Best Ontario Sommelier Competition 2022 re-schedules final provincial competition for November 14th in Toronto
The Ontario chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS) – Canada’s only national sommelier association – is excited to announce the return of the province’s largest and most diverse wine and food event of its kind, the Best Ontario Sommelier Competition (BOSC), re-scheduled for November 14th – from its original October 3rd date – at the Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex in Toronto.
The purpose of BOSC is to challenge sommeliers in a series of skill-testing scenarios including blind tasting and service components. Tickets and tables for the BOSC fundraiser event will go on sale in September. The call for industry entries to compete across the province, as well as sponsorship and in-kind donations for all events, is now open at https://on.sommelierscanada.ca/.
Following a return to live and in-person events this year, the newly redesigned competition is a perennial favourite among oenophiles, the sommelier community and the food, wine and hospitality industries.
A cross-province call for competitors and wines
This year, the CAPS Ontario Board will host three live, regional preliminary tasting events on August 15th at 12:00 PM. Competitors across the province donate $40 to compete; all funds raised will support scholarships of students to enhance their careers in wine. The Ottawa competitors will blind taste at Play Food and Wine, while participants in Niagara will compete at 124 on Queen St. Hotel and Spa at The Gatehouse Bistro; those in Toronto will compete at SIPS.
Competitors in BOSC must be CAPS Ontario members in good standing and currently working in the industry. The top five competitors’ scores from the preliminary events in August will go on to compete at the provincial finals in Toronto in October. From there, the winner of BOSC will move on to represent Ontario at the Best Canadian Sommelier Competition (BCSC).
“We want to give Ontario wine professionals across the province continuing opportunities to hone their skills by offering the opportunity to taste wines and test their knowledge in a competitive, high-pressure situation regionally,” said James Peden, 2022-2023 CAPS Ontario president, and director of operations at Liberty Entertainment Group. “As always, funds raised from entry donations will allow us to sponsor wine professionals requiring financial assistance and scholarships to further their careers.”
“The August 15th BOSC preliminaries are open to all who want to test their knowledge in a safe and inclusive environment,” added Stephanie Guth, 2022-2023 CAPS Ontario vice president. “We encourage everyone interested in competition or just who want to experience an exam setting to participate. There’s really nothing to lose. Look forward to seeing everyone in person.”
The flight of prestigious wines to be tasted in the preliminary competition – all true expressions of the terroir of greatest world class varietals, both local and international – are being pre-selected by industry experts, Jennifer Huether, MS and Elsa McDonald, MW, in a tasting at SIPS on August 2nd. A call for donated wines to participate and be tested in the competition has gone out to the industry and is active; wines selected may also be tasted at the November BOSC finals.
Raising a glass to the community
Competitors in BOSC 2022 reflect the diverse spectrum of wine community in Ontario and include students representing the wine education spectrum of Court of Master Sommeliers, CAPS and WSET certified professionals. Facilitated by dedicated CAPS Ontario Board volunteers and sponsors, the event will enable CAPS Ontario to better connect with its members and advance the sense of industry community within the provincial wine trade and associations. CAPS will sponsor six Vinequity members through its membership and fundraising. BOSC 2022 sponsorship and prize donor opportunities are currently open and under review.
The BOSC 2022 final competition event on November 14th at Liberty Grand in Toronto is a fundraiser in support of CAPS Ontario, the non-profit organization that funds educational programs and competitions for Ontario’s sommelier community. BOSC is a licensed event and attendees, and participants must be 19 years of age to participate. Tickets and tables go on sale in September at https://on.sommelierscanada.ca/.
About CAPS
CAPS is a pan-Canadian association that brings together the sommelier profession, restaurant services and key stakeholders of the hospitality industry. CAPS is comprised of provincial chapters based in Halifax (CAPS Atlantic), Montreal (ACSP Quebec), Toronto (CAPS Ontario), Winnipeg (CAPS Manitoba) and Vancouver (CAPS BC). Passionately dedicated to service, CAPS is committed to building a strong community of sommeliers and fostering the growth of the culture of hospitality in Canada. For more information visit www.sommelierscanada.com and https://on.sommelierscanada.ca/.
