This experience was born out of a rejection of everything I hate about the wine industry.

Soulless transactions. Pretentious language. Snobbery. Gatekeeping.
It didn’t seem to matter what winery or tasting I attended – a code of conduct all wine people abided by dominated.

And, no matter the years that went by – nothing.ever.changed.

Moving to Toronto exposed the embarrassing lack of Canadian wine awareness and access urging me to take steps towards change.

I started with tastings of small, intimate groups, where I shared wines I had personally smuggled into the province from BC, Nova Scotia, and Quebec – I had to – thanks to our corrupt monopolies attempting to control the interests of small winery owners. Along the way, I met the most amazing people.

Now, almost 10 years later, it’s morphed into something so much more than a Canadian wine tasting.

It’s a gathering of like minds. Some have referred to it as a “rent-a-friend” service. There are a lot of laughs, sometimes tears, but what there isn’t: tasting notes, power point decks, or douchey wine language.

This experience treats wine what it was designed for: breaking bread over conversations into the wee hours – a social lubricant, connecting humans on a spiritual level.

You’ll be trying some really special stuff, nothing that is available in Ontario government stores – a flight of 5 Canadian wines (come thirsty, the pours are generous) paired with local fare hosted in a clandestine studio only those-in-the-know discover.

Anniversaries, birthdays, stags/stagettes, book clubs, team buildings, corporate holiday parties, or just a night out on the town – whatever the reason, come ready to let loose. This isn’t your typical tasting.