LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2023

Diverse Offerings Enjoying wine is about much more than what you smell and taste. “People are looking for stories they can bring to table conversation,” says Chanile Vines, who’s bringing the world of wine to life for a new generation through her company, Vines Play. The former research psychologist holds public events that can make discovering wine fun and accessible for anyone (find them at vinesplay.com/vines-play-events). Playful approaches—like tasting to live music, or sipping while exploring art history and “painting” with wine— show people “where wine can fit into their life. The wine world can be a little more about putting the wine first, and that can feel excluding.” Her company is also a wine agency that imports mindful brands like HER, a Black-owned South African label founded by eight trailblazing Black women winemakers, that mirror her own philosophy of “people, place and passion coming together” in powerful ways.

Hybrids are Electric Climate change has sparked interest in hybrid grape varieties, which are often more resilient against cold and disease. In 2019, Marquette (a hardy hybrid developed at the University of Minnesota) became the newest Ontario VQA-approved grape. Rich with berry and plum fruit and earthy spice, it’s making stellar Ontario wines. Coffin Ridge Back from the Dead Red VQA VINTAGES ESSENTIALS 260463, $21.95

PORTRAIT: JAMES TSE

114 FOOD & DRINK AUTUMN 2023