Niagara Tour Reveals Canadian Wine Industry
Seven days touring the Niagara wine region last summer introduced students from Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts in Brandon to wine production as part of their Culinary Arts or Hotel & Restaurant Management programs.
During the tour of vineyards and wineries students sampled different wines, learned about grape varieties and explored wine and food pairings.
“ We got a lot out of every aspect of it,” says Amy Bonchuk.“ It was a huge value to what we learned in our classroom.”
For Lance Cory the trip gave him a much better understanding of how the food, wine and hospitality industries all complement each other.“ As a Culinary student, I went there not even knowing the difference between red or white,” says Cory.“ Now I know grape varieties and different types of wines.”
That knowledge has helped him in his career with a local restaurant.“ I do wine dinners,” says Cory.“ And now I know if I’ m doing this salad, a nice Pinot Grigio will go well with it.“
Bonchuk was surprised by the extent of the Canadian wine industry.“ Coming from Manitoba we do not have a full appreciation for the quality of wine that Canada can produce,” she says. Bonchuk, who plans to open an eatery featuring local ingredients, says Canadian wines will definitely be on the menu.
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Photo( L-R): Amy Bonchuck, Amanda Dietrich and Lance Cory showcased Niagara wines at the Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts 5th Annual International Wine and Food festival on January 29, 2009. The students showcased three exclusive wine and food pairings from Southbrook, Stratus and Niagara College wineries to 250 guests.