15 years of cool: VineRoutes editors reflect on i4C’s milestone celebration

Vineroutes contributors

Insights, standout wines, and personal moments from Niagara’s International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration 2025

Alana Lapierre: “Of all the things said at i4C this year—and there was no shortage of smart, honest, and needed commentary—Clive Pursehouse’s keynote has stayed with me. His address—centered on the idea that cool climate is the future of wine—felt less like a provocation and more like a simple, evidence-based truth.” Continuing to reference the keynote address, Alana asserts, “…it’s clear: cool climate isn’t just a technical designation, it’s as much about philosophy as geography, shaping how wine is grown, made, and enjoyed.”

Matt Steeves: “i4C25 was not only a celebration of chardonnay’s global story but also a powerful reminder that Ontario’s cool-climate wines — chardonnay, riesling, pinot noir, and cabernet franc among them — continue to impress wine professionals worldwide.” Matt lists several of his “must-tastes” including Ontario’s Stratus, Cloudsley, Bachelder, Leaning Post, and Domaine Queylus and BC’s CheckMate. Other standouts included Divergence and Tawse sparklings and Jonas Newman’s new wines for The Grange of Prince Edward. 

Lidija Biro: Lidija reminds us, “This is it. This is the ‘rise of cool’. The timing is right for Canadian cool climate wines” and that, “Canadian wines can answer that call… hands-down or perhaps elbows-up!”

Carmelo Giardina: Cave Spring’s remarkable media visit reminded Carm that, “wine, at its best, isn’t just about what’s in the glass. It’s about where you are, who you’re with, and how a place can find its voice in liquid form.” (We’ll give him a pass for being distracted by an amazing Riesling in that moment!)

Read all the VineRoutes’ contributors’ comments here.