Riesling & Co. 2018

Riesling & Co. 2018
German Wines Institute

June 19, 2018

The German Wine Institute (Deutsches Weininstitut) invited wine professionals to discover and taste the diverse, world-class styles wines produced by German vineyards. Mainly on display were Rieslings and Pinots noirs wines. Among other grape wine varieties were also Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, Gewurztraminer and Silvaner.

It was a great pleasure to have the Riesling & Co. once again back in Quebec and Canada this year. This Montreal professional wine tasting event was held at the spacious premisses of SCENA, a French restaurant on Jacques-Cartier Pier in Montreal's Old Port. This is a different location than where the previous two such events were held in Montreal. You can read about the 2015 event here, and the 2016 event here.

20 German producers participated this year. All had an amazing variety and quality of wines to offer for tasting. The pace was abuzz with a great number of wine professional which included wine buyers such as restaurateurs and hoteliers and also those from the SAQ, as well as local wine promoters and sellers, wine connoisseurs, and even wine tasting apprentices.

LEITZ Weinngut vineyard representative was also offering to taste four different non-alcoholic wines all under the trade name Eins Zwei Zero. Many attendees showed a special interest for these non-alcoholic wines, although they were not listed in the event's catalogue and were brought to the show by the producer as a last minute decision. I personally was amazed by how good they all tasted: white and sparkling white, as well as rose and sparkling rose. Unfortunately, only the white one is presently being sold by some SAQ outlets.

Generous food was also offered to those who attended the event and was much appreciated by all.

The German Wine Institute in collaboration with German Wine Canada will be also holding  this year the 31 days across Canada tour of German Riesling Wine between June 1 - 31, 2018. You can find more information about it on the German Wine Canada site here.

Click on any image to enlarge it.

Visit Wines of Germany website.

Formula Peel Grand Prix 2018

Formula Peel Grand Prix Weekend

June 7 - 10, 2018

Formula Peel, a glamourous event of the Canadian Grand Prix, is back for a fifth year in a row with a noteworthy lineup. An exciting blend of high end gastronomy, music, fashion, and luxury cars, this prestigious happening is expected to attract nearly 500,000 people from around the world. This must-see event is being organized by Impact Media in co-operation with Destination Centre-Ville and the Peel Street Merchants' Association.

 Exclusive celebration of Porsche's 70th anniversary

This year, in honour of Porsche celebrating its 70th anniversary, Formula Peel event will partake in a series of international events commemorating the brand. Visitors will enjoy an opportunity, unprecedented in Canada, to stroll through an open-air museum featuring seven decades of German German Porsche engineering right on on Peel Street between St. Catherine and Sherbrooke.

Formula Peel spokesperson - Patrice Brisebois

He is a former Montreal Canadiens and a race car driver of a winning team. He stated:

"I am very happy to be part of the Formula Peel festivities—a not-to-be-missed event during the F1 Grand Prix. I am passionate about auto racing and this year, the 25th anniversary of the Canadiens' last Stanley Cup win in 1993, I am proud to be back on Peel Street with sports fans. This place brings back so many memories of the Stanley Cup parade."

Patrice Brisebois at the Formula Peel Even launch:

Custom terraces: High end gastronomy at its best

High end gastronomy will be given pride of place during the four days of festivities: a dozen or so prominent Peel Street restaurants will host clients on their specially appointed terraces, offering sumptuous menus in a welcoming atmosphere. The list of restaurants includes Chez Alexandre, Soubois, Ferreira Café, Vasco da Gama, Houston Avenue Bar & Grill, Pizzeria No. 900, Universel, Carlos & Pepe’s, RYU and Ibérica.

About Formula Peel:

The largest tourist event in Canada, Montreal's Grand Prix has an economic impact of $90 million, generates a hotel occupancy rate of 95%, and is watched by over 310 million television viewers in 150 countries, enhancing the city's visibility on the international stage.

Formula Peel on social media:

To immortalize the best of this glam event, Formula Peel invites visitors to share their top shots on Facebook, and Instagram (@formule_peel) with the hashtag #formulepee

Click on images to enlarge them.
All photos in this article by Nadia Slejskova.

French Wine Producers 2018

12 French Wine Producers in Montreal
Wine Tasting

May 16, 2018

This event was sponsored by the CIC MONTREAL with the help of CIC EST and CIC OUEST branches of Crédit Industriel et Commercial (a French financial services group) in order to promote French businesses abroad. It was held at the Montreal's Hotel Zero 1.

All participating vineyards were family ran businesses, some with a several hundreds years of history and a timeline of many generations. The producers came to Montreal in person. All demonstrated love for their land and the real expertise in understanding their soils, their vines, the intricacies of specific wine production, this due to their hard work and France's long history and legacy of wine production.

The following producers participated at the today's event and displayed wine-making mastery that makes French wine famous. Visit their websites to learn more about them and their wines.

Champagne Eric Taillet
Website 
Domaine Edouard Faller
Website

Champagne Barbier Louvet
Website
Domaine Vin Andre Carl & Fils
Websit

Champagne Couvreur Philippart
Website
Champagne Person
Websit

Domaine Moulin de la Touche
Website
Domaine G. Metz
Website

Champagne Guy de Chassey
Website

Champagne Brice
Website

Domaine des Sept Vignes
Website

Domaine Plessis Glain
Website

The event was attended by the Montreal's wine professionals who appreciated to discover the new wines and learn about various vintages and the methods they were created.

Generous food was also provided for those attending the event.

Click on images to enlarge them.

Italian Wine - Grandi Marchi 2018

l’Istituto del vino Italiano di Qualità
Grandi Marchi

May 9, 2018

The Institute of Fine Italian Wines - l’Istituto del vino Italiano di Qualità - Grandi Marchi, as it is called in Italian, has once again held a wine tasting even for professionals in Montreal. The event took place at the Loft Hotel located on Sherbrooke Street.

11 wine producers participated this year:

Antinori • Argiolas • Carpenè Malvolti • Lungarotti • Masi • Mastroberardino • Michele Chiarlo • Pio Cesare • Rivera • Tasca d’Almerita • Umani Ronchi

Quebec and Canada has a great number of Italian wine lovers, and not only those who are originally from Italy. Marrying good quality and an affordable price is certainly one of the elements of the success.

A great number of the Montreal wine professionals attended this Grandi Marchi wine trade show, eager to taste the wines presented by various and distinct vineyards. 

Italian food and cheese were also offered for tasting, much appreciated by those who attended the event.

For more information on the Grandi marchi origins and wine producers included in this group, visit the website of the l’Istituto del vino Italiano di Qualità - Grandi Marchi.

Click on images to enlarge them.

The past event of trade presentation of the Grandi Marchi wines took place in the Montreal's Old Port, at the Marché Bonsecure, and you can read about it here