The 7th annual Judgement of Kingston winetasting event took place on Saturday, 5 November, at the Marriott Residence Inn (Water’s Edge). This year featured a blind-tasting of traditional-method sparkling wines from Prince Edward County and the Niagara Peninsula. Arriving guests were treated with Rosehall Run's Ceremony and the 13th Street Winery's 2019 Blanc de Blanc, definitely crowd pleasers.
Following careful tasting the three judges – sommelier Jacky Blisson, MW from Montreal and Andrew McArthur from Toronto, joined by County sommelier, Thierry Alcantara – declared the Henry of Pelham, Niagara Peninsula VQA, Cuvée Catherine as #1, followed by as Huff Estates Winery, Prince Edward County VQA, Cuvée Peter 2018 as #2, with 3rd place going to Broken Stone, Prince Edward County VQA Amour 2018. The #1 choice based on audience balloting was the Cuvée Catherine.
Commenting, Dr Lubomyr Luciuk, the JoK chairman, said: “Our group is made up of volunteers and wine enthusiasts committed to promoting culinary tourism and highlighting the outstanding wines of The County compared with other great wine-making regions. As well we've always also tried to use this event to raise money for charities – this year, thanks to our supporting wineries, sponsors like the Frontenac Club, the VQA and our guests, we've raised $5,ooo for the St Vincent de Paul Society of Kingston and $5,000 for the StoreHouse food bank in Wellington. In effect we've doubled our donations when compared to last year's event. It’s hard to imagine a more satisfying way in which to celebrate the great autumn we're all enjoying while also supporting fellow citizens who need some help. From modest beginnings, 7 years ago, we've turned this into Kingston's premier wine-tasting event - not surprisingly, enthusiastic planning for JoK 2023 has already begun!"