On the Road with the Grape Guy

On the Road with the Grape Guy is a on-going feature that follows me from event to event ... I post my thoughts, feelings and reviews of what happened and what I tasted ... basically it is here that I review the events I attend and the things that thrilled me.

Report from - Vinexx Spring Tasting ... April 17, 2008

21 Apr 2008

 

I am once again wading out into consignment waters and ordering a case of wine with a good friend of mine (we’ll call him Jason) who works for a large liquor monopoly (to protect him I will not name the company).  But seriously the Vinexx tasting is one of those that I look forward to all year (good thing they have it twice a year or the wait would be un-bearable).  Good wines, reasonable price-points and much of it available at the local liquor hut.  This year’s tasting took place in the Observation Lounge of Spencer’s on the Waterfront in Burlington. 19 degrees outside, a nice breeze blowing in off the water – a fine day to have a glass of wine, or 39 – which is the number of wines that were on display for tasting.  Below are some of my value picks and most are easily accessible at the you-know-where.

Starting the day off with bubbly is always a treat ... (Read more)

 

To read about more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.

 

 

Report from - Vineland’s 3rd Annual Ironic Chef ... April 16, 2008

21 Apr 2008

 

Approximately 60 folks joined 6 judges and 4 chefs for an interactive dinner based on the now classic television show The Iron Chef.  The twist was that the audience votes for the dishes as well as the judging panel, which consisted of Vineland Winemaker Brian Schmidt, celebrity chefs Michael and Anna Olson, Toronto restaurateur John Maxwell (Allen’s on the Danforth), sommelier Jamie Drummond (Jamie Kennedy Kitchens) and Chef Mark Hand, who played the role of Kaga (host/overseer) as well as Shinichiro Ohta, that guy who breaks in with comments from the kitchen (“Fukui-san, the elk used for this challenge was actually raised by wolves.”)

5 courses were paraded out (1 at a time obviously), created from a menu concocted earlier that afternoon from a selection of “Mystery Ingredients” that was presented to the teams at noon this very day.  The two teams who would square off against one another were the old guard, or “Senior Team”:  Jan-Willem Stulp (executive chef at Vinelend Restaurant) and Chef Daryl Neamtu versus the young guns, or “Junior Team” of Heather Rhymes and Justin Downes (both sous-chefs).  On the line, were not only bragging rights for the year, but a tie breaker, which would give one of these two teams a 2-1 lead.  The previous year saw the Senior Team win to tie the overall score at 1-1 … so the pressure was on the Senior Team to repeat.  In the two previous years the margin of victory was around 60 points – this year’s victor would end up squeaking out a 32.25-point victory – more on that in a minute... (Read more)

 

To read about more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.

 

 

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