14
Dec
2008
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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
There always seems to be a certain element inside every attendee, or potential attendee, of the Gourmet Food and Wine Expo in Toronto that asks themselves the following question: "should I go again this year, it's the same crap as last year." To those I offer the following answer: it's not the same crap; new year offers new vintages, which offers new possibilities - the crap you didn't like last year maybe today's hottest wine because of the growing season, new winemaker, new owners, or marketing hype. The Gourmet Show is kinda like voting in an election, if you don't go to it you can't bitch about not liking it. This year I heard nothing but good things from patrons walking around, those I knew and from ticket winners through my newsletter. I attended the Thursday VIP night, as I was going to be out of town for the weekend (Taste the Season – NOTL) and here's what I discovered that was of interest.
Chinese wine – swear to the Sun-God ... (Read more)
To read about more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.
13
Dec
2008
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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
I can’t get to them all … honest I can’t; but I had every intention of going to the Wrapped up in the Valley event on the weekend of November 29 and 30. But as luck would have it I was called away to help someone move; in retrospect I would have preferred to go to the winery events … but sometimes you must make sacrifices – especially if you ever want her to talk to you again, plus it was my foodie, Erica, who was moving, and a wine a food event just wouldn’t be the same without someone to bounce opinions off of.
Upon my return I got an email from Fred Couch, a member of the Ontario Wine Society, and in it he wrote: “Did you do any of the Twenty Valley "Wrapped up in the Valley" passport events? This, by far, has to be the best-valued passport event. We visited 9 wineries today with friends and all did a wonderful job. Great food and wine pairing and an edible treat to take home … (slags another festival here) … We still have 3 more wineries to visit tomorrow to finish off the passport. What a treat.”
I emailed back and forth with Fred for several days and finally said to him: “seems like I should have gone, for sure next year, but would you mind giving me a little write-up of your experience”. I have never known Fred to be as talkative as he is in the article below. Thanks Fred ... (Read more)
To read about more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.
