MEDIA RELEASE
Immediate Release
July 3, 2013
STOWAWAY 1812 REGIONAL WINE LAUNCH
Thursday, July 4, 2013
6 local wineries partner to bring you the Province’s only regional 1812 wine
WINDSOR ESSEX and CHATHAM-KENT, ON – On Thursday, July 4, 2013, Colio Estate Wines, Cooper’s Hawk Vineyards, Pelee Island Winery, Oxley Estate Winery, Smith and Wilson Estate Wines, and Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery will announce “STOWAWAY 1812.” It is a regional collaborative line of wines commemorating the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 and the Coastal Trails: Sails to See Tall Ships Festival. The event begins at 11:30 am, at the Provincial Marine Commissariat, on Dalhousie Street in Amherstburg.
“We are proud to help commemorate the War of 1812 Bicentennial and the Coastal Trails: Sails to See Tall Ships Festival through our wine initiative. We believe strongly in the regional collaboration both the festival and the wine represent,” said Tom O’Brien President of Essex Pelee Island Coast Wineries. “STOWAWAY 1812 not only represents a defining moment in our nation’s history but also represents the present vision of regionality and cooperation within our communities. This signature line of 6 distinct wines within 1 region are limited edition collector’s items that will augment the experience of visitors to both our wine region and our 1812 region.”
From July 19 to September 1, 2013 a special barrel of one STOWAWAY 1812 varietal will be stowed away aboard Liana’s Ransom one of the Tall Ships participating in the August 30-September 2 Coastal Trails: Sails to See Tall Ships Festival in Windsor, Amherstburg, Kingsville and Pelee Island. This special barrel will travel the great lakes throughout the TALL SHIPS® 1812 Tour presented by Redpath Sugar, produced in partnership with the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Great Lakes 2013 and end its journey on September 1 in Pelee Island.
Each winery will produce a different wine varietal, with each winery highlighting an 1812-era Tall Ship. Each wine is one of a collection of six and can be purchased starting July 4, 2013 at participating wineries. “Travel the Wine Route, the Coastal Trails Route, and Route 1812 to collect all six bottles,” prompts Gordon Orr, CEO of Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island. He adds, “The collaboration amongst
the wineries and amongst the communities speaks volumes to the precedent we are setting as a region.”
The special properties of the stowaway wine and the effects of the Great Lakes on its composition will be highlighted by renowned Wine Writer Tony Aspler, founder of the Ontario Wine Awards. Kyra Knapp, South West Region War of 1812 Project Facilitator, boasts, “We are the only region whose Tall Ship Festival falls on a commemorative date in the War of 1812, the only region who has a collaborative festival, and the only region with a collaborative wine, which is a STOWAWAY in the truest sense. We are thrilled to be blazing the trail in terms of innovation and collaboration.”
The six participating wineries will launch and provide tastings of the STOWAWAY1812 wine line.
Media Contacts:
Kyra Knapp
War of 1812 Project Facilitator – South West Ontario Region
kyra.knapp@chatham-kent.ca
519-784-1851
