Sip, savour and enjoy at Ontario food and drink events

   One-Tank Trip for Nov. 7/15

   (c) By Jim Fox

   It’s time to eat, drink and be merry with opportunities to indulge in the spirits’ world and fine dining.

   What is billed as the “biggest food and drink event of the year” returns to Toronto; there are “Feast ON Nights; Savour Stratford’s Tutored Tastings; and Niagara Culinary Experiences.

   Prepare to be amazed as the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo features 1,800 wines, beers, spirits and gourmet food at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (255 Front St. W.), Nov. 19 to 22.

The beer will flow at Toronto’s Gourmet Food & Wine Expo.

   Sip and savour from wine regions across Spain, Portugal, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, Romania, Italy, California – of course, Canada – and many more.

   Learn from the pros, meet the world’s best from breweries, wineries and distilleries, and sample treats from the city’s leading chefs.

   “With top restaurants, wineries, breweries and distilleries sampling all weekend long, it’ll be easy to discover a new favourite,” said event manager Melanie Klie.

   Lights out

   There’s Tasting in the Dark, hosted by wine writer Rod Phillips.

   This event is conducted with the lights out to challenge participants’ senses to tell the difference between a red and white wine without being able to see it.

   Contenders from across Canada will compete to create Mott’s Best Caesar in Town competition.

   The popular Tutored Tastings series provides an “intimate experience” of sampling some of the world’s finest wines with Canada’s leading experts.

   Interactive seminars are led by industry experts, media personalities and winemakers including Kevin Brauch, John Szabo and Christopher Waters.

Diners at the Niagara Culinary Experiences have a front-row seat for fireworks over the falls.

   At Now and Then, wines of today are compared to great wines of the past.

   There’s the Grand Tasting Bar with a selection of international and local fine wines for sampling.

   Visitors will have the opportunity to indulge in premium wines including consignment and vintage options, with the option to place an order.

   Eat up

   Culinary experiences feature celebrity Chef Mark McEwan, Marcus Monteiro, Cameron MacDonald and Darryl Fletcher with his “simple, easy, healthy recipes.”

   Chef Terry Port talks turkey, Emily Richards cooks with veal, Matt Dean Pettit prepares lobster and Chef Demo offers a taste of Mexico.

   The Dairy Farmers have the All You Need is Cheese Stage along with the Turkey Farmers and the Grain Farmers.

   Expo hours are Nov. 19, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Nov. 20, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Nov. 21, noon to 10 p.m.; and Nov. 22, noon to 6 p.m. Ticket prices and details: foodandwineexpo.ca

Featured Chef Jamie Kennedy prepares gourmet meals at the Niagara Culinary Experiences.

   Enjoy the feast

   - The Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance is featuring Feast ON in which restaurants create special dining experiences to showcase provincial beef and cow’s milk cheese.

   More than 100 restaurants with the Feast ON designation are taking part through the end of the year.

   The special evenings “connect people with local food, producers and chefs in a new way,” said Rebecca Mackenzie, alliance executive director. feaston.ontarioculinary.com/nights

   - Savour Stratford Perth County offers signature tastings featuring  local fare and special culinary combinations.

   Tastings take place on Saturday afternoons with prices starting at $35 a person.

   This month’s Italian wine and cheese pairing on Nov. 14 is sold out but Scotch and Chocolate is available on Dec. 19.

   The United Kingdom Beer and Cheese Pairing is Jan. 23, followed by Soft and Supple Cheese Meets Fortified Libation Feb. 13, North American Wines and Cheese Feb. 27, and Spanish Wines and Cheese Pairings on March 19. visitstratford.ca/stratford-tutored-tastings; 1-800-561-7926

Chef Jamie Kennedy’s braised beef short ribs, poached kale and roasted winter vegetables.

   - The Falls Avenue Resort presents Niagara Culinary Experiences featuring celebrity chefs and wineries.

   Upcoming is Italy’s Piedmont Region with Chef Massimo Capra on Nov. 13 that’s sold out but he’s back with a Culinary Tour of Abruzzo, March 4, and Sicilia on April 1 at his Rainbow Room at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

   There’s availability for “Heritage Farmhouse Christmas” featuring Chef Jamie Kennedy.

   It takes place on Dec. 4 at Windows by Jamie Kennedy Fresh Grill and Wine Bar at the Sheraton on the Falls hotel.

   Culinary tours of Italian regions are offered by Chef Massimo Capra in Niagara Falls.

   There’s an Icewine Dinner with Kennedy on Jan. 15, also at Windows, to “celebrate Niagara’s liquid gold” and Beer On Ice with the Niagara Brewing Company at the Falls Avenue Resort on Feb. 5. fallsavenueresort.com/culinary/#culinary

-30-

Jim Fox can be reached at onetanktrips@hotmail.com

For more One-Tank Trips: http://1tanktrips.blogspot.ca