January 2013 is red Burgundies!

On January 13, 2013 we celebrate the new year with a tasting of 2006 Burgundies!

Our selection of wines from our cellar includes all Grand Cru and Premier Cru Burgundies: two Cortons, two Gevrey Chambertins, and one each of Morey-St-Denis, Clos de la Merechale, Volnay and Vosne-Romanée, all from well-known producers – a fantastic selection indeed! 




According to wine critic and Mast of Wine, Clive Oates, “These 2006s are medium bodied, plump, fresh, fruity and pleasant. The very best are in addition ripe and stylish. Acidities are not aggressive; indeed some of the less-successful bottles already show signs of astringency because there is a lack of grip. They will evolve in the medium term. There are plenty of attractive bottles for the mid-2010s.”   “The best 2006s will be found in Nuits-Saint-Georges, Vosne-Romanée and Gevrey-Chambertin. There are also some good Cortons.”   Clive indicates that much of the Cote de Beaune will be ready by 2013 and 2014, with some of them drinking at their best already.


Theme:  2006 Red Burgundy
Date:      Tuesday, January 15/13
Time:      6 PM
Where:   41 Willcocks St., Toronto, ON (U of T Faculty Club)
Cost:      TVC Members:  $85;  Non-Members/Guests:  $100  (includes reception wine plus light appetizers with the wines)
Buy tickets  Note:  All ticket sales are final. No refunds will be offered unless we sell out and have a wait list.

Champagne Tasting Results

What a way to end another great season of Toronto Vintners Club tastings.  On November 20th, 2012 a packed house got to taste a fantastic line up of Champagnes (and hopefully help narrow some peoples decision on what to serve this holiday season).  Our guest speaker for the evening was Marc Donaldson, of Churchill Cellars.

This tasting was a little different from our normal tastings.  To ensure that the champagne stayed cold and fizzy, two separate flights of champagnes were served.  Each flight was rated separately, which gave us two top wines for the night.

 

For the first flight, we tasted the following 4 wines: Lanson Black Label,Veuve Clicquot Brut, Piper Heidsieck Brut, and Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut.  When it came time to rate these, the club and guest speaker for the night were at odds.  The Club's favourite was the Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut Champagne where as Marc Donaldson, our guest speaker for the evening, gave top billing to the Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne NV, which the club had rated last.

The second flight saw TVC serving: a Bollinger Brut Special Cuvée, a Pol Roger Brut, a Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve and, a Huff Estate Cuvée (a sparkling wine from Price Edward county).  The results from this flight were much more consistent, with both the group and our guest speaker picking Bollinger as the top wine.

And here are the rankings. The blank line in the table separates the first flight of wines from the second.

Name of Wine (in order poured)	Group Ranking	Guest Ranking
A - Lanson Black Label Brut Champagne NV	3	4
B - Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne NV	4	1
C - Piper Heidsieck Brut Champagne NV	2	2
D - Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut Champagne NV	1	3
E - Bollinger Brut Special Cuvée Champagne NV	1	1
F - Pol Roger Brut Champagne NV	2	4
G - Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve Champagne	3	2
H - Huff Estate – Cuvée Peter F. Huff, 2008	4	3

We would like to thank everyone that came out to our events in 2012.  And we hope to see you all back for our events in the coming year, to join us in tasting some great wines at some great events.

January 15th – 2006 Burgundy
February 19th - N. Rhone Reds
March 19th - Hitching Post wines
April 16th - Wines of Portugal
May 21st - 2004 Brunello
June 18th - Chablis
September 17th - '03 Bordeaux
October 15th - TBD
November 19th - TBD

SOLD OUT!

Sorry but our Champagne event is

Pop a cork for Champagnes in November!

When you imbibe Champagne, you'’re drinking "the stars" and lots of history. Many Champagne houses go back centuries and their founders/wines often played roles in political, royal, literary and wine making history. We taste Champagnes from: Pol Roger, Mumm, Bollinger, Veuve Clicquot, Lanson, Piper-Hiedseck, Charles Hiedseck with a tremendous amount of history, and one from an award-winning Ontario winery, Huff Estates in Prince Edward County, made by a transplanted winemaker from Burgundy.   We will be joined in the evening by two individuals from Huff Estates who will be our guest speakers: Frédéric Picard, winemaker and Jason Sharpe, General Manager as they compare their award-winning cuvee against some notable champagnes from France.

