/
1x
Advertisement
Proudly Canadian, obsessively Toronto. Subscribe to Toronto Life!
Food & Drink

Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here’s how it all went down

By Toronto Life| Photography by Brittany Carmichael
Copy link

Last night, 10 lucky people got to join Toronto Life and Drink Toronto on a six-stop tour of the west end’s best wine bars and restaurants. The evening started at Archive in Little Portugal and ended at the Drake Hotel on Queen West, with stops at Noce’s Octopus Lounge, Oyster Boy, Carmen, BYOB Cocktail Emporium and the Good Son, along the way. At each bar, guests enjoyed something boozy, a bite to go with it and the chance to chat with some of the city’s top restaurateurs, chefs, bartenders and—in the case of Oyster Boy—pro shuckers. And at drinkware mecca BYOB, everyone was treated to $10 off their purchases.

Due to the wine crawl’s popularity, two more have already been lined up for August 1 and August 8. Spots are limited (these are super-intimate tours, folks), so reserve your spot now. In the meantime, here are pictures of last night’s 3.5 hours of wine-soaked fun.

Archive Wine Bar

909 Dundas St. W., 647-748-0909, archive909.com

The booze: Pearl Morisette Cuvée Roselana sparkling rosé. The food: Crostini topped with ricotta and grilled eggplant.

Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down
Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down
Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down

   

Advertisement
Noce’s Octopus Lounge

875 Queen St. W., 416-504-3463, nocerestaurant.ca

The booze: La Guincale 2011 Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Riserve, an Italian white wine. The food: Traditional hand-pitted olive ascolane filled with pork and chicken; fried rapini; and a crema fritta.

Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down
Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down
Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down
Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down

   

Oyster Boy

872 Queen St. W., 416-534-3432, oysterboy.ca

The booze: Tawse 2014 Spark sparkling wine. The food: Freshly shucked East Coast cocktail oysters (Tuxedo from PEI and St. Simon from New Brunswick).

Advertisement
Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down
Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down
Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down

   

Carmen

922 Queen St. W., 416-535-0404, carmensayz.com

The booze: Watermelon sangria made with Chilean cab-merlot, Spanish brandy, fresh orange juice and vermouth. The food: A variety of traditional Spanish pintxos.

Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down
Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down
Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down
Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down

   

BYOB Cocktail Emporium

972 Queen St. W., 647-727-3600, cocktailemporium.ca

Advertisement
Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down
Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down
Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down

   

The Good Son

1096 Queen St. W., 416-551-0589, thegoodsontoronto.com

The booze: Folie a Deux wine cocktail made with fennel-infused vodka, sparkling wine and bitters. The food: A crispy potato-encrusted jerk shrimp on mango-and-peanut slaw.

Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down
Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down
Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down
Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down

   

The Drake Hotel

1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042, thedrakehotel.ca

Advertisement

The booze: Starving Artist chardonnay. The food: Salmon poke chip.

Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down
Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down
Toronto Life hosted an exclusive wine tour last night. Here's how it all went down

NEVER MISS A TORONTO LIFE STORY

Sign up for Table Talk, our free newsletter with essential food and drink stories.

By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.
You may unsubscribe at any time.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Big Stories

Inside the rise and fall of the Vaulter Bandit, the 21st century’s most notorious bank robber
Deep Dives

Inside the rise and fall of the Vaulter Bandit, the 21st century’s most notorious bank robber

Inside the Latest Issue

The June issue of Toronto Life features our annual ranking of the best new restaurants. Plus, our obsessive coverage of everything that matters now in the city.