From the vineyards of Alsace to the wine farms of Stellenboch, I’ve hopped around the globe swirling, smelling and tasting pretty much every wine I can get my curious paws on. To say that I love wine is an understatement. So when the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo rolls around every year, I get really really excited. It’s every foodie and winos dream: a chance to mingle with some incredible industry experts, eat to your heart’s content and sample over 1,500 wines, spirits and beers from around the globe.
The expo is Canada’s largest food and wine event and can be a bit overwhelming at first, especially for excitable foodies and wine aficionados. There’s just so much to explore under one roof! It’s taken me almost a decade, but I think I’ve perfected the expo route for me and my friends: we begin at the Fine Wine Tasting Lounge (it’s good to start with the premium wines when all of our taste buds are intact), then we move on to the vintages, have a dinner break to devour as much delicious food as possible, visit the Ontario wineries and finish off the evening with the beer and spirit exhibitors (tequila is my fave).
Here are a few things I’ve learned over the years:
- Check your coat: you’ll be juggling plenty of food and drinks at the event!
- Bring your friends: the more, the merrier.
- Ask questions: the experts manning the kiosks are super knowledgeable and can help you find some real gems that suit your taste.
- Arrive early and give yourself lots of time to explore (they have huge lineups and do sell out).
- Don’t buy too many sample tickets in advance: I’ve come home with pockets full of food and drink tickets.
- Eat everything and anything that looks interesting. You won’t regret it.
- Take photos of the food and wine you love so you can remember them.
- Mingle! It’s a great opportunity to meet new people – there’s always a great buzz in the room.
Since the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo is one of my favourite events in the city, I’m giving away four pairs of tickets to their VIP evening on November 14th! To enter, just comment on this post (scroll all the way down to the “Leave a Reply” box) and tell me what your favourite wine, beer or spirit is and why. Make sure you fill out the Rafflecopter entry below too. Good luck!
Update: thanks to everyone who shared their comments. The lucky winners are Graham R, Vickie C, Amber B and Stephanie H!
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