LCBO Food & Drink Summer 2020

Tr e n d i n g The world of winemaking is ever-changing and evolving. Here are a few new terms you may have seen or heard but may not know what they mean. Have a question about a wine or wine style? Don’t be shy – ask one of our Wine Country Ontario winery staff. They are always happy to help – and they love talking wine.

VEGAN A vegan wine uses no animal products in the winemaking process. While some wines are made with traditional practices, using animal-derived products for various processes during winemaking, vegan wines use vegetable-based alternatives for these processes (e.g. fining or de-acidifying). The best way to confirm a wine is vegan is to contact the winery directly. ORGANIC Certified organic wineries use 100% grapes grown without the use of chemical pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizers. Instead, they fertilize with compost, compost teas, green manure and cover crops. BIODYNAMIC Biodynamic wines are generally certified through the Demeter Farm Standard, which reflects the biodynamic principle of the farm as a living organism: self-contained, self-sustaining, following the cycles of nature. ORANGE WINE Skin fermented white wines , or orange wines , are made from white or pink grape varieties fermented in contact with the grape skins. In order to be certified by VQA, the wine must be fermented on skins for a minimum of 10 days. Due to the skin contact fermentation, orange wines have more tannin and often feature herbal notes and tea-like characteristics. PÉT-NAT Pét-nat, or Méthode Ancestrale , is a method of sparkling wine production. Unlike the traditional method, in which sugar and yeast are added to the bottle to begin secondary fermentation, pét-nat is created by bottling partially fermented wine. The first and only fermentation occurs in bottle and traps the CO 2 , creating pét-nat’s bubbles.

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winecountryontario.ca VQA | 2020/21 Travel Guide