April, 2006 - Nr. 4
Wine and Cheese
It is the beginning of spring and a sure sign of that is the annual Toronto Wine and Cheese Show at the International Centre in Malton.
The
question now is: Why do thousands of visitors go way out of their way to
attend this show? I asked some of the visitors about that. The answers were
relatively simple. "This is where I can find so many things that interest
me. I learn about wines, about cheeses, condiments, sauces, I find seminars
on cooking, culinary demonstrations, information on what wines go well with
particular foods, or on tasting wines from around the world. I can nibble on
little treats that are offered in the various booths, taste food from other
countries, Thai for example and sushi." One of the visitors mentioned that
he mainly comes to the show for the various beers that are now available. "
I noticed that more and more breweries go for a more robust taste, a taste
with more hops and tastes towards the ‘Pilsner’ end. To me that is a clear
sign that the "Canadian" taste has been changing and I buy my beer from the
breweries that do this – even small ones and microbreweries - of which I
discover more and more in the country sides around Toronto".
Some of those microbreweries have also been experimenting with different types of beer, Raspberry Wheat Beer, Nut Brown Ale, Natural Blonde and Dutch Amber Lagers. One brewery even offers a beer that has a ‘coffee flavour’ – but that would have to be an acquired taste and would most likely never be a ‘Bestseller’!
The Ontario Veal Association is aggressively promoting the
use of veal with charts of veal cuts and many mouth-watering recipes hat
include preparations, cooking methods and
techniques,
flavourings plus tips on purchasing select cuts and storage to prevent
spoilage at home.
This show is one of the fine culinary events in Toronto and an exciting opportunity to sample and learn about the best vintages and some of the premier wine growing regions around the globe.
"We
want this to be an experience," says Marti Milks, the new show manager, "so
we have introduced some fantastic new events." Experts led visitors through
the wine regions of the world with emphasis on our own backyards – the vine
regions of Ontario and the Niagara Peninsula.
To complement the exceptional wines visitors will taste, there were many opportunities to sample cheeses from various makers like award-winning dairy farm Balderson. The Dairy Farmers of Canada and the Ontario Cheese Society were offering enlightening seminars and tastings.
Guests at the show were able to pamper their taste buds with the culinary delights of spectacular dishes from oysters to pasta.
New this year were the ‘Wines of the World Passport Pavilions, where guests could visit the various regions, taste their wines and get their passports stamped. At the end of the show one lucky passport holder was going to win an exciting trip to Spain with Nolitours. Two lucky people could win a nine-day seven-night visit to Andalusia, including roundtrip airfare from Toronto to Madrid, accommodation, select meals, guided sight-seeing tours, entrance fees and transfers.
One of the surprises at this year’s show was the
participation of New York, which is rapidly becoming a contender in the wine
world with unique flavour styles of Riesling, Chardonnay, Merlot or Cabernet
Franc from wineries at
Lake
Erie, Finger Lakes and Long Island.
"We are proud to offer in one location, the most incredible selection of wines, spirits, beer and food professionals, " says Marti Milks. "The Toronto Wine and Cheese Show has moved to a whole new level. If you love to eat and love to appreciate wines, you cannot miss this show."
And
I must agree. I have visited this show for many years in the past and found
that it still lives up to its promise. Although now in a smaller hall than
before it is a more concentrated experience and well worth the annual visit.
This year, for the first time, the show is being presented
by Premier Consumer Shows, a division of Metroland Printing, Publishing and
Distributing, who endeavour to raise the profile of the show. They appear to
have succeeded and the shuttle bus from the Kipling Subway station helped a
lot of
people
that had no way of getting out to Malton to attend.
By the way, Downey’s Estate Winery (Framboise) and
Konzelmann Estate Winery (Vidal Selec
t
Late Harvest) have both won another Silver Medal in the "Best of Show"
category this year and "Bronze Awards" for some of their other brands.
Congratulations! Don’t overlook their "Easterfest"
As always and with a Happy Easter
Dick Altermann
