March 13, 2003

PROPOSED NON-TRADITIONAL AREA AMATEUR GRAPE WINE AWARDS

Participants:

Amateur Winemakers of Ontario, Prince Edward County Winegrowers Association, and Central Ontario Viniculture Association. These awards would be available to any member of the Amateur Winemakers of Ontario.

Basic idea:

To create special awards at the annual competition of the Amateur Winemakers of Ontario along the lines of the Ontario Grape Growers Marketing Board awards, but restricted to specific areas. This would create the following synergies:

- It would be another award that could be presented to deserving amateur winemakers at the Provincial Championships
- It would encourage amateur winemakers in Ontario to purchase fruit from growers in the growing areas involved
- It would facilitate an exchange of ideas between the groups involved which would surely lead to winemakers joining the ranks of growers, and growers becoming winemakers. It is quite possible to extend the close relationships that exist between many AWO members and small Niagara commercial growers and wineries to other areas.

Definition of areas:

The geographical areas will be as defined by each of Prince Edward County Winegrowers Association and the Central Ontario Viniculture Association. The awards are only valid for grapes sourced 100% from within each designated area.

The Awards:

Each growers association would determine the appropriate award, subject to AWO approval. This could range from a certificate, to a plaque, to a trophy. The award would be of a "keeper" nature. The first awards would be targeted to the Provincial Championships in Peterborough in 2004, which competition I am Chairperson of. I would make myself responsible for coordinating and implementing these awards, and for communications. The awards (if any) would be presented at the same time as the OGGMB awards, or sent to the winner after the case. The awards should mention both the AWO and the specific area, as agreed.

Funding:

These awards would be funded entirely, including any necessary mailing costs, by the growers associations involved. The cost could run from a few dollars to as high as each association would independently choose to invest each year.

Methodology:

There is no need to create any further classes in AWO competitions. The only eligible entries would be those that proceed through normal Club Competition to the Provincial Competition of the Amateur Winemakers of Ontario. The highest scoring wine from either of the areas must win at least a "Merit" award at the Provincial Competition to be eligible. It is thus possible that an award would not be issued in a particular year. The awards would be given to the single entry which has the highest aggregate score awarded by AWO judges in the normal scoring of those particular entry classes in the competition. The club which has forwarded the entry to the AWO Provincials would be responsible for ensuring that the entry designated as a potential PECWA or COVA award was indeed from the specified area and from 100% grapes and further that it fit the rest of the stipulations for each AWO class. The changes to AWO processing procedures could be quite simple.

The column for 100% Ontario content in an AWO entry can take either yes, no, pec or cova as an answer. Any entry that qualifies as either pec or cova would by definition be 100% Ontario grapes, and eligible as well for OGGMB awards. The PECWA and COVA awards would only be eligible for those classes that are already considered for OGGMB awards, namely dry table wines: white, red and rose.

Larry Paterson
GROWWINE AWO CLUB

Chair, AWO Convention 2004 Peterborough

COVA Home Wine Growers www.littlefatwino.com