Forget consumers – we need to change the way we talk to the trade
Sarah Neish for The Drinks Business This feels like a particularly good example of what the School of Cool is meant to do – not simply deliver ideas, but provoke conversations that keep unfolding long after the session ends. Véronique Rivest’s keynote challenged the wine trade to reconsider the language it uses with consumers. Writing […]
Niagara’s sparkling wines are on top of the world
By Jill Troyer for The St. Catharines Standard What does it look like when a wine category comes into its own? In Jill Troyer’s latest column for the St. Catharines Standard, the answer is in the glass. Drawing in part on this year’s i4C School of Cool, she explores why Canadian traditional-method sparkling wine may be […]
Sparkling Conversation: a toast to Canadian sparkling wine
By Christopher Waters for Christopher Waters on Wine The School of Cool’s Pop Quiz: Sparkling Edition may have been structured as a tasting, but Christopher Waters’ opening notes posed a much bigger question: Is Canada a great sparkling wine nation? In reflecting on the session in his Christopher Waters on Wine (Substack), Chris does more than recap his […]
More than chardonnay: Véronique Rivest’s vision for Canadian wine
by Carmelo Giardina for VineRoutes “I don’t think consumers are rejecting wine. I think they’re rejecting bullshit.” Véronique Rivest did not ease gently into the 2026 School of Cool. Her keynote confronted the pressures facing wine and hospitality, then turned the conversation toward a more promising future built on authenticity, better storytelling and genuine human […]
Is Canadian fizz nearing its ‘Nirvana’ moment?
By Sarah Neish for The Drinks Business During the 16th annual International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (i4C), which took place in Niagara from 16 to 19 July, Canadian wine writer Christopher Waters argued that the nation’s sparkling wine offering is on the cusp of revolution. “Sparkling wine is about to crest,” he said, comparing Canada’s […]
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Thank you to the i4C 2026 Presenting & Grand Cru Sponsors
