We are excited to announce the details for our Winestasters not-to-be-missed Annual Holiday Extravaganza on Wednesday, December 12th.  The Law Society of Upper Canada’s Osgoode Hall will once again be the setting for the special event and it provides the perfect setting for our seasonal party.

Click here to see our initial list of 36 wines and more information on how the event works.

Register online or by mail

The Venue

Osgoode Hall is a landmark building in downtown Toronto, built between 1829 and 1832 and the dining room at Osgoode Hall is unlike any other in the city.   Huge chandeliers hang from the ceiling, stained glass windows, oak and volumes of old books line the walls. Complementing that setting will be food masterfully prepared by the restaurant team at Osgoode Hall, headed by Executive Chef Adam Foley.  Following the successful format of our 40th Anniversary Champagne tasting, this year we will be offering guests a variety of passed hors d’oeuvres and the famous Osgoode Hall restaurant butter tarts.

The Wines

And of course – the wines!  We think this is the perfect setting to unveil some vintage delights from our club’s cellar, including decades-old classics, special old fortified wines and many surprises making their appearance throughout the evening.  We also pick a number of wines to reflect various potential anniversaries (eg 1988 for 30 years etc). This is the perfect event to come to for that special celebration! We will be also serving 1920 Madeira Malvasia.

During the evening look for wines in the anniversary collection like:

• Guigal Cote-Rotie La Turque 1988,
  
• Ornellaia 1998

If First Growth Bordeaux is your thing, we also have:

• Ch Lafite 1988
  
• Ch Mouton Rothschild 1995

The New World is of course represented with wines like: 

• Penfold Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
  
• Cain 5 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

White wine drinkers can enjoy wines like:

• Puligny Montrachet Clos de La Mouchere, Jean Boillot 2004
  
• Ridge Chardonnay Montebello 2008  

In a sweeter vein we have

• Vouvray Moelleux Bourillon d’Orleans 1970 and
• Taylor ’66 Vintage port.

We also have mature examples of terrific QPR wines like:

• Plan Pegau, Selectionné Laurence Féraud, Rhone 2005.

And for a night cap we will be pouring Laphroiag 11 yr-old, Ch Petrus Cask – Murray McDavid (bottled by Bruichladdich)  

Food

We had great feedback on the yummy passed Hors d’Oeuvres served at our September Grower Champagne event at Osgoode Hall.  So we are departing a little from previous years approach to the food for this event and will again offering a seasonally focused set of passed Hors D’Oeuvres.  These will be hearty and should more than satisfy your appetite while complementing our broad range of wines. This also gives us a wider choice of foods for our guests to enjoy.  Look for tasty treats such as:

• Wild Mushroom Risotto Balls,
• Vegetarian Samosas,
• Crab Crostini with Avocado Yogurt,
• Mini Yorkshire Pudding with Braised Beef and Horseradish Cream,
• Grilled Cheese with Turkey, Stuffing and Cranberry Compote,
• World famous Osgoode hall Butter Tarts, and
• Many other delectable choices!

How The Event Works

It’s a walk around party, so you have plenty of opportunity to socialize.  The wines are set out at six serving tables. Each will have half a dozen wines at the start of the evening, typically four reds and two whites or “others” (Armagnac, whisky etc).  Most of the initial wines at each station will follow a unique theme which will help you find the right table. When you arrive you will be given a list of the initial set of wines and where to find them.   And then, as the first 36 wines run out, look for top quality replacement surprises throughout the evening. These will be prominently identified at the various stations as the wines appear, so look out for the “pink” signs, or just listen for the buzz in the room.

Note that some the wines mentioned above will be in the initial flight and some will come out later. You may have to be patient for your favourite wine to appear! Note also that quantities of some wines are limited.   

On arrival, you will be given an initial allocation of 40 tickets to buy tasting samples. The prices vary from 3 tickets to 25 tickets (depending on cost and to some extent market values).  The average is 7 tickets per sample with about half the potential selections costing 5 or less tickets. If you find yourself drawn to the higher priced samples and needing more tickets they can be purchased (cash or cheques only) at the desk for $1 each.

Feature Wine

Toronto Winetasters is known for its Feature Wine at the Christmas party: a very old Port or Madeira.  This year we are pleased to offer 1920 Maderia Malvasia Reserva Velha Barbeito. As a feature wine with limited supply, it’s first come first served!  You reserve your sample when you register.

Santa (the judge)

And if you are judged to be good you may just get a taste of a bubbly or two from Santa who will be appearing during the evening.  

Booking

We encourage you to bring your friends!  When members bring 3 or more guests each may attend at the member price. We are limited to a maximum of 160 attendees so please book early!

Directions

Osgoode Hall is conveniently located at the west side of City Hall and a short hop from the Queen Street subway. Please remember that we do NOT enter through the ornamental gates on Queen Street. Rather, entry to the event is on the east side of the building facing City Hall.  You will need to pass a security check to gain entry and we strongly recommend travelling by TTC.

Cancellations accepted up to December 7— Cindy Taylor (416-458-3147). No reservations by phone, please.

No mail confirmations will be issued—you will be contacted only if we are sold out.  

We do get many first-timers at our event who may not be familiar with our etiquette. A scent-free environment ensures we all get to fully experience this exceptional assembly of wines.

Date:   Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Location:  Osgoode Hall 130 Queen Street West, Toronto (East Entrance facing City Hall)
Time:  7:00 p.m.

Registration

Members @ $130.00 each (incl. HST)
Guests @ $145.00 each (incl. HST)
Servings of 1920 Madeira Malvasia @ $30.00 each (incl. HST)