Wine Group Toronto, Canada

Anyone here live in the Toronto area? Looking to join or start up a wine group.

There's an active wine tasting group that meets in the University Faculty Club focused on South African wines.

See www.southafricanwinesociety.ca

I haven't actually had any wines form South Africa before.

There are a number of wine tasting clubs in Toronto, many country-specific. The largest (I think), second oldest, and one I used to run (along with others) is the Toronto Winetasters: https://winetasters.ca/.

They meet on the second Wednesday of each month except July and August, with a different theme each month, usually a vertical or horizontal tasting, or sometimes an A vs B (e.g. Ontario Pinot Noir vs Burgundy). Their December event is a Christmas party, lately at Osgoode Hall, where wines anywhere from a few years to a few centuries old are available for tasting (they've twice had 200-year-old Madeiras).

Other clubs include

• Toronto Vintners (the oldest wine tasting club in Toronto): https://www.torontovintners.org/
• Spanish Wine Society: seems to be only a mailing list now - try emailing info@spanvino.com
• South African Wine Society: http://www.southafricanwinesociety.ca/
• Ontario Wine Society (for Ontario wines): https://www.ontariowinesociety.org/
• Australian Wine Society: http://www.aws.ca/

There used to be clubs for German, American, French, Italian, Port, Portuguese(?) and Madeira wines, but I think they've mostly gone by the wayside.

Are these all groups that require a monthly subscription?

Are these all groups that require a monthly subscription?

Generally, there's an annual membership fee (which pays for mailings and overhead and helps build up the cellar for future tastings), plus a cost per tasting attended. I'm not sure if the Spanish Wine Society has a membership fee.

Note that these are large tastings for 40-120 members and guests, not small groups in peoples' homes. Toronto Winetasters, and probably most others, allow non-members to attend at a higher rate, provided the tasting is not sold out,

Do you know how I could reach the
Toronto wine tasters?

Do you know how I could reach the
Toronto wine tasters?

Click on the link in my first posting for their web site. You can contact them to ask a question or book the next tasting on line. If you still have questions, I'm still a member (and I'll definitely be at the February Sauternes tasting).

[Jenise]

Tristan, you might also inquire at your LCB's about small local groups that meet in each other's homes.

How would I got about doing that?

[Jenise]

It's not an official service offered, but it's true that wine shops (and maybe smaller independent wine shops more than the big gummint-run guys) get asked all the time from newbies moving into an area about wine groups that might accept new members. So you just have to ask around. I'm in a group here that meets in people's homes, and over time we've added two people who found us via a small local indie wine shop.

I have never seen a small wine store here. 99% LCBO‘s (government run).

[Jenise]

I have never seen a small wine store here. 99% LCBO‘s (government run).

I understand. I live about five miles as the crow flies from the Can-Am border, but on the opposite side of the continent from you. BC, which is the most draconian province when it comes to import duty, has several independent wine stores so I figured Toronto might also.