So whether you’re a fan of Ian Fleming/James Bond (Bollinger), a racing car enthusiast (Mumm) an ardent support of royalty (Charles Heidsieck ), or just a wine lover, drinking champagne is one of those ‘must do’ activities in life and hopefully, more than just at New Year’s, birthdays and anniversaries.  Come celebrate the upcoming holiday season with TVC and make your Champagne choices for 2012. 

Theme:  Champagnes
Date:      Tuesday, November 20/12
Time:      6 PM
Where:   41 Willcocks St., Toronto, ON (U of T Faculty Club)
Cost:      TVC Members:  $61;  Non-Members/Guests:  $76  (includes reception wine plus light appetizers with the wines)
Buy tickets  Note:  All ticket sales are final. No refunds will be offered unless we sell out and have a wait list.

Australian Shiraz Results, Oct. 2012

We enjoyed some very lovely and big Australian Shiraz wines on October 16, 2012 with guest speaker, Malcolm Cocks, President of the Australian Wine Society of Toronto (AWS) and of Glen-Ward wines.  For some reason, we didn't get his rankings noted below but you can see how our group rated them.

Name of Wine (in order poured)	Group Ranking	Guest Ranking
A - 2007 Alkoomi Jarrah Shiraz $39.95	8
B - 2008 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Shiraz $44.95	7
C - 2007 Kilikanoon Parable Shiraz $39.95	1
D - 2008 Best's Bin No. 0 Shiraz $56.95	6
E - 2002 Mitchell McNicol Shiraz $52.21	5
F - 2001 Rockfort Basket Press Shiraz $79	3
G - 2005 Henschke Mount Edelstone $99.95	2
H - 2007 Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz $120.20	4

2001 Bordeaux Results, Sept. 2012

On September 11, 2012, TVC sampled both Left Bank and Right Bank wines from the 2001 vintage. Specifically, we  lined up four wines from Pauillac, two from St. Julien and one apiece from Pessac-Leognan and Pomerol. The 2001 Haute-Médoc wines (those from Margaux, Saint-Julien and Pauillac) have proven successful, earning high praise from wine connoisseurs. For example, Pichon Baron from Pauillac earned a score of 94 points for its fruity, superbly concentrated and strong vintage. While the wines from St. Julien also scored well with Leoville Poyferré earning 92 points for its ripe tannins and strong structure and Talbot garnering 91 points for its beautiful aroma and delicious cherry taste. The Smith-Haut-Lafitte from Pessac-Leognan and La Croix de Gay from Pomerol earned 89 points for their impressive vintages.

Our guest speaker for the evening was Richard Karlos of Karlos Estates who also brought along his wife Sherry. They are pictured below, along with TVC President, Sylvia Dorosh.

And here are the results / rankings from the evening.

Name of Wine (in order poured)	Group Ranking	Guest Ranking
A - 2001 La Croix de Gay, Pomerol $42	5	7
B - 2001 Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Pessac-Leognan $63	2	4
C - 2001 Talbot, St Julien $49.	7	6
D - 2001 Leoville Poyferré, St Julien $59	3	3
E - 2001 Duhart Milon, Pauillac $39	8	5
F - 2001 Clerc Milon, Pauillac $52	6	2
G - 2001 Grand Puy Lacoste, Pauillac $56	4	8
H - 2001 Pichon Baron, Pauillac $73	1	1

Shiraz from Down Under

Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz

Shiraz is made for Down Under - its hot climate is perfect for bringing out the best traits in this popular grape varietal. Australian Shiraz is seductively delicious, with startlingly rich, ripe aromas that deliver right through to the full zesty finish. We sample 8 elite wines such as the 2001 Rockfort Basket Press Shiraz, 2002 Mitchell McNicol Shiraz, 2007 Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz and others, from various areas (Margaret River, Frankland River, Mclaren Vale, Barossa, etc.) to show you interesting regional differences in Shiraz.  We will be joined by guest speaker Malcolm Cocks, chair of the Australian Wine Society. Please join us for what will likely be an unforgettable evening!  As always, we will be serving appetizers with the wines.

Theme:  Aussie Shiraz
Date:      Tuesday, October 16/12
Time:      6 PM
Where:   41 Wilcocks St., Toronto, ON (U of T Faculty Club)
Cost:      TVC Members:  $68;  Non-Members/Guests:  $88  (includes reception wine plus light appetizers with the wines)
Buy tickets  Note:  All ticket sales are final. No refunds will be offered unless we sell out and have a wait list.

Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz

2001 Bordeaux, REVISED DATE!

PLEASE NOTE!!  THE DATE OF THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CHANGED TO TUESDAY SEPT. 11 DUE TO THE JEWISH HOLIDAY OF ROSH HASHAHAH.

September usually means our annual Bordeaux tasting and this year we focus on the 2001 vintage which is considered to have been a very good vintage by experts.  Jancis Robinson wrote that " for the most part they are beautifully balanced with an appetising kick on the finish".  Many of the 2001s are drinking quite well by now and we hope you'll come out to enjoy them!!

Theme:  2001 Bordeax
Date:      Tuesday, September 11/12
Time:      6 PM
Where:   41 Wilcocks St., Toronto, ON (U of T Faculty Club)
Cost:      TVC Members:  $72;  Non-Members/Guests:  $98  (includes reception wine plus light appetizers with the wines)
Buy tickets  Note:  All ticket sales are final. No refunds will be offered unless we sell out and have a wait list.

Dinner at Mistura Restaurant. Jume 2012

Here's what we enjoyed at Mistura Restaurant on June 19th, 2012 along with a fabulous selection of 'bin-end' wines from Toronto Vintners cellar.

THE MENU

4-Course Spring Dinner at Mistura Restaurant / Sopra Upper Lounge

265 Davenport Road, Toronto, ON   416-515-0009
Tuesday June 19th 2012

Reception & Canapés
Prosecco toast with Warm Goat Cheese Truffles with Vin-Cotto &
Crostini with Duck Liver Pate, Mustard and Pickled Vegetables

Dinner Menu

Appetizers
Choice of: 
bufala Mozzarella 
Fresh Imported Mozzarella, Eggplants, Tomato Salad, Arugula, Celery & Basil

misticanza di stagione 
Mixed Lettuces, Crispy Vegetables, Slivered Pear & Organic Honey Dressing

Mains
Choice of: 
Risotto rosso 
Red Beet Risotto, Classically Mistura Topped with Baby Golden Beets & Greens
Agnolotti al cinghiale
Wild Boar Agnolotti with Sour Cherries, Brown Butter, Wilted Greens & Roasting Jus
branzino
Pan Seared Mediterranean Sea Bass Fillets, Chick Peas, Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Taggiasche Olives, 
Fresh Thyme & Extra Virgin Olive Oil
scaloppine di vitello 
Veal Loin Cutlets Crusted in Parmigiano Reggiano, Peperonata, Belgian Endive,
Frisee, & Parmigiano Shavings

An Assortment of our Finest Desserts on Platters

Coffee or Tea (Upon Request)

WINES
Assortment of fine and aged white and red wines from TVC’s wine cellar.

Spring Dinner at Mistura

   

It’s that time again. Time for Toronto Vintners Club to clear out the surplus collection of premium vintage wines from our extensive cellar and drink them at Mistura Restaurant.  Chef Massimo Capra of Mistura Restaurant has prepared a menu of several signature dishes to compliment the fine quality of wines from our cellar and essentially, the wines are on us.

Mistura offers patrons “contemporary Italian cuisine reflective of a simplified, yet refined approach to taste.” The restaurant focuses on seasonal ingredients and June’s menu should not disappoint. Since opening in 1997, Mistura has been accumulating rave reviews from fellow chefs and food critics, including Joanne Kates of the Globe and Mail. Kates ranked Mistura No. 18 on her Top 100 restaurants in Toronto for 2012 and No. 13 in 2011.

Reservations are restricted to 60 people only.  Price includes all taxes and gratuities.

Where: 265 Davenport Road, Toronto, ON
When: Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Time: 6:30pm – Reception, 7:00 PM - Dinner
Cost: TVC Members $115; Guests’/Non-Members $140 (all inclusive)

2001 Barolos Results, May 2012

This wasn't the first time - and probably won't be the last time - that Bernard Stramwasser of Le Sommelier Inc. was our guest speaker for a Barolo tasting. Previously it was the 1997 vintage and this time it was 2001! 

On May 15, 2012 we tasted wines from some of the Piedmont’s great wine producers Cavallotto, Marcarini, Ceretto, Giacomo Fenocchio, Paolo Scavino, Paolo Conterno, Giovanni Manzone, and Massolino.  Here's how we ranked the wines.

