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

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.

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.

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).

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.

BYOB Cocktail Emporium

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

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.

The Drake Hotel

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

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