Viognier Wines - Summer Sipping

VIOGNIER (vee-on-neeay)

On June 15, Toronto Vintners Club presents Viognier (white) wines just in time for summer sipping.  Viognier is the most versatile of all the white grape varietals and one which offers flavour profiles that are unique, complex and nuanced by their origin of production.   The tasting will feature Viogniers from 5 different regions and includes one reserve wine.  Join us for a casual evening of light appetizers and wonderful Viognier wines. Note that all ticket sales are final! 

Theme: Viognier Wines – Summer Sipping

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Date: Tues. June 15, 2010

Time: 6 PM

Price: TVC Members: $48; Guests: $59

Location: Faculty Club, Univ. of Toronto, 41 Willcocks Street Toronto, Ontario M5S 1C7

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Bin End Dinner Evening

It's surprising how quickly 10 bottles of Champagne get drunk - and yes, it was real champagne and not sparking wine we served at our dinner at Trevor Kitchen & Bar! The moment I arrived at the restaurant, I recognized that it's on the site of what used to be Vines, Toronto first wine and cheese bar many years ago.

Although not always in very generous portions, overall the food was very good, particularly the beef dish. Executive Chef Trevor Wilkinson did a great job of creating special dishes to complement our wines. The Canadian Chardonnays and some of the German Rieslings had not held up very well over time but the reds - Burgundies, Bordeaux and the big bodied reds of California and S. America - were fantastic! Could have drunk a lot more of them!

A huge thanks goes to Chris Morris, TVC Director, who virtually organized the evening single handedly. He did a wonderful job and can't be thanked enough.  And we can't forget our winebuyers: Peter Muto, Michael Matthews and Larry Goldstein -  who over the past few years bought all of these wonderful wines.  And it was both a happy and sad occasion for Peter Muto who will be departing our club to move to another province to return to university for his law degree.  We can't thank him enough for all the time and effort he put into acquiring many of our wines for past and future events.  As he told me, "regrettably, I won't get to drink them in future."   We're also grateful to Michael Matthews, Director, for organizing the wine quiz. It was very difficult but two tables collectively amassed a lot of wine knowledge to get most of the answers correct and tied for first place.  Prizes were French truffles and other sweets.  And the winner of our draw for a bottle of Port was TVC member Colleen Bryan.

With the exception of one couple, everyone had a great time at our bin end (cellar clean-out) dinner.  As the saying goes, you can't please everyone all the time but the rest of us had a lovely evening. 

Double click the album to view larger sizes of the photos.

Final menu

Executive Chef Wilkinson has finalized our menu for next week. Here it is with some changes:

menu dégustation spéciale for Toronto Vintners Club

May 18, 2010

sushi pizza, ahi tuna tartare on crispy rice cake

potato pancake with crème fraiche & trout roe

Champagne

*

lobster bisque with lobster corndog & mustard cream

Chardonnay and German Riesling

*

ricotta gnocchi with venison ragout & sage

Burgundy and Bordeaux

*

dry aged ontario beef striploin with potato crusted sweetbread & horseradish subchoke pureé

Full bodied reds from California, Italy, Australia, S. America

*

fifth town aged goat cheddar with apple preserve & thyme flower honey

Port

Time & space running out!

Only 12 spots remain for our fabulous Bin End Dinner at Trevor Kitchen and Bar. The event represents tremendous value and exclusive opportunity because of the quality, variety and quantity of wines from around the world that we’ll be serving from our cellar. As well, the evening will include a fabulous 5 course menu, friendly company, fun, and some special prizes for a price that includes all taxes and gratuities! A world of wine & food; no passport needed. An evening not to be missed.

Bin End Dinner
Theme: Lots of Wines & Great Food!
Date: Tues. May 18, 2010
Time: 6:30 PM
Price: Members: $95 Guests: $120 (all inclus.)
Buy Tickets Note! All ticket sales are final.
Venue: Trevor Kitchen & Bar, 38 Wellington St. E., Toronto, ON M5E 1C7

Bin End Dinner, May 18, 2010

Every few years, Toronto Vintners Club offers its members a rare occasion to relax and enjoy a surplus collection of premium vintage wines from our extensive cellar, combined with a gourmet dinner prepared by one of Toronto’s foremost chefs.  We usually refer to this type of event as our "Bin End Dinner" or "Cellar Cleaning" as it helps to clear out the cellar to make space for new wines.  As a result - and this year being TVC’s 35th anniversary so why not celebrate? - you have an opportunity to taste some sensational wines left over from past events which didn’t sell out.  Our loss is now your gain!

We will host our spring Bin End Dinner at Trevor Kitchen and Bar in downtown Toronto.   Trevor Kitchen and Bar was voted one of the top ten Toronto restaurants in 2008 and 2009.  Chef Trevor Wilkinson has prepared a unique menu of sensational creations specifically for the Toronto Vintners Club to accompany the array of wines from our cellar.