Name of Wine (in order poured)	Group Ranking	Guest Ranking
A - 2001 Giacomo Fenocchio - Bussia        $37.95	8	6
B - 2001 Manzone - Le Gramolere             $44.95	2	3
C - 2001 Paolo Conterno - Ginestra           $54.00	5	4
D - 2001 Cavalotto - Bricco Boschis           $54.95	4	8
E - 2001 Massolino, Serralunga d'Alba - Barolo $57.93	6	2
F - 2001 Marcarini - Brunate         $59.00	3	5
G - 2001 Ceretto - Brunate            $83.69	1	1
H - 2001 Paolo Scavino - Carobric    $87.95	7	7

California Chardonnay - Results, Apr. 2012

On Tuesday April 17, 2012, California Chardonnays took center stage at the latest tasting hosted by the Toronto Vintners Club.  All in attendance that night were treated with the opportunity to taste some truly remarkable wines made by expert Californian winemakers.  All the wines tasted were deliberately crafted to distance themselves from the typical oaky and tropical fruit filled California Chardonnays of old and tried to return to their Burgundian roots with a more crisp style with lots of mineral and steely overtones.

Our speaker for the evening was Steve Elphick.  Steve has been a professional photographer for the past 36 years with a focus on wine and beer.  He is the sole photographer for the Wine Atlas of Canada and has had his work published and exhibited in museums and art galleries all over the world.  He has also professionally judged wine since 1988 including judging Chardonnay at the California State fair for the past 12 years.  He is also the past VP of the Wine Writers Circle of Canada.

According to Steve, there is one main reason why these wines don't taste like the typical California Chardonnay.  Like Burgundy Chardonnays, all of the wines that we tasted  follow the french model and do not add any yeast during fermentation, only wild yeast from the air is used to start the process.  This results in the wines having a "plushness" and a big rich mouth-feel.  It is also interesting to note that all but one of these wines have undergone malolactic fermentation and this one wine is considered by many to be the best non-malo wine in America. (keep reading to find out which one it is). 

After the tasting was finished and all the rankings were compiled, the groups favourite wine on the night turned out to be the only non-malo wine being tasted tonight, the  2009 Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay.  Steve ranked this tied for fourth and praised it for it's open acidity.  Steve's favourite wine of the night was the 2008 Signorello Vieilles Vignes Chardonnay, the group had this ranked as their 5th favourite. 

Name of Wine (in order poured)	Group Ranking	Guest Ranking
A - 2008 Evening Land La Source Seven Springs Vineyard Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills $79	8	7
B - 2009 Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Estate Chardonnay $49	3	4.5
C - 2009 Shafer Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay $59.95	1	4.5
D - 2009 Pahlmeyer Chardonnay $79.95	2	3
E - 2008 Signorello Vieilles Vignes Chardonnay $51.95	5	1
F - 2009 Kistler Les Noisetiers Sonoma Coast Chardonnay $64.95	6	2
G - 2009 Kistler Sonoma Mountain Chardonnay $72.95	4	6
H - 2008 Arrowood Vineyards Réserve Spéciale Chardonnay $49.95	7	8

Revisiting Chianti Classico - Results, March 2012

This past Tuesday, March 20th, 2012, the Toronto Vintners Club presented the rare opportunity, to go back and re-visit our tasting from back in March of 2010.  It was a unique opportunity to revisit these wines and to see what effect 2 additional years of cellaring had on these wines.  Our Guest returning gust speaker for the evening was Julian Hitner, who last joined Toronto Vintners Club for our Brunello di Montalcino tasting in Feb. 2011.

Over all, pretty much everyone was in agreement on their wine rankings, with the older of the wines tasted coming out on top.  Julian ranked the 2005 Castello di Ama Chianti Classico as his top wine of the evening, saying that it had great notes of salami and roasted meat with also just a very faint port like element hiding in the background.  This wine had firm tannins that were balanced with perfect acidity.  The group's top pick was the same wine, but the older of the two vintages present that night, the 2003 Castello di Ama Chianti Classico.  According to Julian, this wine was very refined and had a great red cherry/garnet colour.  It was a very complex wine, with notes of pipe tobacco, roasted meats and cigar boxes.

