Saturday, February 28th: Our old friend Barry Brown came to visit for a couple of nights. Barry is the founding president of the Spanish Wine Society in Toronto and he brought along an impressive array of Spanish foods purchased at Spanish Pig, 77 Roncesvalles Avenue in Toronto – various pork products, cheese and canned fish, and some great wines from his cellar.
Canned Spanish fish
Wines from Barry Brown’s cellar
Sunday, March 1st: I messaged Thomas Bachelder to see if we could drop by and taste some of his wines at the Bat Cave. Thomas, the generous soul, said, of course. He asked what we’d like to taste and I said Pinot so he lined up six 2023 single-vineyard Pinots – Bator, Lowrey, Wismer-Parke, Wild West End Wismer-Parke, Hanck and Ivy & Warren (Saunders). But we couldn’t leave without trying a couple of 2023 Chardonnays from neighbouring plots, Wismer-Foxcroft and Wismer-Wingfield.
Thomas Bachelder in the Bat Cave
Bachelder Pinots at the tasting
Bachelder Chardonnays
Then we dropped into Southbrook to see if Bill Redelmeier was there. He wasn’t but we stayed for some wine and grilled cheese sandwiches – Southbrook Poetica Chardonnay 2016 and Estate Cabernet Franc 2021.
Dinner: roast lamb and scalloped potatoes and asparagus. I opened a half bottle of Alvear Fino Viejisimo from Montilla-Moriles.
Monday. March 2nd: Deborah and I were invited to dinner by Anne Sperling and Peter Gamble. Their other guests were Heidi and Pooch from Sacramento and Thomas Bachelder and his wife Mary Delaney.
I brought along the wines that Barry Brown had kindly given us, Gomez Cruzado Honorable Rioja 1964 Gran Reserva, Sanchez Romate Fino, Equipo Navazos La Bota de Manzanilla and Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Rose 2010. Pooch had brought from home a bottle of Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 1988. Thomas brought a new wine he’s been working on from Beaujolais, Mary & Thomas Bachelder Beaujolais-Lantignié and Jean-Paul Brun Moulin-a-Vent Les Thorins Terres Dorées 2019.
Peter brought out the following wines: Greywacke Wild Sauvignon 2019, Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2003, Benjamin Bridge Sweet Chardonnay 2013 and Barbeito Malvasia Reserva Madeira.
Tuesday, March 3rd: Dinner: lamb curry with Henry of Pelham Old Vines Baco Noir 2024.
Wednesday, March 4th: Took the GO train into Toronto for a Grapes for Humanity meeting, to discuss our on-line Fine Wine Auction on April 16–22.
Grapes for Humanity Canada Board of Directors:
l to r: Geddy Lee, Bernard Stramwasser, Helen Hatzis (president), me, Steven Campbell, Scott Webster, Gerrett Herman, Liz Gallery. (Not in photo: Cathy Martin)
Thursday, March 5th: Our Friend John came over for dinner. He brought a bottle of Kevin Penagatka’s 2027 Cellars Sparkling 2020 Vintage Brut. We started with salmon poke on green with Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc 2025; main course, Thai green curry on Taiwan vermicelli, with a bottle of Thirty Bench Triangle Vineyard Riesling 2019; dessert, rhubarb and strawberry pie with vanilla ice cream.
Friday, March 6th: Deborah is off to a book signing , so am dining alone – on a selection of cheeses and a bottle of Holland Marsh Wineries Chardonnay 2020.
Saturday, March 7th: Dropped into Malivoire to pick a case of our favourite summertime wine – the 2024 vintages of Malivoire Rose Moira. Dinner: blackened scallops with a bottle of Holland Marsh Wineries Ephemere Rose 2022.