Our cellar is brimming with scores of single bottles from all around the world and in particular, we have an overabundance of leftover Bordeaux and Burgundy!  Here’s just a small sampling of what we’ll be enjoying with dinner.  From France: 1999 Dauzac,5e (Margaux), 2004 Chateau Troplong Mondot St Emilion Grand Cru; 1999 Pavie Decesse, St Emilion; 2000 Vosnee Romanee Suchots; 2000 Nuits St George Les Boudots Rodet; 1999 Santenay 1cru Maladiere L Muzard; 1999 Antonin Guyon   Volnay, Clos des Chenes, 1er Cru;  2002Meursault Les Genevrieres 1er Cru, Michel Coutoux.  From Italy’s Super Tuscan region: 2000 Solaia; 2000 Ornellaia;  2000 Ardingo Calbello, Cantina Costanti.  From California:  2001 Cline Cellars, Big Break Zinfandel; 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, The Hess Collection (Napa); 2002 Chardonnay 'Les Pierres', Sonoma, Sonoma-Cutrer. From Australia:  2001 Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon, Leeuwin (Margaret River);  2001 Shadrach Cabernet Sauvignon, Grant Burge (South Australia);  2002 Chardonnay Picadilly Valley, Petaluma.  From Germany: lots of Rieslings from Mosel and Reingau.  From Canada:  2001 Osoyoos Larose (BC); 1998 Pinnacle, Sumac Ridge (BC); 2006 Le Clos Jordanne  Grand Clos Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (ON).  From Spain: 2004 Alion, Ribera del Duero Tempranillo; 2004 Costers del Siurana  Clos de L'Obac. From South America: 1998 Quebrada de Macul, Domus Aurea; 1999 Chateau Los Boldos, Requinoa; 2006 Clos De La Siete.  And to finish our dinner, we will serve a glass of fine Port.

So how will this work when we may have only one bottle of a wine?  Each table will receive several bottles with the style or grape and quality as comparable as possible to other tables, to pair with the menu Trevor has prepared.  But if you see something better at another table, create some fun and meet more people by bartering or trading your bottle or a glass for another!  We’re sure you will find something fabulous to rave about for years to come and there is plenty of exceptional wine to go around, we assure you. Space is very limited and there are not many tickets left.

menu dégustation spéciale for Toronto Vintners Club
May 18, 2010

foie gras reuben with onion choucroute & russian dressing
Champagne
*
smoked duck terrine with vanilla poached apricots & duck fat brioche
Chardonnay and German Riesling
*
ricotta gnocchi with venison ragout, sage & reggiano
Burgundy and Bordeaux
*
smoked beef shortribs with potato crusted sweetbread, soft polenta & naturel jus
Full bodied reds from California, Italy,Australia, S. America
*
goat cheese cake with concord grape compote & rosemary caramel
Port

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
chef de cuisine: jesse vallins  executive chef: trevor wilkinson

Event Details
Theme: Bin End Dinner
Date: Tues. May 18, 2010
Time: 6:30 PM
Price: Members: $95 Guests: $120 (all inclus.)
Buy Tickets Note! All ticket sales are final.
Venue: Trevor Kitchen &Bar, 38 Wellington St. E., Toronto, ON M5E 1C7
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N Rhone Rankings

A glitch with the courier company resulted in our Rhone wines being delivered late to our tasting, but thankfully they did arrive!  We are grateful to the staff at the Faculty Club for allowing our attendees to browse their Group of Seven works of art and savour appetizers while the late arrival wines were being poured.  And also a big thanks to our guest speaker, Daniel Beiles for sharing his insights and knowledge about Northern Rhone reds and to the patience and understanding of our attendees regarding the circumstances.  Here are the rankings of the wines from the evening.

Name of Wine (in order poured)	Group Ranking	Guest Ranking
A.  Leon Barral, Faugères Jadis 2004	1	2
B. Franck Balthazar, Cornas Chaillot 2006	3	4
C. Franck Balthazar, Cornas Chaillot 2005	5	4
D. Jamet, Côte-Rôtie 2004	6	1
E. Jamet, Côte-Rôtie 2005	4	3
F. Domaine Yves Gangloff, Côte-Rôtie La Barbarine 2003	2	6
G. Domaine De Trevallon 2003	8	7
H. Domaine De Trevallon, 2001	7	8

The Rhone Ranger - Northern Rhone Reds

This month, Toronto Vintners Club returns to the Rhône wine region in Southern France, situated in the Rhône river valley. Northern Rhône is characterized by a continental climate with harsh winters but warm summers and is influenced by the mistral wind, which brings colder air from the Massif Central. Northern Rhône is therefore cooler than southern Rhône, which means that the mix of planted grape varieties and wine styles are slightly different. The primary grape used in northern Rhone wines is Syrah which is often powerfully flavoured and full-bodied. Aroma characters can range from violets to berries (usually dark as opposed to red), chocolate, espresso and black pepper. No one aroma can be called "typical" though blackberry and pepper are often noticed. With time in the bottle these "primary" notes are moderated and then supplemented with earthy or savory "tertiary" notes such as leather and truffle. We will be tasting some rather exclusive and expensive wines at this event. Click here for a full listing of the wines and tasting notes.  Since our French wine events tend to be extremely popular, you are advised to register early.  Please note that all ticket sales are final!

 
April Event Details
Theme: The Rhône Ranger - Northern Rhône Reds
Date: Tues. April 20, 2010
Time: 6 PM
Price: TVC Members: $80; Guests: $95 
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Location: Faculty Club, U. of Toronto, 41 Willcocks St. Toronto, ON M5S 1C7
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