Hundreds of people — winemakers, wine writers and just plain wine lovers — have sipped and savoured their way through the 15th annual Celebration of Cool Climate Chardonnay, also known as i4C.

The three-day event kicked off with “School of Cool” on July 17, a full day of structured tastings and panel discussions designed for true wine nerds.

A broader audience was drawn to “Friday Night Flights,” which returned to the Niagara District Airport on July 18 this year, for a party atmosphere with wine, food and music. The grand finale was the vineyard tasting and dinner at Riverbend Inn.

Consumers got the chance to taste a plethora of international and Ontario Chardonnays, hear from experts in the industry and rub shoulders and chat with their favourite winemakers. 

Winemakers had the chance to exchange notes with their counterparts about everything from climate challenges to winemaking techniques, collaborating and learning from each other. 

“It certainly provides this meeting place. All the winemakers get together, particularly with the international winemakers. Behind the scenes, they’re talking to each other and tasting each other’s wines. I think that’s helped bring the Niagara winemakers along,” explains wine expert David Lawrason.

“A lot of them have international experience or background anyway, but it’s great to see new international people who come every year.”

One of the big debates about Chardonnay centres on the use of oak — how much, how long and how old. 

For sparkling wine, the time aging in bottle is always a hot topic. The wines tasted ranged from 24 months to 12 years in bottle before release, with many in between, and there was a spirited dialogue about the relative merits. 

Winemaking aside, much of the discussion was around weather. It’s the biggest wild card, with sometimes unpredictable temperatures, rain and humidity, which can increase the threat of fungus spoiling the fruit before it’s harvested. 

i4C is a kind of barometer of where the industry is headed. The themes that surfaced throughout the festivities reflect current themes and future directions in the industry at large.

Decanter wine magazine’s North American editor, Clive Pursehouse, declared, “The future of wine is cool climate,” with its hallmark bright acidity and fresh flavours. 

That’s good news for Niagara, which is a cool climate wine region. Its cooler temperatures give it an edge, as warming weather in cool climate regions like Burgundy is forcing earlier and earlier harvesting to protect that acidity. 

One trend to emerge is the evolution and importance of premium wine. 

“There’s always this issue about the pricing of the wines. Consumers who normally drink $20 wines, say, ‘My God, why would I pay $45 for an Ontario Chardonnay or Pinot Noir?'” says Lawrason.

“But the level of wine we’re making at that price is phenomenal, and it’s actually better value than a wine from Burgundy at the same price.”

He adds, “Canada needs to go premium. We’re not going to survive on cheap wine. We don’t make very much. All of Canada is 40,000 acres, and Oregon alone is more than that, right? We’re making a tiny amount. So when we’re making so little, and when the conditions are so difficult to make wine, then we need to be shooting really, really high.”

Lawrason says the conviction that Niagara wines are world-class is expanding, and i4C has a role in that.

“There’s an overall sense, I feel it and I hear it in the speeches, particularly at the School of Cool this year. There’s this amazing confidence now that wineries have. There’s a real push for understanding of their region, and confidence in their region, and it just keeps growing,” he says.

“This event, i4C, gives them a chance to express that, and it lets consumers experience and build on it.”