Alan Schwartz – Grape Road

Time to try Ontario?

Alan Schwartz — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:53:03 +0000

The current state of the world seems to have permeated every crack of our existence – including wine consumption. I hope now will be your opportunity to uncork a bottle of Ontario wine. 99% of the wine consumed in Ontario is sourced either locally or from Australia/New Zealand, the U.S., France or Italy. (okay, I made that statistic up. I actually don’t know the exact number but I’m sure it’s in the 90-99% range). With the U.S. out of the picture (at least temporarily) consumers are pivoting to other products. Why not try an Ontario wine? With all the consumer patriotism in the market (and rightfully so) this is your chance to support local wineries. And you’ll save a few bucks while you’re at it. Give them a try and leave a comment. I’m interested to know if you’ll find them a suitable substitute for your bottle of Josh.

It’s not that complicated. Drink what you like….

Alan Schwartz — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 23:21:20 +0000

I’m often asked if I know a lot about wine. It comes to some people’s surprise that my answer is “no”. Perhaps I have organically picked up on some things over the years but I still consider myself a novice on the subject. The best advice I have to give is something that has been passed on to me by several people in the industry over the years. Drink what you like. Disregard the varietal, the region, the vintage, and the price. There is a great cross section of flavors, and you’ll find something that appeals to you before long. My friend and client Rob Groh was always amused by my taste for cheap wine. He’d tell me I’m lucky that I prefer wines that are less expensive. I was always happier drinking a Merlot than I was a Bordeaux.

These days I’m really enjoying two products. Firstly, I’m a big admirer of Sir Winston Churchill. Among his more eccentric habits was to always enjoy champagne at lunch. Perhaps that’s why he so passionately came to the aid of the French in World War 2. In fact he once said “Remember Gentlemen, it’s not just France we are fighting for, it’s Champagne!” There is nothing like a glass of champagne for its refreshment, refinement, and visuals. The dancing frantic bubbles making their way up the glass are worth the price of admission alone. Secondly, I always enjoy red wine when the temperature drops. In Toronto this year we are experiencing a very cold January. As I write this I am looking at a forecast that has a -27C in it (factoring in windchill). Cycling through the different varieties I find myself drawn more and more to Pinot Noir from Oregon and Northern California. It’s light enough for my palette but at the same time it gives a unique flavor that I don’t find in other red wines. A couple of examples that have stood out for me are Christopher Michael Pinot Noir from Oregon available at Vintages or Rogers & Co. https://rogcowines.com/lcbo-releases/christopher-michael-northwest-winemakers-pinot-noir-2022/ , and Dutton-Goldfield Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley of California available at thevineagency.ca.

If you’ve stumbled upon this blog in the summertime I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the great Riesling product being produced by Cave Springs Cellars in Jordan Ontario. Visit https://www.cavespring.ca/wine. The Niagara Escarpment is the perfect location to produce this type of white wine. Full disclosure, they are a client. However, I make this claim with complete objectivity. Something about this wine strikes the right balance of sweet, dry, and tangy. Perfect on a warm summer day. No matter what else my wife and I try we always come back to this wine.

Teaser alert. Russ’s Photo Corner – coming soon to this website. Courtesy of our resident Operations Manager and Professional Photographer – Russell Ellsworth. We are all struck by what we see out on the road travelling this great province. However, Russ has a knack for capturing some of this magic. He will be posting pictures from the field for us to enjoy.

I’ll leave you with one more quote from the great Sir Winston Churchill. Mind you it has nothing to do with wine, but like wine it definitely stirs something in the soul. “This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.”

Please feel free to leave a comment about what wines you prefer, and what you don’t prefer.

Until next time,

Yours, Alan.

Oh, the places you’ll go!

Alan Schwartz — Sat, 09 Nov 2024 00:32:38 +0000

Yes, I stole that title from Dr Seuss. One of the best parts of my job is finding myself in the most interesting places. For example, there is a golf course that we deliver to called Devil’s Pulpit – just off Highway 10 on the way to Orangeville. It is so elevated that you can see the Toronto skyline on a clear day. I’ve also encountered a lot of interesting bars and restaurants. There are several very small bars that come to mind. The Little Jerry on College St. in Toronto, Decoy Bar on Queen West in Toronto, and The Jane Bond in Waterloo come to mind. There is a very quaint restaurant on Hwy. 26 in Collingwood called Waldorf & Statler. It’s owned by two self declared curmudgeons (thus the name – taken from those curmudgeonly men from the Muppets that heckle in the theatre). One owns a local bakery and the other is Collingwood’s noted authority on wine. They are making some delicious food and serving up an exceptional array of wines from all over the world. And it turns out they are not as curmudgeonly as they’d have you believe. And of course there are the bars with the great views of the skyline. Three of the best in Toronto are Aera in the newly minted The Well, the bar at Hotel X on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition, and of course Canoe on the 54^th floor of the TD Tower. Recently we have been delivering a lot of wine to a restaurant in Port Stanley called Riva. I didn’t know Port Stanley existed until about four months ago. Perched on the shores of Lake Erie, this beach town is only a 30 minutes drive south of London. It’s a great spot for a weekend away, but I will warn you that I hear it’s incredibly busy come the summertime. If you’re ever in Thornbury check out Penny’s Motel. The owners have taken an old rundown motel and turned it into a hip destination. Lastly, I was in London a few weeks ago delivering to AnnDining and I saw an artisanal ice cream shop next door called buttercreme (Yah, that’s the name. Apparently the kids don’t care for capital letters anymore). I went inside and ordered a single scoop (sadly my double scoop days are behind me) and it was the best ice cream cone I’ve had in recent memory. The highlight was the cone that it came in. Not a traditional sugar cone. This was more like a gourmet cookie shaped like a cone. In a word, delicious. So take a page from Dr Seuss, and get out there and discover some of these places yourself. And if you have any unique and interesting spots that you’d like to share with me please leave a comment.

Toronto is having its sandwich moment

Alan Schwartz — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 00:32:38 +0000

Being close to the restaurant industry I would always read Joanne Kates in The North York Post, or James Chatto from Toronto Life. They did a great job keeping us up to date on the trends in the Toronto restaurant scene. Today they would most certainly remark that Toronto is having its sandwich moment.

There seems to be new elevated sandwich shops opening every week. I remember when California Sandwich’s Veal was the king of the hill. Now there are competitors for Toronto’s top sandwich everywhere. Whenever I work downtown I look forward to treating myself to an upscale sandwich from one of the many proprietors in the city.

Recently went to Leslie’s Sandwich Room in Leslieville. I tried the 7 E 11 (Seven Eleven I guess), which is a visually stunning take on the egg salad sandwich. It’s huge. It’s covered in green onions. I really should have opted for the Actually Tuna – which uses real chunks of fresh raw tuna. Definitely next time.

I’ve also enjoyed the steak sandwich at The Bear on College St. The bun is fresh and soft. It’s the highlight of the sandwich. They use skirt steak, and a very spicy chimi churri sauce. This sandwich was delicious.

My all time favourite sandwich in the city right now is anything from Forno Cultura on QueenWest. The bread is artisanal and amazing. Their tuna (only available on Friday) is terrific. They also have a great Italian sandwich on focaccia bread that’s outstanding.

On the list to try next: Lambo’s Deli, Burger Drops. Can we call a burger a sandwich?