Report from ... Ontario Wine Society Taste & Order Event – November 30, 2009

In truth, I don’t have much to say about the wines, for the simple reason that the wines I tasted here will see the light of day in either my newsletter or Weekly Wine Note (though one of the wine reviews has already found its way into a Newsletter). But what I would like to say is that the evening was very impressive and interesting, if not a little overwhelming. Take into consideration that there were 33 wineries in attendance, each having 3-4 wines on for tasting; they were then spread out over 4 rooms, in alphabetical order, throughout the main level of the Faculty Club of the University of Toronto and you begin to see the scope of the event. This is made all the more impressive when you consider that the event was put on entirely by the volunteers of the Ontario Wine Society (OWS), no help from either the Wine Council, the LCBO or any other trade organization. According to VP of the OWS, Sadie Darby, “the event was put on to promote the wines and wineries of Ontario.” Those in the know about Ontario will realize that the province has well over 33 wineries, but the event was only open to those industry members of the OWS … which does help to explain the lack of support from the Wine Council, LCBO or anybody else because they would have wanted to have more winery inclusion - but really, could you imagine trying to taste over 100 wineries wines in only 3 hours? Nor can I.

Lots of wine was poured, and amongst them plenty of interesting new wines will be making its way onto the shelves of some of your favourite wineries. My top new wine of the evening, the yet to be released Peller Estates 2007 Andrew Peller Signature Cabernet Sauvignon (to be reviewed in a January newsletter); top County pick: Sandbanks 2007 Cabernet Merlot Reserve (to be reviewed in January) and top sweet selection, Lailey Vineyard 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine (another for the January newsletter).

Slight drawback was the lack of food presented, plenty of bread, but I saw only about one or two hors d’oeuvres trays, which were swarmed by attendees as quickly as they were spotted, leaving little for those late in arriving to the scene of the massacre – waiters should have demanded danger pay. Another drawback was that the Faculty Club does not really lend itself to this style of walk around event, sit down yes – I hosted a tasting for the OWS here earlier this year as a sit down affair – but the walk around style and the lay out of the place does not lend itself to this style of event; I almost missed the last room where the winery of my Chardonnay pick of the evening was just packing up; good thing I accosted Mario Testa before he hightailed it out the door and back to Stouffville.

All in all a very enjoyable and educational evening, and made more impressive that it was all done in house at the OWS. Their next event will be taking place in the Distillery District of Toronto at the Cannery Restaurant, and will be featuring Schott-Zwiesel stemware, my buddy Lloyd Thistle and yours truly … details can be found here.

For more wine reviews and related articles go to www.ontariowinereview.com,
while there sign up for Michael's free bi-weekly newsletter.

Report from ... 42 wines, 21 wineries, 1 unforgettable place - May 28, 2009

The iyellow wine club had an interesting idea: why not bring the 21 wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake to Toronto for a tasting. You know, those wineries that put on such events as Taste the Season, Wine and Herb and Wine and Chocolate. Well Ange and Pax (the folks behind the iyellow club) arranged for those 21 wineries to come to Toronto to present 2 wines each, hence 42 wines from 21 wineries. The event was held at the Toronto Board of Trade in downtown Toronto and was perfect for bringing the beauty of Niagara wines to the heart of the city. Now you can read some of my reviews of such wines as Hillebrand’s 2008 Showcase Ghost Creek Riesling; Palatine’s 2007 Gewurztraminer and Marynissen’s 2007 Bottoms Up blend, that were at the show and all featured in a newsletter at some point in the past few months. You’ll also see in the coming weeks reviews for such wines as the Cattail Creek 2007 Cabernet Franc, Maleta 2005 Cabernets and Peller’s 2008 Private Reserve Pinot Gris … keep checking the wine reviews section of the website or sign up for the newsletter to stay updated. But there is one winery from these 21 that I would like to single out for some special mention and a plea or sorts. I met up with winemaker Jamie Evans, of Stonechurch, who was pouring barrel samples of the Ontario Wine Awards Gold medal winning, 2007 Syrah Reserve and the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, both are stunning wines from the equally stunning vintage of 2007: “the best red vintage ever in Ontario”. Problem is, the winery went into receivership a few months ago, Jaime was trying to drum up interest in these wines so they will hopefully see the light of day under the Stonechurch label (meaning: get bottled for consumer purchase). If there is any justice in the world, financing will find a way into place to that these wines will indeed be labeled and sold under the Stonecurch name and Jaime will get the credit he so richly deserves for creating these beauties. I will now step off my soapbox.

