Been working non-stop in Toronto the last few days but my return flight home tonight was cancelled. I am here for one night. Staying at the Sheraton Town Centre.
Where should I go that is walking distance to get decent wine (and dinner)? Can be by bottle or glass. Interesting list. Not stodgy.
Had a great experience with the somm at Cafe Boulud at the Four Seasons. Dug up a half bottle of something off the list for me (I was dining alone at the bar), and charged me $50CAD for it. Food was fantastic, as was service. Not nearly as stodgy as it sounds like it would be. Highly recommended.
Take a cab, 15 minutes, to Le Select Bistro. It’s a bistro, but have looked at their wine list and it was robust, but prices are stratospheric.
I almost always byo with bottles carried with me from US or have local friends who’d indulge me with byo’d wines from their cellar, so don’t know the scope of winebars in the downtown financial area.
There are a lot of really cool places. I was never wowed by wine lists. The place I wanted to go to so bad was closed due to typhoon in Japan. Skippa. I am assuming the fish is that fresh. Skippa might be walkable from there as well.
Enjoying a Chevrot Aligote and Pearl Morissette (dark Rosé) eating at the bar. Definitely a great AFWE /Real Wine list. Alfert would dig the Rosé (100% Cab Franc).
I passed up bottle options that include Souhaut, Roilette, Grange Tiphane, and Gonon.
For next time, I would recommend Richmond Station, which is very close to the Sheraton, and well suited for dining alone at the chef’s counter. I usually byob, so I’m not as familiar with the wine list, but I’m sure they’ll have something interesting. The food and service are excellent.
Useful and timely thread! I’m giving a talk at the Holy Waters Wine Festival in Toronto next week. Have some friends up there to show me around but wanted to be sure I hit all the good spots I could. Any Torontonians going to the Symposium or Tasting?
Prices are brutal and this holds for all the wines on the list: markups are insane. I might skip wine altogether but if you feel like biting the bullet…
I’m assuming red?
Some decent Beaujolais but all of them too young for my taste (Lapierre, Thivin, Clos de la Roilette, etc.).
Keeping with less than 180$, I might go for:
PRUDHON '17 St. Aubin ‘Sur le Sentier du Clou 1er’ VV
ARPEPE '17 ‘Sassella Stella Retica’ Valtellina Superiore
ENVÍNATE '19 ‘Taganan Maralagua’ Canary Islands
Or even BAUDRY '20 ‘Le Domaine’ Chinon Loire but it’s 84$!!! It’s 13 euros here in France and 27$ at SAQ in Quebec.