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Release National Post Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist Saturday, September 13, 2003 winefind.ca Move over Film Festival, the fall wine tasting madness is upon us. Much like the celebration of celluloid, the next two months sees a constant stream of events and visiting personalities. First off the mark was Prevedello & Mathews International who kicked off this year’s wine rush with a portfolio tasting Cantine Ascheri Giacomo Piedmonte wines.
I was amazed to discover that Pilliterri is now the world’s
largest producer of estate icewine – over 50,000 litres were produced in
2002. Those lucky enough to have scooped up the Canadian International
Wine Challenge Gold medal winning Pillitterri 2001 Vidal Icewine
(435727) at only $19.95 have a terrific bargain on their hands. Having
tasted all six of their 2002 icewines, I would make a beeline to Pillitterri 2002 Riesling
Icewine (winery only - $24.95/200 ml). For information contact the
winery or agent Colin
Halpern
at 416-593-2662. This week also saw the start of wine club tastings, which continue
in earnest until next May. On Wednesday there were two simultaneous events
Toronto Winetasters (416-690-0281) featured a
comparative blind tasting 1993 Burgundies, while the Spanish Wine Society (416-927-9464) focuses on
Navarra’s Bodegas Ochoa. There are plenty of other clubs vying for your
attention: There are also various wine club dinner tastings. On Friday,
September 19, there is a joint Portuguese-South
African Wine Society wine dinner featuring ten wines. It takes place at Adega
Restaurant (
The five course menu
($48) highlights were a lovely Carpaccio de Setas con Bacalao Frito and a
most inventive Gazpacho. Medallion of beef tenderloin was the order of the
day. It all takes place from September 15 to 27. To see the detailed menu
and wines served
click
here. For information call 905-896-9111.
A number of wine specific fairs are also planned for the
fall. Last night saw the kick off the 52nd Niagara Grape & Wine Festival,
which brings you more than 100 events and continues until the September
28th. While many of the events are family oriented with parades,
children's programs, handicrafts, aerial displays, etc., there are dozens
of winery seminars, tours, special tastings and dinners. Brochures are
available in LCBO stores. Also
this week is the Australian
Wine Experience on Wednesday, September 17th at the CBC Atrium
from 7:00 to 10:00 pm. Some 50 Australian wineries will be pouring a wide
range of wines. Tickets must be purchased in advance for $60 (plus service
charge) at TicketKing.com (416-872-1212). On Thursday, October 2nd the Sonoma Wine Affair
will feature the wares of 30 wineries. Held at Hilton Toronto from 7:00 to
9:30 pm, tickets are $45 for wine club/$50 for guests. Call 1-800-558-2675
for further information or click
here. Various wine related fund raising events are also in full
swing. The TSO
(416-593-7769) presents a series of on-going events culminating in their
charity auction and tasting on October 2 at the Ontario Club. Another
particularly worthwhile event is
Eat to the Beat (the major fundraiser for Willow Breast Cancer Support) on
Tuesday, September 30 at Roy Thomson Hall starting at 7 pm. It features
gourmet cuisine by Ontario's leading women chefs paired with the wares of
local wines and brews. Tickets are $135 and one should contact Shana
Coppen at 416-778-6314 ext. 229. Perhaps the best-kept wine event secret takes place on
Friday, September 26. The annual Canadian
Wine Awards dinner will be held at the Metropolitan Hotel at 108 Chestnut Street starting at
6:30 pm. Tickets are $175 per person – call 416-597-6318. Now in its
third year, the competition pits BC vs. Ontario and the results are
generally recognized as being the most credible in the country.
Check
out our winefind.ca tasting notes database Our tasting note database goes back to January 1, 2001 and covers every Vintages release product for the past 31 months. There are approximately 5,000 notes in the database data. Just enter the name of the product, supplier name or CSPC number. Or you can search by type of wine, country of origin, even wine agent! Nothing could be easier. When you get your search results (starting with the most recent release), click on the item name and you will instantaneously connected to the FBTI Vintage Assessments database. You will see our tasting note along with the name of the agent. You can get information on the agent by clicking on the agent’s name. Also, you can check LCBO store inventory by clicking on Check LCBO Availability. It will automatically take you to the item you want to search. To use our winefind.ca Tasting Notes Database: click here Subscribe to Vintage Assessments Today • Click Here
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2004 |