After much effort and many hoops have been jumped through, the LCBO has given us a projected landing date that puts the outstanding wine order in Toronto in a couple of weeks. This means that it most orders will be ready for delivery in late July or early August (once policy-driven logistics are taken care of).

Please stay tuned. We’ll being contact you to arrange for delivery soon. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

One of the tasting highlights of the day was a fun chardonnay comparison test. Tasters were able to sip on two chardonnays from Bodega Los Cerrillos; one being a fresh, unoaked, 2009 vintage, and the other being an aged, oaked, 2006 vintage. Aside from the obvious differences imparted by the presence and absence of wood, the evolution in colour was rather evident, and the changing qualities in the fruity character were also noted.

Tasty empanadas from one of Guelph’s newest hidden gems Los Abuelos were an excellent addition to the flavour blitz.

Thanks go out to everyone who made it out, and a special thank you is extended to Mark and Elaine from A Taste Of Cheese.

Stay tuned for our next event. We’ll send out an email when we have more details.

Q: What’s better than sitting in front of the TV, watching riot police?

A: Escaping it all by spending an afternoon out in the country, with good cheer, great company, and delicious wines, cheeses, and charcuterie!

“Tip a glass to the tilt of the Earth”

Saturday, June 26, 2:00pm – 6:00 p.m. – Rain or shine! (drop in any time)
Please RSVP by email or phone.
Full details have been emailed to club members, but please contact us if you need specifics.

On June 26th, we invite you and your friends to join us for a pleasurable afternoon… mingling with fellow wine lovers, and tasting some of the finest wines the Woodside Wine Appreciation Club has to offer.

On the wine front:
It’s an all-star Argentine affair. We’ll be sampling fresh and lively whites, a rare and delightful rosado of bonarda, and a extensive array of reds bold and beautiful including various malbecs, refined blends, and other exciting varietals – none of which are available at the LCBO.

Also joining us is A Taste of Cheese, who will be sharing and pairing a wide assortment of exceptionally fine artisan cheeses and charcuterie from Canada and abroad.

Elaine and Mark have selected three cheeses to compliment our wines as follows:
Artisinal 8-year Cheddar from Canada – an intense, sharp flavour yet still creamy
Brebis Agour au Piment from France – a nutty flavoured cheese with esplette peppers to add a bit of a kick
Aged Picobello Gouda from Holland – a dry, crumbly gouda with hints of sweet and salt

For the Charcuterie Platter:
The charcuterie platter will include a selection of artisanal Ontario products including prosciutto, smoked duck breast, chorizo sausage, salami umbro and hot sopressetta. All of these products are produced from local chefs and farmers and are nitrite and nitrate free.

This gathering also represents an opportunity to inquire in more detail about our upcoming travel adventure to Argentina in December (PDF). Feel free to come with your questions!

Looking forward to spending one of the longest days of the year with you!

Cheers,
Your hosts, Ken and Renee

The 2010 Toronto Wine & Cheese Show is approaching. From March 19th – 21st, Spectrum Wines will be pouring a wide variety of small-production and award-winning wines from Argentina. This year, we’re excited to have teamed up with the cheese experts at Taste of Cheese (who run a lovely monthly cheese delivery club), to provide wine show patrons with carefully selected wine/cheese pairings. It’s going to be delicious!

Look for the Spectrum Wines booth in the special Consignment Room, where a broad selection of boutique wines will be available for tasting and purchase. This is a unique opportunity to sample outstanding artisan wines that are often made in lots too small for LCBO release.

Spectrum Wines in the Consignment Room:

- representing artisan wines of Los Cerrillos, Tempus Alba, Clos de Chacras, Serrera, Pulmary Estates, and Hacienda del Plata.

Woodside Wine Appreciation Club members got to experience wines from Hacienda del Plata (Sauvignon Blanc and Malbec Reserva), Bodega Los Cerrillos (Chardonnay), Tempus Alba (Tempranillo), Serrera (Bonarda), and Clos de Chacras (Cabernet Sauvignon), most of which are now available by the glass at the bistro.
We’d like to thank our hosts for the evening, Hubert and Suzanne, and all of the staff of Heaven on 7 for doing a great job with planning and hosting. Special thanks go out to Leslie, Alejandra, Amparo, and Renee for their assistance.

Orders placed this summer:

Please accept our sincerest apologies for the lengthy delay. Wait time for this latest club order has set records for longest ever. We’ve been in touch with the LCBO several times along the way, and the latest word is very encouraging: the wines are in Toronto, are in the queue for lab testing. They should be in our hands and subsequently in yours within the next 14 days (i.e. before the holidays!!).

When the LBCO releases the shipment, we’ll contact you and arrange for delivery.

Upcoming buying opportunities:

We’re now in the process of compiling orders for our next group buy, which we hope to submit early in the new year. Members wishing to order wines for arrival in the spring should be sure to express intent and make deposits via our online shop.

On the weekend of November 6, 7 and 8 this year, Spectrum Wines and the Woodside Wine Appreciation Club headed to the 24th annual Ottawa Wine & Food Show. We were pleased to learn that this year the 2006 Cavas de Crianza Cabernet Sauvignon was awarded the gold medal in the Cabernet $15-$20 category. (The 2005 Cavas de Crianza Merlot was awarded the gold for “best Merlot in the $15-$20 range” last year.)

It was great fun having some of our Ottawa-area members visit the booth, which again was part of the Embassy of Argentina group effort.

In addition to Clos de Chacras, Ottawa wine enthusiasts were also able to sample small-production wines from Tempus Alba, Los Cerrillos, Serrera, and Hacienda del Plata all of which were very well-received.

A huge thanks goes out to club members Marg and Nil for all of their assistance at the show.

Spectrum Wines in the Consignment Room:

- representing artisan wines of Los Cerrillos, Tempus Alba, Clos de Chacras, Serrera, Pulmary Estates, and Hacienda del Plata.