NIAGARA-ON THE-LAKE, Ont. — Wine lovers across Ontario will now be able to buy the exclusive wine of Toronto’s Hockey Hall of Fame.
Previously, the province’s wine drinkers were only able to drink Burnt Ship Bay Estate wines at select Ontario restaurants, golf courses, hotels and the Hockey Hall of Fame in downtown Toronto. The wines are also the premium house wine at the Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara, both in Niagara Falls, Ont. But earlier this year, the company’s Pinot Grigio and Cabernet Merlot were made available at LCBO outlets.
“We have been anticipating this day for quite some time,” said Lou Puglisi, co-owner of the Burnt Ship Bay vineyard project. “Some outstanding wines have been crafted for this label, and we are excited to bring them to a broader audience of wine consumers through the LCBO. Burnt Ship Bay wines have been very well received and we are getting a lot of enquiries.”
Burnt Ship Bay Estate Winery is a partnership between Puglisi and sommelier Marcel Morgenstern. The award-winning wines from Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., include Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Cabernet Merlot and Vidal Icewine. The Pinot Grigio won gold at the All-Canadian Wine Championships.
Puglisi, dubbed Ontario’s Grape King in 2008, also owns Pondview Estate Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake. He partnered with Morgenstern in this new winery project, which produces wine from Estate-grown grapes.
Morgenstern has been selling and promoting VQA Niagara wines for 15 years. “Burnt Ship Bay wines are exceptionally crafted, with close attention to detail in the vineyard and throughout the winemaking process,” he said. “We developed this wine to be on par with the best VQA labels coming out of Ontario but to also be accessible to the average wine consumer.”
Burnt Ship Bay wines are crafted by winemaker Fred DiProfio who has made a name for himself in the Ontario wine industry by winning national and international accolades for his wines.
