Wonders of Wine and Food

Please Don’t Ask Me

When it come to e-mail the most asked question I get is about Brights or Jordan Wines.

The e-mail usually starts within “In my parent's house, I found an old bottle of” So the question is it drinkable, is it worth any money.

I would like to give a very short answer “no” to both questions but I take the time and provide some historical information.

The T.G. Bright & Company Ltd can trace its roots back to 1874 when Thomas Bright and F.A. Shirriff founded the Niagara Falls Wine Company in Toronto. In 1911 they moved to Niagara Falls and incorporated 1911 as T.G. Bright & Company Ltd.

Brights today is a brand label owned by Arterra Wines Canada., . a leading international producer and marketer of beverage alcohol brands. Brights wines are made at other wineries owned by Arterra Wines Canada.

The first bottle-fermented champagne produced in Canada when the first President champagne was released in 1949. Originally named President because it was made from the President grape, a Munson hybrid, the cuvee eventually came to include Catawba, Dutchess, Delaware, Rosette, and Seyval.

In 1993 Cartier and Inniskillin merge with T.G. Bright to form Vincor.  Constellation Brands bought Vincor changing he name to Constellations Canada. Today the label is owned by Arterra Wines Canada who purchased Constellation Brands Canada in 2016.

Jordan wines, established in 1920. Jordan had a succession of owners including Seagrams and Rothman's tobacco group. In 1973 Jordon took over Growers Winery in Victoria BC and called the new national company Jordan & Ste-Michelle. In 1986 Brights Bought out Jordan and Ste Michells and moved all of its products to its own wineries.

Arterra Wines still owns the Brights label and still produces some wines under that label, including Brights Presidents Sparking wine.

The question I do not want you to ask me, be it b e-mail or in person,(In person, it is peoples favourite question to me) what is your favourite winery? Answer: Anyone that provides excellent hospitality and mighty fine wines. They usually follow that up with "what wineries would you recommend. It is almost the same question. I prefer to believe all wineries are good and all Canada's wines are good and all are worth experiencing.

Oh if a winery wants to bribe me well that's ok too. Can you pay my rent for a year LOL