Like its star, local wine, A'burg festival better with age

In its fourth year, the Shores of Erie International Wine Festival continues to age well, drawing more attendees and vendors than ever.

The event has become known for a sophisticated vibe in a romantic setting, on the banks of the Detroit River at the Fort Malden National Historic Site of Canada.

"It's the best venue for any wine event I've been to in Ontario, from the scenic Detroit River to the historic site to the fantastic music," said Bernard Gorski who, along with his wife Nancy, owns Colchester Ridge Estate Winery. "It's a world-class event."

The Colchester Ridge Estate Winery opened in 2006, and is so far only available through the vineyard on County Road 50, so Gorski said the Shores of Erie event helps promote his products well.

"In an area not famous for tourism, this gets our name out to a lot of people," he said. "We've had people from Detroit, Toronto and mostly locally, trying our wine, so it's just wonderful exposure."

The headline music act this year was Canadian rocker Sam Roberts, who played the Amherstburg event on Thursday. But the party is mostly about the likes of Pinot Gris and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The festival actually dropped one Erie Shores winery this year, down to 12. But for the first time it went up in restaurants, jumping from 17 to 26. As well for the first time, the festival expanded from the riverfront to include the larger parade grounds, in order to accommodate growing crowds.

"The idea is to promote tourism regionally," said Karen Gyorgy, a co-chair of the event who has been with the festival since its inception. "People come here, try the wine, and later they go out to the wineries. If they go to a winery in Kingsville, for instance, they end up spending money there and seeing other attractions."

The event started with 7,000 attendees its first try, and grew to 12,000 last year. Organizers did not have attendance numbers Saturday night, but they expect the number will climb again.

The festival has become so popular, in fact, it presents a problem most organizers would love to have: lineups.

Saturday night was filled to capacity by 6 p.m. with a range of ages.

"It has to be two weekends," said Windsor retiree Carol Marsden, who waited in line two hours. "The lineup is too long. But it's a fantastic event. And it's a great venue."

Some 300 volunteers help stage the event, which this year added a second stage.

"There's a very good variety of wine and food and great entertainment, so it's fun," said Nathalie Roy, 27, an Amherstburg high school teacher who helped arrange for youngsters from the House of Shalom Youth Centre to pitch in at the event. "Everyone seems to be in a great mood."

Leda Law, left, chats with new friends Dan and Toni Janik during The Shores of Erie International Wine Festival at Fort Malden Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008.
Nick Brancaccio, The Windsor Star