boozenews.ca

By Paul Mitchell



Although January usually is remembered for cold winds and knee-deep levels of snow, for many in the Southwestern Ontario area, it also brings the return of the London Wine and Food Show.
In the vein of other consumer tasting shows that I have reported on in the past, the London show provides people with the opportunity to taste newly available wines and beers, and learn from local chefs. Personally, I always enjoy the hot sauce vendors whose products are only available at these types of shows.
This year, an added attraction is the encore presentation of the "Science of Taste: What Your Taste Buds Are Telling You" presented by Darcy O'Neil (www.artofdrink.com) and yours truly as host.
Free with your regular admission, the seminar discusses the genetics of tasting (are you a supertaster or nontaster?) and how different compounds and flavours interact with each other during mixology and cooking.
We welcome you to drop by and sit in on the session. It is being presented only once on Saturday, January 17th at 7:30pm. For more information, please check the event website below. Cheers.

http://www.westernfair.com/shows/winefood-schedule.html

What Your Taste Buds Are Tetlling You
Sensory Perception & Mixology Seminar


Thursday, November 27th, 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
at the London Club, 177 Queens Avenue in London, Ontario, Canada (open to the public)
Presented by BeverageLAB, ArtofDrink.com and boozenews.ca

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Cash bar reception at 6:00pm. Seminar begins at 7:00pm. Visit www.artofdrink.com or call 519-870-4193 to reserve your place.

Learn about the science of tasting and how genetics play a part in determining whether you are a non-taster or super-taster. This seminar includes a scientific taste test using PROP/PTC, and is ideally suited to chefs, mixologists, foodies and anyone interested in culinary and drinks culture.

Commentary by Paul Mitchell:

On Saturday, August 23rd, the Golden Tap Awards were held in Toronto and featured a public tasting event prior to the awards ceremony held in the evening. I was not able to attend the either unfortunately, but was excited to participate in the voting for this year’s Awards. There is the old adage that a little revolution ‘is a good thing now and then’ but I am not too sure that the democratization of judging works, or should work, along the same principles.

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Press Release, Toronto, August 18, 2008


You're invited to the Golden Tap Awards!

Voting has closed for the sixth annual Golden Tap Awards <www.goldentap.com>, and now it's time to announce the winners!

This Saturday, August 23rd at beerbistro (18 King Street East in Toronto) we will be announcing the 2008 Golden Tap Award winners at a special gala event and Ontario craft beer festival.

Winners to be announced will include the best microbreweries, beers, bars and brewpub in the GTA and the rest of Ontario. A series of Editor's Circle awards will also be handed out for special beer achievements in Ontario. (Details of beers for tasting below.)

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By Paul Mitchell

On the weekend of April 5th, 2008, the International Centre in Mississauga played host to the 25th annual Toronto Wine & Cheese Show (www.towineandcheese.com). As originally one of the first and now largest Epicurean consumer shows in Canada, this event has developed a distinct reputation for featuring a prestigious selection of producer and guest presentations. It also features an annual awards competition. The results of the awards tastings, as well as personal observations, will be posted shortly. In the meantime, here are a few of my favorites from the show.

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Event Date: January 18th until 20th, 2008, London, Ontario
Written By: Paul Mitchell


Outside of Toronto, the London area – and especially if Stratford is included – is well known for its diversity of fine restaurants, and a general appreciation of good food and drink. Until recently, however, there was a definite disparity of food and wine related events. Enthusiasts either had to go without, live vicariously through the Food Network and the LCBO’s “Food and Drink” magazine, or travel at great expense in time and money to the big shows down in “the big smoke”. The other option was to take a certain amount of risk in buying new products blindly and hoping for the best. Now in its third year, the London Food and Wine Show, hosted by the Western Fair, has hoped to improve this situation for all.