Here are how the wines were ranked:

Name of Wine (in order poured)	Group Ranking	Guest Ranking
A - 2007 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico $35	8	8
B - 2007 Isole E Olena Chianti Classico $35	3	7
C - 2006 Isole E Olena Chianti Classico $36	7	4
D - 2006 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Reserva $62	6	5
E - 2006 Antinori Peppoli Chianti Classico $23	2	6
F - 2005 Antinori Badia A Passignano Riserva $51	5	3
G - 2005 Castello di Ama Chianti Classico $45	4	1
H - 2003 Castello di Ama Chianti Classico $55	1	2

Comparing this years tasting to that of 2010, we can see that there has been quite a bit of movement of the wine that are in the middle of the pack.  The biggest jump in rankings was the for the 2006 Antinori Peppoli Chianti Classico, which moved from 5th place overall to second.


Here are how we ranked the wines in 2010:

Name of Wine (in order poured)	Group Ranking	Guest Ranking
A - 2007 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico $35	8	7
B - 2007 Isole E Olena Chianti Classico $35	4	3
C - 2006 Isole E Olena Chianti Classico $36	7	6
D - 2006 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Reserva $62	3	5
E - 2006 Antinori Peppoli Chianti Classico $23	5	8
F - 2005 Antinori Badia A Passignano Riserva $51	1	2
G - 2005 Castello di Ama Chianti Classico $45	6	4
H - 2003 Castello di Ama Chianti Classico $55	2	1

Chardonnays

French wine-making techniques and the end results are still held as the gold standards for most winemakers in other countries. For New World winemakers, there is often no better compliment than for their wine to be judged as good (or better) than a French wine.  And if it's a New World Chardonnay, to be assessed as "Burgundian in style" is the biggest accolade. Burgundy- and California-style Chardonnays have characteristically been very different.  A typical California-style wine usually has a lot of oak, butter and tropical fruit flavors to it while a Burgundian Chardonnay will be more crisp, fresh, with mineral and steely overtones. These days, however, the best producers in the US are pulling back and focusing on a more restrained style for their Chardonnays, producing what many refer to as a more Burgundian-style wine.

Next month, TVC presents a line-up of top-rated Chardonnays from California winemakers (Kistler, Arrowood, Shafer, Pahlmeyer, Ridge, Signorello Estates and one from Oregon (Eola Hills) made to taste more like wines from Burgundy than from the US. Close your eyes while you imbibe and you just may think you’ve been transported to France. 

Theme:  Chardonnay – To Be or Not To Be Burgundy 

Date:     Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Time:     6 PM

Where:  Faculty Club, 41 Willcocks St., Toronto

Cost:      Members $65; Non-Members: $80 (Includes light appetizers. Please note that all ticket sales are final.)

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Chianti Classico in March

Once associated with bottles wrapped in straw baskets, Chianti has come a long way on its evolution to the great wine it is today. Chianti is one of the most attractive territories of Italy.

In March, TVC will re-taste wines from the Chianti Classico region.  Our inventory has received two additional years of aging in excellent cellaring conditions so it will be interesting to see how these wines have developed in the bottle.We will taste 8 wines (along with light appetizers).  The 2006 and 2007 vintages of Isole e Olena Classico are the standard bearers for this winery, produced by rigorous selection of Sangiovese grapes from the most outstanding vineyard parcels. The wine-makers of Antinori have been innovators in the development of Super-Tuscan blends, keen experimenters in the vineyard, and their considerable success has led to expansion in ownership of real estate and vineyards. From the eastern edge of the Classico region, in what was originally an 11th Century monastery, we’ll compare the 2006 Badia a Coltibuono Riserva against their 2007 non-Riserva. The wines are made from entirely estate-grown fruit with the classic Chianti recipe of predominantly Sangiovese with Canaiolo. The 2003 versus the 2005 vintage Castello di Ama, the truest expression of Chianti Classico, is a blend of 80% Sangiovese grown in chalky clay soils, 8% Canaiolo and 12% Malvasia. Finally, from one of the oldest wineries in the region, Antinori, dating back to the 12th century, with 26 generations producing Chianti, we can compare their Riserva with the 2005 Badia a Passignano to their non-riserva Peppoli.

Date: Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Time: 6 PM
Price: Members: $58
          Guests:     $73

          (includes appetizers)

Venue: Faculty Club, Univ. of Toronto,  41 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON  M5S 1C7  - Map

Deadlines: Mailed Reservations - Friday, Mar. 16, 2011

               Online Payments - 5pm Sunday, Mar. 18, 2011

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