Tastings & Wine Dinners

(Wednesday, June 8, 2016) — In 2010 a French criminal held several vineyards to ransom by threatening to poison the vines.  The subsequent book, Shadows in the Vineyard: The True Story of the Plot to Poison the World’s Greatest Wine focused on one of the vineyards:  Romanée-Conti. [Register now online. | Register now by mail.] The Burgundy commune […]

(Wednesday, May 11, 2016) — Burgundy is not the only region of France to produce outstanding white wine. The best white Bordeaux from Graves and  Pessac-Léognan, while stylistically quite different, are recognized by those in the know for achieving similar lofty heights (and prices!). Our tasting includes superstars such as the iconic Domaine de Chevalier and Ch […]

(Wednesday, April 13, 2016) — What do you remember about 2005? In Canada we were on top of the sports world. The Canadian Juniors won the gold medal over Russia, Steve Nash was the first Canadian to win the NBA MVP Award, and the NHL year long walkout ended. In Australia the producers were taking advantage […]

(Wednesday, January 13, 2016) — In any relatively new wine region (in wine world terms), wine-making tends to be an evolving art, where innovation, experimentation and learning pave the way to successes and realizing the area’s capabilities.  Niagara fits this pattern very well, considering how much progress has been made over the last 20 to 30 […]

(Wednesday, December 9, 2015) — “Nice hair,” said little Cindy Lou Who to the man cramming gifts into a huge sack.  “You must be the new Prime Minister of Canada.” “No dear,” said the jolly old fellow with the flowing white locks and beard.  “But I’m ready, just as ready as that Trudeau lad to bring […]

(Wednesday, September 9, 2015) — No longer when starting a cellar do we go to our father’s wine merchant and get recommended a few cases of the usual suspects from Bordeaux or Burgundy, perhaps spiced with some Barolo or Hermitage. Prices have soared and mere mortals must look elsewhere. Register now online. | Register now by mail. […]

(Apr. 28, 2015) — Tapas Embrujo, located on the Danforth at Broadview, is a truly authentic tapas restaurant with a long history in Toronto – pre-dating the current local trendiness of tapas. The Directors have had their eye for a little while on a small parcel of high quality Spanish wines & Sherries in our […]

(Apr. 8, 2015) — In this age of discovery of new wine regions, new sites and new ventures by famous names, there are many who could be called “flying winemakers” (and yes, we had a Jean-Michel Cazes event a while ago). But can anyone be considered as accomplished and influential in the modern evolution of […]

(Feb. 11, 2015) — East Meets West in 1998 Barolo Most wine lovers will have Barolo among their favourite wine producing areas. Located in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, the DOCG consists of several communes in addition to Barolo. On this occasion we have wines from three of them. All eight wines are from […]

(Feb. 2, 2015) — One of the important aspects of Winetasters is the social. We have not had a dinner for a while so we are pleased to announce that we have arranged an evening at Cafe Pleaide on Mount Pleasant, just north of Davisville and only 10 or 12 minutes walk from the Davisville […]

(Jan. 26, 2015) — One of the important aspects of Winetasters is the social. We have not had a dinner for a while so we are pleased to announce that we have arranged an evening at Cafe Pleaide on Mount Pleasant, just north of Davisville and only 10 or 12 minutes walk from the Davisville […]

(Jan. 14, 2015) — 1995 in Bordeaux was hailed as great vintage following a run of 4 “challenging” vintages, as the Bordelais like to put it; and it marked the first step in the upward march in prices. Winetasters currently rates it 8/10. A dry summer led to a lack of phenolic ripeness and to […]

(Dec. 10, 2014) — From the chilly, windswept vantage point of his North Pole workshop, Santa watched this year’s Toronto election campaign with a tinge of big city envy. Downtown! Smart Track to get you downtown. A Downtown Relief Line. Santa took stock of the situation, and decided it really was time for a change. […]

(Nov. 12, 2014) — Concha Y Toro DON MELCHOR Cabernet Sauvignon Let us begin with a quick multiple choice quiz: Who or what is/was Don Melchor? a) the founder of Chile’s Concha Y Toro winery b) the very best Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon c) the very best Cabernet Sauvignon in the world d) all of the […]

(Oct. 8, 2014) — The Annual General Meeting will take place at this event. Download the AGM Notice. If there is any advantage at all to the end of summer (such as it was) and the advent of cooler weather, it is that it means our thoughts can turn once again to “winter” wines such as […]

(Sep. 10, 2014) — The Old and the New As has been done several times in the past, we begin the 2014-15 Winetasters season with a retrospective look at older vintages from the famed Bordeaux region of France. Once again this will take the form of a “vertical” tasting, or multi-vintages from a single Chateau. As […]

(June 11, 2014) —  Winetasters’ researchers have been unable to confirm rumours of a new religious cult whose adherents pray five times a day facing a particular slope in southern Burgundy: Montrachet. However, we can confirm that there is considerable agreement among white wine lovers the world over that this rocky patch of superbly-drained calcareous […]

(May 14, 2014) — Bodegas Muga is one of the great Rioja Estates. Family run since its relatively recent (for Rioja) founding in 1932 in Haro, Rioja Alta, it produces spectacular and balanced reds which are the essence of Old World style – pale, complex, smooth & harmonious. The family controls all aspects of production, with […]

(April 9, 2014) — This event has been rescheduled from March. If you signed up for March you are pre-registered for the April event. Please contact us to cancel if you cannot attend. The essential expression of the Pinot Noir grape is in Red Burgundy wine. Many consider red Burgundy at its best the most sublime […]

(Feb. 12, 2014) — Antinori is arguably the most famous winemaking name in Tuscany. Wines like Tignanello and Solaia achieved fame not only by being among the world’s very best, but also in bringing Tuscany into the modern era of winemaking. Left behind were the archaic traditions of blending white grapes into Chiantis to meet the […]

(Jan. 8, 2014) — Let’s ring in the new year with a change of tone. Usually we build our tastings with wines from the club’s long-term storage cellar, but all of these Chardonnays are currently available at Vintages (though some are now in very limited supply). Instead of our usual practice of ranking 8 wines plus […]

(Dec. 11, 2013) — According to the local media, all eyes are on Toronto these days, not just here in Canada but worldwide. Apparently the source of this international fascination is an overweight, rosy-cheeked fellow who acknowledges that he loves to party, and who has been seen from time to time toting a bottle of some […]

(Nov. 19, 2013) — Kensington’s La Palette has the warm, inviting look and feel and, better still, the aromas and flavours of an authentic French bistro. For Winetasters’ autumn dinner, La Palette’s kitchen has paired a tantalizing selection of house specialties with our representative sample of southern France’s wine renaissance. There’s no need for plane fare […]

(Sep. 11, 2013) — In an era of pop-up stores and pop-up restaurants, when a favourite put-down is, “That’s s-o-o-o last week,” Winetasters would like to buck the trend. On Wednesday, September 11th, 2013, members of Winetasters will gather to celebrate a wine that’s s-o-o-o last century, and the century before that, and before that, and […]