Our Next Event - '03 Red Bordeaux

On Tuesday, Sept. 17, we present 2003 Red Bordeaux. Click on this link to see a full list of wines we are sampling.

Our wines have benefited from a full decade of bottle and cellar aging and by all accounts, this vintage is one that is ready to drink NOW.  We will be joined by guest speaker, Tom Wilson, former chief buyer for Vintages. Tom spent two weeks in Bordeaux barrel tasting the 2003 vintage so it will be very interesting to hear what he says of our wines and the results of this hot vintage.  Please register early as tickets are very limited.  Once we drink these wines up, there will be no more 2003’s left in our cellar!!

 
Theme:   Red Bordeaux, 2003 Vintage
Date:      Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013
Time:      6 PM for Reception Wine; 6:20 PM Formal Tasting
Where:   41 Wilcocks St., Toronto, ON (U of T Faculty Club)
Cost:      TVC Members:  $80;  Non-members: $100
Register / Buy Tickets When you register, we encourage New Members to sign up for our Newcomer's Table as many times as desired to be introduced to other members and/or to learn more about tasting wines.

Note:  Tickets for this event are limited to 54 spots. Appetizers will be served along with our 8 wines. Please refrain from wearing cologne or aftershave to a wine tasting.  Thank you!

Change in Venue

It was announced at the March Chianti Classico event, that the TVC Board has decided to move to the University of Toronto Faculty Club for future events unless we can find another location that suits our needs.  While we enjoyed the central location and modern setting of the Toronto Board of Trade for the past few years, the fees charged to hold our wine tastings had become increasingly expensive. At the Faculty Club, our events will generally include appetizers and no corkage fees and we have received very favourable feedback about events we’ve held there in the past.  Thus, we feel we will be able to provide our members and attendees with a more pleasurable wine tasting experience and better value at the Faculty Club.  We hope you’ll agree!

The Faculty Club, located at 41 Wilcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, is well serviced by a streetcar that stops right at the corner of Willcocks & Spadina from the Spadina Subway station and once you know where the public parking is, the Club is easy to get to.  We will provide links to directions and parking with each event posting.


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Bowled over by '97 Barolos, Nov. 2008

Our November 2008 wine tasting was a very good showing of the 1997 vintage of Barolos with one exception - one bottle of the Fontafredda was corked. Nevertheless, even those who didn't have a corked wine rated the wine at or near the bottom of their favourites. The greatest consistency in ranking was on that wine. Otherwise, the group and even the two guest speakers tended to prefer different wines.

The group as a whole ranked the Marchesi di Barolo Cannubi, Marchesi di Barolo first while both Stramwasser and Phin had the Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia (the most expensive wine in the tasting) as their top pick.


Our club met for the first time at the University of Toronto Faculty Club with our reception wine being served in the comfortable setting of a sitting room. We were treated to a very nice, under $20 / bottle, 2006 Campolietit Ripasso Valpolicella, shown below.



After we tasted our wines, plates of appetizers were served. Our sold-out crowd was educated and entertained by the tag team of Bernard Stramwasser of Le Sommelier Inc. and Jason Phin, Sommelier for Vincor Canada. All in all, it was a really great evening.



Here's how the wines were ranked by the Group, by Stramwasser and by Phin.
Name of Wine (in order poured)

A. 1997 Giovanni Manzone Barolo le Gramolere, Giovanni Manzone.
Group's Ranking 6; Stramwasser's Ranking 3; Phin's Ranking 7

B. 1997 Renato Ratti Barolo Marcenasco, Renato Ratti
Group 4; Stramwasser 8; Phin 5

C. 1997 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto, Cordero di Montezemolo
Group 3; Stramwasser 6; Phin 6

D. 1997 Ca Rome Barolo Vigna Rapet, Ca Rome
Group 7; Stramwasser 5; Phin 3

E. 1997 Giacomo Brezza e Figli Barolo Sarmassa, Giacomo Brezza e Figli
Group 2; Stramwasser 4; Phin 2

F. 1997 Marchesi di Barolo Cannubi, Marchesi di Barolo
Group 1; Stramwasser 2; Phin 4

G. 1997 Fontanafredda Barolo Serralunga, Fontanafredda
Group 8; Stramwasser 7; Phin 8

H. 1997 Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia, Aldo Conterno
Group 5; Stramwasser 1; Phin 1.