Georgetown woman starts Halton Wine Society chapter By CHRISTINA COMMISSO Metroland Media Group Look, smell, swish and enjoy. To the untrained eye, wine tasting could look as simple as ABCs, but it takes a true expert to pair the perfect merlot or cabernet sauvignon with your dish. That's where the wine tasting club comes in. One need not be a professionally trained sommelier to join Halton's chapter of the Ontario Wine Society. "The one thing every member of our group has in common is they enjoy drinking wine," said chapter president Cathy Bergsma. "We have events for everyone from beginners to experts." Previously a member of the Ontario Wine Society's Toronto Chapter, Bergsma wanted to form a chapter closer to her Georgetown residence. She launched the Oakville chapter in 2009, but is now re-branding the group as the Halton/Peel chapter in an attempt to grow the group's membership. "We wanted to appeal to people in Milton, Georgetown, Burlington and Mississauga," said Bergsma, who was a board member with the Toronto chapter when she realized there was enough interest to create a `west' chapter. The group meets every six weeks for a tasting, usually held at a local eatery and led by some of the top names in Ontario's wine community. In March, the group hosted `The Wine Guy' Tony Aspler, an author, accomplished lecturer and wine educator, for an evening on wine cellaring. In May the group hosted Canada's 2010 winery of the year, Vineland's Tawse Winery at Julia's Ristorante in Oakville. Their wines have been described as "liquid gold in a bottle" and last year the winery won an unprecedented five gold awards from Wine Access Magazine. Bergsma said while there may be wine connoisseurs in attendance, it only takes a couple of events for newcomers to feel more comfortable with choosing a wine they could appreciate. "We'll help people determine what they enjoy about wines." For more information or to join the Halton/Peel Ontario Wine Society Chapter, visit www.ontariowinesociety.com. 13 Independent & Free Press, Thursday, June 2, 2011 Halton Hills recently joined the Smart Commute Halton family. On hand for the official welcoming were (front, from left) Region of Halton's Alicia Jakaitis, Town of Halton Hills Councillor Moya Johnson, Mayor Rick Bonnette, Rachel Dods and Elizabeth Oliveira from the Town of Halton Hills. Back row: Councillor Jon Hurst, Ana Chita, Councillor Bob Inglis, town staffers Damian Szybalski and Jennifer Spence. Smart Commute is a joint venture between Metrolinx and area municipalities. Photo by Eamonn Maher Town joins Smart Commute family Smart Commute Halton recently welcomed the Town of Halton Hills into the Smart Commute family of organizations and businesses committed to encouraging more sustainable travel options. 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