Judgement of Kingston 2020 celebrates Ontario chardonnays
L to R: Bob Burkholder (Judgement of Kingston), Bill Welychka (MC), Ronda Candy
(Director of Martha’s Table), Rachel Mathies (Judgement of Kingston) and Dr. Lubomyr Luciuk (Judgement of Kingston). Photo by Joanna Castles.
Each year, the Judgement of Kingston offers attendees the chance to explore the world of wine, comparing similar wines from different wineries while also raising funds for local charities.
This year, the annual event was not open to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, that didn’t stop the event taking place, and some wonderful chardonnays were sampled in a blind tasting on Saturday, Nov.7, 2020.
An independent panel of top sommeliers from the County came together – observing all required Public Health regulations – and compared chardonnays from the Niagara region and Prince Edward County. Sommeliers included Lorie O’Sullivan, Emily Pearce, and Nabilah Rawji were joined by Master of Ceremonies Bill Welychka and, after lengthy debate, the judges decided on their top three chardonnays:
- Leaning Post 2017 Wismer-Foxcroft Chardonnay took the top spot
- 2018 Trail Estate Vintage Three Chardonnay came second
- Mineralité de Niagara Chardonnay 2018, by Thomas Bachelder, came in third
The Leaning Post chardonnay also took the first place public vote.
L to R: Rachel Mathies, Lorie O’Sullivan (judge), Emily Pearce
(judge), Dr L Luciuk, Bob Burkholder, Nabilah Rawji (judge) and
MC Bill Welychka. Photo by Joanna Castles.
The all-volunteer Judgement of Kingston 2020 team invited donations to support local charities during the event. According to Prof. Lubomyr Luciuk, $3,000 was raised for Martha’s Table in Kingston, and $1,000 was raised to support The StoreHouse, a food bank in Wellington, Prince Edward County.
“County wines have consistently demonstrated, over several years, just how good they are, and, as our judges noted, they have been getting better and better every year,” Luciuk said. “We are truly grateful to all of the winemakers from Niagara and The County who supported this year’s Judgement of Kingston event, allowing us to showcase great Canadian wines and, at the same time, raise funds to help those of our neighbours who find themselves in need.”
Next year, the Judgement of Kingston will take place on November 6, 2021, and will offer the public a chance to taste some of the best pinot noirs of British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley compared with pinots from The County. For more information on the event, visit their website at judgementofkingston.ca.