Rootstock 2023

8:00 am

REGISTRATION AND BREAKFAST

9:00 am

WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS

9:10 am

SPEAKER

Elaine Chukan Brown
Writer, Speaker, Educator

Reaching the New Consumer

9:50 am

SPEAKER

Richard Kershaw, MW
Winemaker, Kershaw Wines, South Africa

A South African Wine Perspective

10:30 am

BREAK

10:45 am

SPEAKER

Tanisha Townsend
Chief Wine Officer, Girl Meets Glass

Wine Tourism in a Changing World

11:30 am

SPEAKER

Madeline Puckette
Founder, Wine Folly

Demystifying Wine: The Journey of Wine Folly from Passion to Global Phenomenon.

12:15 pm

LUNCH

1:30 pm

Breakout Sessions

(Select one per guest)

• Taste Favourites with the Masters

  Masters of Wine Igor Ryjenkov and Eugene Mlynczyk will introduce you to some of their favourite wines from around the world, discussing why they elevate these wines above the rest.

• Nova Scotia Uncorked

  Join Sommelier and Taste of Nova Scotia Culinary Ambassador Amy Savoury as she leads a tasting journey through the history of Nova Scotia’s expanding cool climate wine region. You’ll start where it all began with a 1999 Marechal Foch Reserve, followed by a selection of traditional method sparkling wines that solidified Nova Scotia’s reputation as a wine region for the world to watch. The tasting journey will finish with a series of Nova Scotia’s terroir-driven appellation of origin wine, Tidal Bay.

• Unique Pairings with Québec Cheeses

  Master Sommelier Pier Alexis Soulière will lead a workshop on unique wines paired with Québec cheese.

Breakout Sessions

(Select one per guest)

• Dose Dependent: It’s Not Just a Spoonful of Sugar

  A discussion of the role of dosage in the style and aging trajectory of sparkling wines. Master Sommeliers Bruce Wallner and Nabilah Rawji will lead an exploration of how dosage shifts the texture of a wine, as well as its balance between fruit and mineralogy. You’ll begin in Champagne and travel by tastings all the way back to Ontario with a dosage trial.

• Bordeaux vs. the World — A Blind Tasting Experience

  Master Sommelier Alexander Powell will lead a blind tasting of Bordeaux wines versus New World vintages.

• Uncork South Africa

  Richard Kershaw, Master of Wine and South African Winemaker, will lead attendees through a tasting workshop of South African vintages.

Please note: Registration for the Breakout Tasting Sessions at 1:30 pm and 3:00 pm will be on a first-come, first-served basis after your Rootstock 2023 Registration purchase. We will contact attendees by email with details shortly after purchase with registration details.

CLOSING RECEPTION: ONTARIO WINE AWARDS

The Honourable Edith Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and Tony Aspler present Ontario Winemakers with the Lieutenant Governor Awards for Excellence in Ontario Wines.