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(Editor's Note: Here’s an older event review that might be of interest for those planning this year’s beverage related holidays!)
Originally Written By Paul Mitchell on October 17th, 2007

I had been looking forward to attending Oktoberfest in Kitchener (the largest event in the world outside Munich) for the first time since the bleary (and beery) days of university over a decade ago. The line-up of events featured the customary ceremonies and entertainments – Oktoberfest is still the most appropriate place to enjoy the world acclaimed polka stylings of Walter Ostenak – but many tickets had sold out quickly. There was still a great selection of “Festhallen” to choose from, and the Transylvannia Club seemed like the best venue for quality beer quaffing and the time-honoured experience of music and food.

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July 13th & 14th, 2007 – The Brickworks, Toronto
Originally Written by Paul Mitchell in August 2007

A dance beat pounds in the background energizing the open-air room, just barely atop the sound of clinking glasses and martini shakers. Elegantly dressed women balance precariously on expensive high heels; the men still dressed in their suits and five o’clock shadows from the office. It would be easy to get the initial impression that you were in an expensive lounge or night club in Toronto on a normal Friday night. This may be Toronto, but the venue in question is partially walled in with only brick and mortar, railroad tracks run through the centre of a rough and worn concrete floor, and it is definitely off the beaten (or, in Toronto, well driven) path.
Welcome to the Drinks Show. In its fourth year, the Drinks Show can be described as a two-day celebration of modern cocktail culture held in less than modern surroundings. The Brickworks – formerly an actual brick factory – now plays host to building layered drinks at special occasions instead. Intelligently planned, connoisseurs, martini fans and elite socialites gather to be tempted by over 100 specially designed cocktails made from the LCBO’s most visible brands. Although the evening is definitely not a tasting event for exclusively unfamiliar liqueurs, it is however an opportunity to enjoy something new.

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July 20th – 22nd – Parking Lot at King & Clarence, London
Originally Written By Paul Mitchell in August 2007

During the especially hot and sunny summer weather like we experienced this past July, people’s thoughts immediately turn to the relief provided by a nice cold and refreshing beer. There are many festivals and patios to turn to for relief, but where do beer fans turn when the brand selection is as oppressive as the heat?
Fortunately, the summer of 2007 presented Londoners with its very own beer festival.
After almost five years planning, Chris Campbell of Campbell Event Management and his team of sponsors, volunteers and staff, created a small but entertaining inaugural festival in the heart of downtown. While a parking lot at King and Clarence devoid of substantial shade may not be the most hospitable nor picturesque setting, it was a convenient and central place to accommodate a large crowd of thirsty explorers.

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By Paul Mitchell
Dates of Event: Friday, November 16th; Toronto Metro Convention Centre

Toronto is the preeminent food and beverage city in Canada hosting numerous trade and consumer shows to help introduce people to the latest products offered by both the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) and private agencies. Most of the time, these types of shows are not so much an opportunity to try new or elusive products – most are already available through general list – but for representatives and manufacturers to demonstrate new reasons for the public to buy more often.

From a marketing perspective, it is fascinating to witness how the latest campaigns actually tie into what is occurring along the different channels we see at the local level. Some distillery exhibitors specialized in showcasing new cocktail recipes, while breweries focused on promoting not just a range of their beer, but the new seasonal porter and stout releases that are so perfect for cooler months. Wineries composed the greatest percentage of exhibitors but interesting educator booths and intriguing cross-marketing partnerships added novel flavour (so to speak) to the event. Drink accessories and tutorial services (usually related to the spirits field) were available to help the home mixologist add some innovation to their art.

Throughout the entire food and wine show, the LCBO’s agenda to promote responsible service and showcase their top sellers permeated the evening, even to the point of offering an in-house retail store. It is particularly enjoyable, especially with how infrequently it actually happens, that we can shop the isles of a LCBO store with a real drink in your hand. More importantly, while the current monopoly situation in Ontario creates inequity in the market, the big advantage of these consumers shows is that, for once, both large and small producers can compete on even ground, allowing the taste of their product to be the sole determinant of success with buyers.

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