August, in the At Erie Shore Vineyard pavilion enjoy talented local musicians while taking in the Erie Shore lake breezes, vineyard view and wine by the glass.

The pavillion will be open between from 12-5pm, music from 2-4pm every Sunday. Cost will be a donation to local musicians and wine wll be available to purchase by the glass.

Just down the road at Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery, they will have live entertainment on the patio and grass overlooking beautiful Lake Erie and cooking demonstrations begining at noon. Featured entertainment every Sunday between 12 – 4PM. There is no charge for this. Wine by the glass, food samples, and picnic baskets will be available for purchase every Sunday starting July 4th and ending September 13th

Court of Master Sommelier Introductory Sommelier Course & Exam and Certified Sommelier Exam This September in Toronto

The Court of Master Sommeliers will be conducting the Introductory Sommelier Course & Exam on Saturday, September 11th; Sunday, September 12th and the Certified Sommelier Exam on September 13th at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, ON.

The Introductory Course is the first tier of education and examining conducted by the Court of Master Sommeliers. This two day program consists of tastings and a fast paced review all the world’s major wine regions, viticulture and vinification, spirits, and proper wine service. The Deductive Tasting Method, used in all upper level Master Sommelier examinations, is also introduced and extensively practiced. The course culminates with a written 70 question theory examination.

The intention of the Introductory Sommelier Course is to provide a hospitality professional with a very well-rounded beverage expertise following the most rigorous standards. In preparation, it’s recommended that students acquire a good encyclopedia, such as The Wine Bible, by Karen McNeill. The basic points of beer and spirits production should be covered as well.

The Certified Sommelier Exam is the second tier in the Court of Master Sommeliers four tiers of exams. The Certified Sommelier Exam, a one-day exam only with three portions: a blind wine tasting of two wines, a written examination of twenty-five questions covering the world of wine, and a service exam requiring the candidate to exhibit sales and service skills, including the safe and correct opening of a champagne bottle. There is no classroom work involved so we strongly suggest you have a minimum if three years in the industry for this program. Not having any industry background at this level will make the exam extremely challenging.

Please note, it is the policy of the American Chapter of the Court that everyone, without exception, must pass the Introductory Course & Exam before sitting the Certified Sommelier Examination. Candidates can register for just the Introductory Course & Exam or the Introductory and Certified Sommelier Exam. If however you do not successfully complete the Introductory Exam you cannot sit the Certified and all but a $40 (US) administrative fee will be refunded.

If registering for both levels we strongly recommend you are proficient in wine theory, service and tasting skills.

THE MASTER SOMMELIER PROGRAM
The Master Sommelier credential is the most internationally recognized credential for beverage sales and service. The Introductory Sommelier Course is open to all beverage professionals who are interested in pursing the highest standards of wine service and product knowledge in a dining room setting. Candidates come from restaurant, wholesale and retail backgrounds.

The Introductory Sommelier Course, with a 95% pass rate, is the prerequisite for the Certification Sommelier Exam, which has a 62% pass rate and the Advanced Course & Examination which has an average pass rate approximately of 25%. Candidates who pass the Advanced Course are then qualified to take the Master Sommelier Examination itself. The pass rate for the M.S. exam is approximately 5% of the candidates.

Invitation and Registration Information
We invite you to participate in the Court of Master Sommeliers Introductory Sommelier Course taking place September 11-12, 2010 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, ON. The cost for the program and exam is $495.00 US.

To register with Visa, MasterCard or Discover, please visit the website at www.mastersommeliers.org and complete the online registration form. To register by check, please print the online form and mail with check or money order in the amount of $495.00 US to the address below:
Court of Master Sommeliers
Attn: ON Introductory Course
PO Box 6170
Napa, CA 94581

For inquiries about this program please visit the website or contact Kathleen Lewis, Executive Director at klewis@mastersommeliers.org.

During its summer promotion, Ready Set Summer, LCBO is featuring a diverse line-up of new products, including flavoured vodkas, retro-inspired one-pour cocktails, as well as low calorie and classic coolers. The promotion, which runs until July 17 in all 613 stores across Ontario, showcases cocktails and ready-to-drink products as host-friendly entertaining solutions.

“Because staying home is the new going out, our customers want to be ‘in the know’ when it comes to stylish, casual entertaining,” says Bob Downey, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, LCBO. “To make it easy for them we are showcasing the hottest trends in summer beverages, including new flavoured vodkas, classic mixed drinks like Jack Daniels and Cola, and cocktails made with retro flavours like root beer.”

LCBO is introducing five new flavoured vodkas available exclusively for summer – Burnett’s Sweet Tea, Hound Dog Sweet Tea Peach, Sweet Carolina Raspberry Sweet Tea, and retro-inspired Three Olives Bubble (a fusion of tootie fruity fruit flavours) and Three Olives Root Beer. In addition to these releases, new offerings such as Finlandia Grapefruit Fusion Vodka, Smirnoff Twist of White Grape and Absolut Berri Asai Vodka will be available year-round.

