Winetasters February Dinner ‘Off-The-Beaten-Path’

Wednesday, Feb 24th, 8:00 PM

Wednesday, Feb 24th, 8:00 PM — For our fourth Winetasters@Home event, we present a unique wine and food experience. We have tapped Chef Jon and his team at the Vintage Conservatory to create a five-course menu paired with wines from our cellar. The dishes on the food menu may look familiar but your wine journey will take you “off-the-beaten-path” as we visit Alto Adige and the Jura.  Perhaps not as famous as regions like Bordeaux or Burgundy, both of these regions have a number of smaller producers making outstanding wines.

Mark your calendar for Wednesday, February 24, at 8 PM. We hope that this time will allow you to enjoy your meal and the wines before joining your friends online to share our observations. Be sure and save a bit of your wine for the discussion starting at 8 PM.

To sign up for the wine portion of this event ($55 members, $80 non-members, including GST/HST) click here.

Given wine, constraints, the wine portion of this event is limited to 36 orders. Register quickly to avoid disappointment.

To sign up for the Vintage Conservative Five Course dinner click here. ($65 per person plus tax)

The wines will come carefully decanted into 4 OZ bottles. Beginning on Wednesday, February 24, you will be able to pick up your tasting package either at the downtown location on Lombard St (Queen & Church) or at the uptown location at Avenue Road and 401 (just north of the 401). Full details will be in the confirmation email.


The Five Course Dinner Menu

Trout Tartare
Nori chip, sesame, horseradish

Beet Salad
Whipped feta, pistachio, apple

Mushroom Pasta
Strozzapreti, Parmesan

Confit Duck Leg
Lentils du puy, runner beans, fennel

Basque Cheesecake
Sherry vinegar caramel


The Wines
(4 OZ bottles)

2018 Nals Margreid Punggl Pinot Grigio: This is not a typical Italian Pinot Grigio. With this wine, we ventured off-the-beaten-path to Alto Adige. This wine perhaps is more stylistically Alsacian or German with complexity and length.

2012 Alois Lageder Tenutae Lageder ‘Krafuss’ Pinot Noir: We’ll linger in Alto Adige a little longer and try a Pinot Noir from one of the region’s fine producers. Perhaps stylistically this wine will be more New World oriented as the tasting notes speak of “cranberries, blackberries, paired with cloves and anise.” We’ll find out when our glasses are poured.

2016 Nals Margreid Jura Pinot Noir Riserva: Our less-traveled path will take us directly West of Alto Adige, through Switzerland to a tiny wine region in France. The Jura is better known for their white wines but producers are learning that Pinot Noir also does very well there. In this case, we have the same Alto Adige producer as the white wine we will be enjoying. The tasting notes for this wine indicate that it leans towards being full-bodied, with dried-strawberry and sliced-plum character. Duck confit anyone?

2001 Constance et Terrassous Rivesaltes Hors d’Age 6 Ans: To finish our journey, the less worn path takes out far south in France, very close to the Spanish border. Rivesaltes is in the Languedoc-Roussillon, where they make lush and balance dessert wines from Grenache Blanc. Tasting notes indicate “sweet notes of golden raisins, bitter orange, almond, and subtle browned sugar.” Sounds like a wonderful match for cheesecake.


Our Chef

Jon has both local and global culinary experience, including some of Toronto’s greatest restaurants.  He was part of the opening team as the Sous Chef at Richmond Station for 3 years, run by Top Chef Canada’s Carl Heinrich.   He then traveled to London, England, to work in numerous restaurants including The Clove Club, Dinner By Heston Blumenthal, and finally Hedone, as the Chef de Cuisine.  All of these have been awarded Michelin Stars and are rated on San Pellegrino’s “Worlds 50 Best Restaurants”.

Upon returning to Toronto he has undergone formal wine training at the Sommelier Factory and worked as the Executive Chef of Mascot Brewery, LBS and Cru before returning to Richmond Station as the Head Pastry Chef.


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