The Bar Towel

Cass · Joined: 17 Jun 2001 Posts: 1578

Anyone going to this? I'll be there tomorrow afternoon.

http://www.foodandwineexpo.ca/sitepages/

There seems to be a few beer companies there.

GregClow · Joined: 10 Aug 2001 Posts: 2685 Location: Parkdale

I'll be there tonight, rockin' a media pass at the "VIP" (i.e. more expensive to get in, so less people are crowding my ass) night.

Nice to see more breweries & beer agents involved. Next, they should add a beer tasting or two to the Tutored Tastings series.

Cass · Joined: 17 Jun 2001 Posts: 1578

Well, tonight I'm VIP'ing it up at the OCAD Whodunit gala party! I've got the day off tomorrow so I plan on going for the opening at 2pm so hopefully it won't be too busy.

beverageLAB2 · Joined: 19 Nov 2008 Posts: 4 Location: London, Ontario

I attended the show last year and enjoyed it. The standout items were talking with the Big Rock staff and Black Oak brewers.
It is well worth the trip to get to chat with the reps. I don't work for a restaurant or bar, so I don't get many other opportunities....
Too bad there are so many big brewers witht the products that are always available at the LCBO. I guess the price of a booth is a little prohibitive to the smaller craft brewers....
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Torontoblue · Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 12:41 pm Post subject:

I'm working tomorrow & Sunday. So, if anyone would like to sample some great Argentinian & Spanish wines, come and see me at the Torres & Luigi Bosca stands.
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shintriad · Joined: 15 Jul 2004 Posts: 396 Location: Toronto

A friend of mine won a ticket through NOW and might hook me up with an extra. So I might be around.

GregClow · Joined: 10 Aug 2001 Posts: 2685 Location: Parkdale

GregClow · Joined: 10 Aug 2001 Posts: 2685 Location: Parkdale

Here's my review of the Expo, where I talk about the fact that we drank hardly any wine, but were far from going thirsty:

http://www.tasteto.com/2008/11/21/more-than-just-wine-at-the-gourmet-food-wine-expo/

(PS to Steve: You were right about that tequila! Oh my GOD was it good!)

Ralphus · Joined: 09 Oct 2008 Posts: 181 Location: Almonte, ON

Nice review!

Cass · Joined: 17 Jun 2001 Posts: 1578

Went to show yesterday afternoon and into the evening. Fun show, and a lot bigger and comprehensive than I thought (first time there). There was a lot to check out - wine, food, beer, tastings and seminars. It was easy to spend an afternoon there. It seemed to be a well-organized festival and reasonably priced. There was a tremendous amount of diversity with what you could try which was great.

I spent most of my time at the beer booths as I knew a lot of faces there - Cameron's, Mill Street, Great Lakes, Steam Whistle, Nickel Brook from Ontario, Big Rock from Alberta, McAuslan from Quebec and importers Esprit, McClelland and Premier Brands.

Jess from Cameron's

Nickel Brook's booth

Nickel Brook's new organic recognition

But what really got my attention was the large displays for wine by different regions around the world:

California

France

Chile

Portugal

New York

New Zealand

LISTEN UP ONTARIO CRAFT BREWERS! You should be doing something like this. The OCB booths were all independently placed at random locations throughout the show. It made for a disjointed beer experience from an Ontario craft point of view, considering Ontario craft brewers actually band together.

The wine countries do it right - the different agents and representatives all have a place within a larger footprint but their booth area has a thematic cohesion and more effective consumer experience.

There should have been a "Craft beers of Ontario" just like "Wines of France" or "Wines of California". The OCB could have gotten a larger piece of real estate, showcased more breweries and brands, and especially used the opportunity to show off the new Discovery Pack. It could have been a great and impactful way to make a splash as the leaders of craft beer in Ontario. And since Molson and Labatt didn't do too much at the show, you would of had the beer spotlight all to yourselves.

Don't get me wrong, it was nice to see the brewers that were there. But this seems like a big missed opportunity for the OCB.

Torontoblue · Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2008 5:01 pm Post subject:

It was quite hectic at my booth last night (Luigi Bosca, Wines of Argentina), and I managed to sell out of every single bottle!!!!! Makes for a nice short weekend

Totally agree with Cass regards the OCB, they really missed a trick with this one, and if some of the smaller agencies/wineries can get their act together then why can't they?
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shintriad · Joined: 15 Jul 2004 Posts: 396 Location: Toronto

I went with my free ticket (spent $40 on tickets, not surprisingly, but it's still pretty good value) and had a damn good time.

Great review, Greg. Looks like we had a very similar experience. Clase Azul Reposado was unbelievable — one of the best liquors I've ever tried in any category. I'm actually thinking of splitting a larger order with a friend from the importer, don't know if you'd be interested.

Domaine Pinnacle Ice Cider was also fantastic. The sommelier actually gave me my two tickets back after seeing my reaction...it was just that good.

Also, yeah, some decent wines if you like that kinda thing. All I know is, I had a splitting headache by 9:00 p.m.