As for the 42-21-1 event, both wineries and consumers agreed that this was an excellent showcase for the wines, the venue worked well, the food was delicious and the attendees were interested in the wines being poured; but most of all, that the event should be repeated again next year … and I am in full agreement there.

For more wine reviews and related articles go to www.ontariowinereview.com,
while there sign up for Michael's free bi-weekly newsletter.

Report from ... Sommelier Service Tasting Evening - JK Wine Bar - November 17, 2008

In the spirit of full disclosure, allow me to say right now that I have done some work for Sommellier Service and it’s president Warren Porter in the past, and will continue to do so in the future; because I believe the everyone is entitled to their glass of wine. Those who read this column often also know that if I thought something was a sham I would tell you. That being said I was invited to the Sommelier Service tasting evening where nine wines were being poured and the principals were in attendance, mainly the aforementioned president Warren Porter and his de facto sommelier, and current star sommeliers of Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar and restaurant, Jamie Drummond.

For those of you who have never met Jamie Drummond he's quite easily recognizable, I have always thought he looks quite like Mick Hucknell, lead singer of Simply Red – and his British accent help finish off the resemblance nicely (being that Simply Red is a from-over-there band) … if you do spy him in the restaurant you’ll have to make the call on your own. Jamie has been a fixture at JK, and on the Toronto wine scene, for about four years now – the length of time he has been the sommelier of JK. "Warren approached me with the idea and I saw it as good cross promotion," Jamie told me. "I'm tasting wines all the time and not all of them get into the restaurant, why not put them into the hands and mouths of those who appreciate them.” Is what I think he said, over the din of the group of a appreciative wine tasters.

So what is Jaime talking about, and for that matter, what am I talking about? Sommelier Service. A wine club that puts consignment and private order wines, that you would normally have to buy in case lots of 12, into your wine cellar and on to your table ... in far fewer numbers than twelve. These are wines that you can’t get through the LCBO and are brought into the province by agents who sell them to restaurants and private collectors (wine buyers) – now you can get the inside track on some very exclusive, and very tasty wines.

The club starts out by profiling client’s palates and thereby their database can pick the wines that will be most enjoyed by their members; this ‘palate preference’ is based on a questionnaire they fill out. The wines are submitted by agents and tasted by Drummond and those who receive the highest scores get put into the database for selection to match with members’ profiles. My favorite quotes about the club were found in the National Post (November 08, 2008): "It's really no different than using a broker to pick your stocks or a realtor to pick your real estate," says Warren Porter. But I think the club really comes down to this quote found in the same article: "Our client wants maximum convenience but also wants wines in his home that his neighbor doesn't have." And that truly is the essence of Sommelier Service - wines picked for you by a respected palate that not everyone in the city can get ... well, everyone not belonging to Sommelier Service that is. Membership start at $150.00 per month, visit www.sommelierservice.com to get the full skinny.

As for those nine wines being poured, I thought six of them were delightful and the other three, well … they were not to my liking, though I can see why others might be thrilled by them. Here are my top three selection from the evening:

#3 - 2006 Leitz Rheingau Kabinett Riesling (Germany) ... delightful on the palate, and I just adore a well made Riesling – peach, apple, floral notes with hints of talc and petrol.

#2 – 2004 Bodegas Barreda Torre de Barreda Amigos (Spain) ... big alcohol (14.5%) leads the charge here; there's a spicy blueberry/blackberry note with some anise on the finish, but with red licorice through the mid palate – nice dusty tannins and cassis round off the finish nicely.

#1 – 2005 Lomond Estate Syrah (South Africa) … I tasted this wine before looking at where it was from and was surprised at its origin, this had none of that usual South Africa funk that you find on many of that country’s wines; instead there was a beauty of a palate made up of spiced/peppered raspberries and chocolate. The nose was also peppery and spicy with much black fruit to be had. Warren told me, "We might just take the whole 35 case Ontario allotment, we feel it’s that good; both Jaime and Michael [Vaughan] said it was a very special wine.” … If that's the case, getting your hands on this wine is just one of the many reasons to join the club. Spectacular.

For more wine reviews and related articles go to www.ontariowinereview.com,
while there sign up for Michael's free bi-weekly newsletter.