Happy Summer!
Time is flying by… and your 2024 CAPS Ontario Board has been in both planning and activation mode, gearing up with exciting news and changes – for our members, potential members and the hospitality industry -- coming soon! We’ve had some recent changes within our Board, so thanks for your patience while we do some re-organizing to be ready to roll, come 2024 events season.
First: we are revamping our CAPS Ontario website to make it easy, accessible, and full of current news, membership info and upcoming events. Stay tuned as we move ahead. Our goal is to make it a destination.
We are proud to announce a significant media partnership with one of Canada’s key hospitality, food & wine media outlets: www.vineroutes.com. Editor Carm Giardina and his hardworking team have been supportive of CAPS (and more) for years since the magazine's inception; we are honoured to work with Carm and team to further our news, insights, activities and all things hospitality via the rich editorialcontent at the magazine. Our trusted source of intel in our community. Please subscribe, read, and follow the news at www.vineroutes.com.
We have finalized our membership benefits package to provide value to our esteemed community. Whether an Accredited Sommelier, Associate, Student, Corporate member, you have immediate access to the following resources and discounts; login to the MEMBERS BENEFITS - ACTIVE tab on the website.
This includes Extended Health Benefits – with access to a link to apply for a personalized Health Benefits package courtesy of Green Shield Canada. Prices range depending on the package. Also, find discounts and/or free links to enhance your continuing education through the Cicerone Certification Program,
California Capstone Wine Education, Wines of Rioja, Wines of British Columbia, Vins de Bourgogne, Society of Wine Educators, Guild Somm, Wines of Georgia, Wine Scholar Guild and SOMM TV programs. CAPS has also partnered with the prestigious Opimian Wine Club to offer discounts on memberships and wine purchases (tastings, anyone?). Keep your eye on the website for new and exciting offerings, and if considering a membership, now is the time to join to maximize value!
Our CAPS education program – with a newly updated curriculum – is moving ahead and class of 2024-5 is starting again soon. Hit the books and gather your study tasting groups --practice makes perfect.
To help promote diversity and inclusion in the wine industry, Boisset Collection has generously donated a portion of sales from each bottle of JCB Cabernet Sauvignon sold to sponsor a scholarship program to be administered by CAPS Ontario. With these funds, we are pleased to support the careers of threehospitality professionals representing diverse communities a grant of $5,000 each towards the CAPS
Program at George Brown College. The eligibility requirements and full grant application is here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GBJZ3HP
Practice indeed makes perfect… so we are thrilled to host another CAPS CUP 2024, on August 13th in Ottawa, Toronto, (NEW!) Kitchener-Waterloo, and Niagara. Stay tuned for details and again, save the date to hone your skills in a fun and interactive blind tasting environment, among peers. Win fabulous
prizes as well as fame & fortune along the way!
Lastly, for the absolute best way to enhance one’s skills -- we are proud to announce the return of the Best Ontario Sommelier Contest (#BOSC2024). Save the date: Tuesday November 12th at the Liberty Grand in Toronto. Grab your friends, tasting pals and industry colleagues for what promises to be the
most thrilling LIVE competition, food & wine event in the province. The gala fundraiser benefits our industry education efforts and is a worthwhile and fun evening out with dinner, winetasting, silent auction, raffle, prizes, LIVE competition, blind tasting, and more. Tickets are only $150 ppmembers/$175 pp non-members. Tickets and tables go on sale online in September. Don’t miss out!
Leading up to BOSC, we hope to attract a diverse group of provincial sommeliers to attend our FOUR preliminary tasting competition events, held in September. Details tba.
We are still actively seeking partners, sponsors, suppliers and volunteers, to work with our Board to make #BOSC24 the success of the year. Contact us to get involved.
Ottawa: CAPS program launching in Ottawa! With the invaluable assistance of Connor Gallagher, CMS Advanced Sommelier and Ottawa Regional Liaison to CAPS Ontario, we are excited to announce an introductory 12-week Deductive Wine Tasting; course. Launching in September, this will act as the
feeder program for the CAPS Certification Program slated to begin in January and as a great program for the general public interested in honing their skills. Details are being finalized as we speak – more news to follow. Are you a Sommelier in the Ottawa area? Are you interested in learning more about participating in the CAPS Cup, our blind tasting competition or BOSC? Please reach out to Connor to learn more at connor@cepages.ca
Social Media: we are ramping up our communications efforts across all platforms and are pleased to announce former Board member, Shagun Dabral will return to her role to spearhead social media efforts. Got news? Something to share? Need promotion? Contact Shagun or Susan Willemsen to discuss further. And stay tuned for more timely communications as wemove through the year.
Communications: we continue to share news to the community with ongoing news releases highlighting our activity and membership to media. Got news or events? Let us know about it!
We are also accepting new CAPS Ontario members from our diverse community – if interested or have questions, contact BeiBei Hou in membership, or any Board member to apply. Best value ever, now.
We look forward to toasting everyone at one of our upcoming events, and please stay in touch and
share your -- and our -- news.
Raising a glass to the season ahead…
Cheers
Jennifer Wood, Sommelier, principal, Corkscrew Imports
Vice President, CAPS Ontario