LCBO HOSTS THREE VIRTUAL WINE TASTINGS DURING "goLOCAL - It's seriously cool"
ONTARIO WINE PROMOTION

TORONTO, Sept. 16 /CNW/ - LCBO invites customers to discover the wines that Ontario excels at producing during three virtual wine tastings to be webcast on September 22, 29 and October 6 at 7:00 p.m. at www.lcbogolocal.com. Wine enthusiasts and novices alike are encouraged to log on as LCBO wine experts Laura Ruffolo and Michael Fagan, taste and compare notes on four different cool-climate wines each week, alongside an intimate group of local wine and food aficionados.

The tastings are scheduled as follows:

Wednesday, September 22 - New Products:

A live webcast from the tasting bar at the LCBO Avenue Road store in mid-town Toronto will feature four exciting new VQA products: Diva Malbec/Merlot; Flourish Riesling Vidal, Guilty Men White; Union Red.

Wednesday, September 29 - Wines We Do Brilliantly:

This week, Ontario's top wine styles are the highlight, with the virtual tasting taking place in the barrel cellar of Henry of Pelham Winery in Niagara. From baco noir to rosé, there's something to suit everyone's palate. Wines being sampled include Rosehall Run Chardonnay, Wayne Gretzky Riesling, Henry of Pelham Baco Noir and Cave Spring Cellars Dry Rosé.

Wednesday, October 6 - Wine + Food:

Webcast from Osgoode Hall Restaurant in downtown Toronto, this final episode showcases food-friendly VQA wines that are perfect for pairing with Thanksgiving dinner. They include Trius Chardonnay; Jackson Triggs Method CC Sparkling Wine; Stoney Ridge Pinot Noir and Colio Late Harvest Vidal.

"Ontario VQA wines are winning awards and the respect of wine writers around the world," says Bob Downey, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, LCBO. "By featuring VQA wines through these interactive virtual tastings, we hope more Ontarians will not only discover but get excited about the world-class products they have right in their own backyard."

LCBO customers are encouraged to participate at home by hosting their own Ontario VQA wine tasting with the featured products during the webcast and emailing their questions and comments to the wine experts in real time during each event.

Customers can get advance information about the virtual tastings by going to LCBO's new year-round micro site, www.lcbogolocal.com, where they can receive an overview of the events, submit questions prior to the events, view a short preview video, add the events to their favourite calendar or social media application and learn about the featured products.

For more information on goLOCAL - It's seriously cool, and the virtual tastings, call the toll-free, bilingual LCBO Customer Service at 1-800-ONT-LCBO (668-5226). In Toronto, call 416 365-5900, visit your nearest LCBO store or go online to www.lcbo.com/service. The TTY number for the deaf and hard of hearing is 416 864-6898 or 1-800-361-3291. 

Consumers are reminded to bring a reusable bag when shopping at the LCBO and to take empty beverage alcohol containers (large and small glass bottles, PET plastic, Tetra Paks, bag-in-box and cans) to The Beer Store for a full deposit refund.  

For further information:

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Trina Hendry, Media Relations Consultant, Marketing and Customer Insights
Tel. [phone]; Cell: 416 358-0357; E-mail: [email protected]

Chris Layton, LCBO Media Relations Co-ordinator, Corporate Communications
Tel. [phone]; Cell: 416 587-3729; E-mail: [email protected]