sip & Savour Ontario: The Wine Pairing Selection

I am very happy to say that I have had the privilege to be asked to cover the upcoming sip & Savour Ontario event that will be taking place in the Historic Distillery District in downtown Toronto on June 16th as part of Ontario Wine Week.  For my first assignment, I was asked to attend a private wine tasting yesterday afternoon that was held for the ten chefs who will be participating in the event.  

The day began at Veritas restaurant on King St. E. where all of the chefs, as well as Kevin Brauch, and representatives from both sip Ontario and Savour Ontario met.  We then moved to the Fermenting Cellar in the Historic Distillery District to allow the chefs and Kevin to understand how everything will be laid out on the day of the event and give an overview of what exactly will be taking place.  We then headed back to Veritas where each chef had their headshot taken by Rohit Seth, of Seth Photography.  Then it was time for the wine tasting.  The wine tasting was done to allow the ten chefs to select a wine with which they will prepare an amuse-bouche of regional produce to be paired with it for the event on June 16th.  In addition to the ten food pairings, there will also be three chefs participating in a live culinary demonstration to allow the attendees of the event to learn how to prepare the dishes in their own home as well as how to successfully pair the best wine for that meal.   

Can it really be a successful sip & Savour Ontario preparation day with only wine to sip on and nothing to savour? In a room full of some of Ontario's top chefs, I don't think so!  Throughout the wine tasting, we had the pleasure of snacking on six exquisite hors d'oeuvres provided by Brad Long of Veritas.  Each hors d'oeuvre was created from regional produce and was bursting with flavour.  My favourite out of the six (because let's face it, who couldn't resist to try all six) were the roasted and pulled Berkshire pork and aged cheddar grilled cheese sandwiches.  The bread was toasted to perfection and filled with the most decadent taste of fresh butter.  The pork was incredibly tender, moist and filled with flavour which was intensified by the aged cheddar cheese.  I'll be honest with you, not a minute has gone by since I left Veritas that I have not dreamt about that sandwich.  My second favourite out of the six, was the smoked trout on crostini.  The crostini was perfectly crisp and, once again, filled with that sensational buttery flavour, and the trout had the most intense, yet not at all fishy, flavour that was mellowed out wonderfully by a dollop of cream cheese, and garnished with beautiful edible flowers.  To say that I was impressed would be an extreme understatement, but then again, would you really expect anything less than perfection when surrounded by ten extraordinary chefs? Talk about inspiration for a foodie like me!

 

I was already looking forward to attending sip & Savour Ontario, but after spending the day observing the event begin to come together, I am now counting down the days! It is sure to be one of the hottest events in Toronto this summer, and at only $60.00 a ticket, an absolute steal! Buy your ticket today and you too can experience an evening of celebration for Ontario  VQA wine and cuisine, tasting wine from 34 Ontario wineries paired with delectable offerings of regional cuisine.  

The ten chefs who will be participating in sip & Savour Ontario are:

• Bertrand Alepee - Amuse-Bouche
  
• Ben Denham - Six Steps
  
• Tim Dunnill - The Old Mill Inn & Spa
  
• Ryan Gustafson - EPIC
  
• Martin Kouprie - Pangaea
  
• Brad Long - Veritas
  
• Kevin McKenna - Globe Bistro
  
• Michael Steh - reds Bistro
  
• Michael Wilson - Crush Wine Bar
  
• Anne Yaryowich - Frank Restaurant / Art Gallery of Ontario