LCBO Food & Drink Spring 2022

WONDER WOMEN

THEWINEMAKER’S ALL- TIME FAVOURITE FIELDING UNOAKED CHARDONNAY VQA (VINTAGES 164491, $15.95) MATCHES EXPERTLYWITH THISWINE-ENHANCED CHEESE FONDUE (RECIPE P. 109) THAT CHEF LOPES RECOMMENDS.

WOMEN OF THE VINE

Heidi Fielding Co-owner, Fielding Estate Winery, Beamsville A Room With a View

J.J. Syer, sales and marketing manager, Rosehall Run Vineyards After years of pouring wine in restaurants, J.J. Syer decided to make a change and take a job at this Prince Edward County winery, where she’s team lead on the development of the winery’s popular Pixie line.

Even though she’s seen the spectacular view from her home and winery nearly every day for the past 15 years, Heidi Fielding never takes it for granted. It’s easy to see how she could, with the estate vineyards sprawling down the hill toward vast Lake Ontario. On a clear day, you can see the entire Toronto skyline. That helped convince the Fielding

family this was the right patch of land in Niagara’s Bench region for them to start living their dream. Fielding says there are so many more women working in wine now than there were when she started out 20 years ago, as part of the opening team for Jackson-Triggs. Still, there were some others back then, too, and she started to

develop close friendships with women in the industry. “We would taste wines from all over,” says Fielding, “but we of- ten also talked about industry issues and politics, so I’ve been fortunate to have a really solid group of women friends in wine around me. We’re all here to help each other, a ‘rising tide lifts all boats’ sort of thing.”

A recent graduate of Niagara College Culinary school, Selma Lopes started studying to be a chef soon after she moved to Canada from Brazil, where she worked in communications. Now, she works with Heidi at the winery, designing perfect snacks and meals to serve with the wines. Selma Lopes Chef, Fielding Estate Winery, Beamsville Wine and Cheese Party

Nadia Senchuk, co-founder, Leaning Post Wines This small Stoney Creek win- ery, co-founded by Senchuk and her husband, Ilya, is pro- ducing some of the region’s most acclaimed wines after just a decade in business.

HEIDI FIELDING BY NATASCHIA WIELINK; SELMA LOPES COURTESY OF FIELDING WINERY; J.J. SYER BY @ROSEHALLRUN; NADIA SENCHUK BY WENDY ALANA PHOTOGRAPHY

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SPRING 2022 FOOD & DRINK