As we’ve stated in previous rants, Ottawa is making strides to become a “wine town” but still has a ways to go. For example, predictability in restaurant wine lists is still a problem. The average restaurant-goer may not be able to put his finger on the problem—just a vague feeling of déjà vu-- but for those in the know about wine, it’s disheartening to sit down at a restaurant, open the wine list and see that every selection comes from one agency. Good on the agency sales rep for gaining the trust of the restaurant manager enough to have the whole list put entirely in their hands. They’re simply doing their job. But really it’s a bit like having an entire wardrobe from Tommy Hilfiger.
So here is a message to restaurant owners and managers: You take a lot of care with your food, your décor and your service. Isn’t it about time you had more concern in your wine list instead of leaving it up to someone with a financial vested interest? For some, there may be a genuine trust in a certain sales rep. For many, though it’s simply a lack of education about wine among restaurant management and staff. There are lots of places in the city to get educated about wine (we’ll be doing a feature on that subject next issue), but it seems those responsible for buying the wines in restaurants are reluctant to take advantage of it. But the times are changing, and diners are becoming increasingly savvy. Just as they expect excellence in the food, they expect the same from wine lists—variety and excitement, something out of the ordinary.
Formal education aside, it has been a problem in this town even to get restaurant and hotel wine buyers to come out to trade tastings, where they can taste products and make informed decisions about what they do and do not want on their list. Poor turnouts means Ottawa is often left out when it comes to the travelling trade shows that crisscross the nation. (These shows often include a public tasting in the evening after the afternoon trade show, so the general public misses out as well). Several years ago, there was a fantastic 2000 Burgundy tasting for the trade. The turnout was so paltry it was an embarrassment to anyone in the wine trade here. The fact didn’t go unnoticed, and the Burgundians haven’t been back since. Once I went to a tasting of stellar Australian wines that included the heralded Grange (Australia’s most expensive wine) and lunch. In all, about 18 excellent wines were poured. The turnout for that event? Six people. No wonder trade shows give Ottawa a miss.
It feels a bit inappropriate to complain about the lack of wine events after the atypically busy spring we’ve had: VQA, California, New Zealand, Austria. Less than impressive attendance made the events pleasant and relaxed for the tasters, but not ideal for the exhibitors. Similar tastings in Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary would have you elbowing your way to the tables to get to the happily busy wine reps pouring the wine for cash-in-hand potential customers. The welcome increase in wine trade shows is largely due to the diligence of Sean Moher and his team at Groovy Grapes who organize many of these events.
But there needs to be even more such events, if everyone is to get on the same page in this town and take wine to the next level. We at FoodMODE, in partnership with the Vendange Institute would like to do something to help. We propose regular bimonthly New Product Tastings for the trade. For a small fee, wine agencies will present only products that are new on the market to restaurant and hotel wine buyers at one central location. It’s a great opportunity for agents to sample their new products on a regular basis to those people they’re trying to reach, without running all over town (a bonus with the price of gas these days). For wine buyers, it’s a chance to really be informed about ALL of the latest products out there in a time-efficient manner, all in one place and no time wasted trying things they’ve already had. This programme has been running very successfully in Vancouver and Montreal for years.
So we’d like to hear from you, the wine buyers and sales reps. Is this an idea that interests you? When is the best day/time to run such tastings? Let us know what you think by emailing
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Let’s try to put Ottawa on the map as a vibrant and dynamic wine town.
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