As consumers find themselves more pressed for time than ever, ready-to-drink products, such as cocktails-to-go, coolers and one-pour-cocktails, have become popular choices as hosts only have to “chill, pour, serve” when entertaining. This season’s products include blasts from the past, like Jack Daniels and Cola, Vex Electric Lemonade (blue Curacao and lime), Captain Morgan Long Island Iced Tea and Bacardi Classic Cocktail Strawberry Daiquiri. Retro flavours also make an appearance with Woody’s Sasparilla and Woody’s Refresher (cream soda-flavoured.)

And for the health and calorie conscious consumer, the trend is to mix spirits, like vodka, rum, whisky and gin with soda, resulting in a tasty drink that is approximately 65 calories. LCBO is also introducing a selection of low calorie ready-to-drink options (under 100 calories) including Smirnoff Ice Light, Mike’s Hard Lemonade Light and Woody’s 99 Orange.

Customers can discover how to create simple and refreshing mixed drinks in the Ready Set Summer Guide to Sensational Summer Drinks, available free in LCBO stores with the purchase of any spirit or ready-to-drink product while quantities last. This 30-page booklet features 24 simple summer drink recipes and information on new trends, one-pour cocktails and other ready-to-drink products.

LCBO will also be featuring these new recipes on its Cocktail Lounge, a permanent online destination for cocktail and mocktail recipes, bartending tips and entertaining ideas, at www.lcbo.com. The Cocktail Lounge provides an ever-expanding recipe database, timely event listings and product information.

Customers can also take part in various tasting events in LCBO stores across the province. See lcbo.com for details.

For more information about LCBO’s Ready Set Summer promotion, entertaining ideas and responsible hosting tips, call the toll-free LCBO Infoline at 1-800-ONT-LCBO (668-5226). In Toronto, call (416) 365-5900 or visit your nearest LCBO store. The TTY number for the deaf and hard of hearing is 416-864-6898 or 1-800-361-3291.

LCBO reminds consumers to please drink responsibly and to never consume alcohol when driving or boating. Also, bring a reusable bag when shopping at the LCBO and return empty beverage alcohol containers (large and small glass bottles, PET plastic, Tetra Paks, bag-in-box and cans) to The Beer Store for a full deposit refund.

I also have to try their pizza! Here are the details:

June 5 & 6
11:00am – 3:00pm

Join us on the patio, where Chef Shawn Newmaster from Il Cavallino Bistro will be preparing:

Lunch
Muscedere Grilled Pizza – $5.00

Available Styles
Cheese
Vegetarian

Dessert
Homemade Gelato – $3.00

Available Flavours
Organic Raspberry-Peach
Limoncello
Bacio (chocolate & hazelnut)
Strawberry

Wine accounted for 29 per cent of the dollar value of alcoholic beverages sold in Canada last year, up 11 per cent from where it stood in 1993 and a whopping 92 per cent from 1976 levels, Statistics Canada figures released Tuesday suggest.

Red and rose wines are particularly popular, accounting for 64 per cent of all national wine sales, StatsCan reported.

Beer still remains Canada’s beverage of choice, claiming 46 per cent of the country’s booze market, but the numbers show its popularity having sagged over the past 16 years.

The shifting national tastes are in part the result of Canada’s ever-broadening tastes, said Chris Layton, a spokesman for the Liquor Control Board of Ontario.

In litres of absolute alcohol – pure alcohol, free of water – the agency says the volume of sales of alcoholic beverages increased 1.6 per cent to 226.4 million litres.

But while beer by far remained the most popular alcoholic beverage in terms of both volume and dollar value, StatsCan says its market share declined.

In 1993, beer peaked at 53 per cent of dollar sales and wine accounted for 18; by 2009, the market share of beer had declined to 46 per cent, while wine had captured 29.

Beer stores and agencies sold 2.3 billion litres of beer in 2009, a 0.9 per cent increase from the previous year. Per-capita beer sales have dropped 28 per cent from their peak of 115.2 litres in 1976 to 83.5 litres in 2009.

The growth in sales volume of imported beer continued to outpace that of domestic products. The volume of imported beer sold increased 7.8 per cent in 2009, while domestic beer sales stayed the same.

By volume, imported beer has more than doubled its market share in the last decade. In 2009, imported beer had captured 13 per cent of the beer market in Canada, up from six per cent in 1999.

Layton said the numbers reflect a growing demand for quality and consumers who are becoming more adventurous in their beer choices.

“You will see people moving from larger-selling brands to the premium-style brands,” he said. “What we’ve seen, interestingly enough, is not only increased sales of imported beers but also in craft beers.”

That may also be partially driven by demographics, he added.

Baby boomers with money to spend are more willing to invest their spare dollars in exotic beers and wines that may have been beyond their means in their younger days, Layton said.

The agency says the net income recorded by liquor authorities, combined with other alcohol-related revenue such as liquor licences and permits, reached $5.4 billion in 2009, up 3.6 per cent.

Saskatchewan, Nunavut and Nova Scotia reported the largest increases.

Liquor stores and agencies sold $4.9 billion worth of spirits during the year ending March 31, 2009, up 2.9 per cent from the previous year. This gain was due mainly to a 5.6 per cent increase in vodka sales.

The volume of sales of spirits decreased 0.2 per cent in 2009 to 210.3 million litres.

Original article can be found here.