Barbara Paterson (left) with Deborah Paskus
Closson Chase is proud to announce that viticulturalist and winemaker Deborah Paskus received the inaugural Larry Paterson Award, on Friday night, June 10, at the 2011 annual Ontario Wine Awards. The award, named in honor of the man many knew as The Little Fat Wino and given out by a committee formed by the Grape Growers of Ontario, rewards the efforts of a person who has demonstrated innovation in the vineyards.
As the instigator of rigorous growing practices that gave birth to the famed Temkin-Paskus chardonnay in the 1990s, and as one of the earliest people to plant grapes in Prince Edward County, Deborah Paskus has certainly demonstrated a remarkable spirit of innovation in the world of Ontario wine, and a willingness to do things her own way, even when most pointed in other directions.
As the judges for the award stated: “Deborah has always been quick to develop ideas of her own, refusing to be limited by accepted boundaries. After majoring in horticulture at the University of Guelph, she was determined to make her own contribution to the winemaking tradition. Her greatest challenge came when she set out to prove to Steve Temkin, noted Toronto wine columnist, that it was indeed possible to produce an intense, layered Chardonnay in Ontario. We believe Deborah embodies all of the values that Larry worked so tirelessly to promote in the Ontario wine industry. Deborah is tenacious and passionate about 100% Ontario grown wine with a grower focus.”
On receiving the award, Deborah Paskus said that she was “truly touched” by this unexpected honor, and pointed to Larry Paterson’s unique, outspoken contribution to the development of Ontario wine. “Tonight we honour a man, Larry Paterson, who has given us his passion, his imagination, his energy. Knowing the truth is not enough, speaking the truth is required. The world squeezes hard for us to fall in line, where nice is considered a character attribute Larry Paterson spoke his truth and he had a quality I most admire: he was authentic.”
Ontario Wine Awards founder Tony Aspler had announced the creation of the Larry Paterson Award immediately after Paterson’s premature death in November 2010. Aspler had described his friend as ” the “Johnny Appleseed” of Ontario wines”, adding that, “As a staff member of the LCBO he championed the cause of Ontario wines before it became popular and politically expedient to do so.”
