It recently occurred to me that perhaps I should title these event ‘recaps’ rather than ‘reviews’ since I also hold the title of co-event planner (and also event photographer, but that’s besides the point) so of course I am going to give favourable reviews... I want you all to see the fantastic, amazing and fun experience of an iYellow event!
Last night, iYellow’s 2009 year ended with a spectacular birthday bash. We hosted “HAPPY BiRTHDAY!” to celebrate South Africa’s 350th year of winemaking. It was held at Reds which is located at 77 Adelaide St. West in the core of downtown Toronto. Reds attracts a huge weekday crowd since they are in the financial district, so a Saturday was the perfect night to have the lower level all to ourselves, bring in over a dozen South African wine stations, invite a hip crowd of wine-drinkers, jazz up the place with some South African-style DJ sounds and enjoy the night sipping and savouring.
The Krone Rose Cuvee Brut Sparkling 2002 vintage with its blush colour and perky bubbles was a refreshing treat to start off the night (Check out the Krone website it is pretty cool>>). It was poured by Reds Sommelier & iYellow Ambassador Taylor Thompson. (For those of you have not yet met Taylor – you must introduce yourself! You will be blown away by his incredible knowledge and down-to-earth charm. He is also the teacher of the iYellow Wine School which will be running every Saturday this February and March.)
There were over 20 South African wines featured around the room. (For those of you who forgot to bring home the colourful brochure, check below to view a list of all the wines that were presented. I had the pleasure of sampling the KWV Rooderberg, the Arniston chenin blanc, the Diemersfontein pinotage and the Leopard’s Leap pinotage shiraz. (I know some of you are thinking that is a shamefully short list of wines considering there were over 20 available, and I definitely agree, but the night happened to fly by so fast. Nevertheless, I thoroughly savoured every sip that entered my glass.) If I had to pick a favourite I think I would select the Diemersfontein pinotage – I was pleasantly overwhelmed by a blend of smoky mocha goodness. I found out from Nicholas Pearce, the agent pouring the Diemersfontein, that the last bottle ran out before the evening was over, so I must not have been the only one who favoured this superb taste sensation - in fact as it turns out it was the crowd favourite for the evening. if you loved the wine Contact Dan to get some bottles to share*
And not the mention the food at Reds was elegant and delicious. I missed out on the cupcakes which disappeared fast. But being a big fan of cream liqueur I made sure to stop by the Amarula Cream station at end of the back row. So I still managed to satisfy my sweet craving as I gently sipped the liqueur until the last drop. The perfect way to end the night.
From the perspective of an event planner, I have to say this was by far one of my favourite iYellow events. Not only was the venue a beautifully designed space, but it was such a pleasure working with the Reds staff to keep the night running smoothly. Thanks for making my job easier!
Happy 350th Birthday to Wines of South Africa! Raise your glass and toast to the beautiful wine-making region. We wish you many, many, many more years to come!
To our members, we wish you happy holidays and we look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events in the new year. Look out for the icewine tour on January 30, and the new iYellow Wine School Winter term (Wine & Food 101) beginning in February 2010.
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THE PICTURES FROM THE EVENT>>
Special Thanks to:
Wines of South Africa and Propeller Communications
Music by Quadrasonic (www.quadrasonic.com)
Flowers by Emily Mays Creative Floristry (www.emilymays.com)
Reds Wine Bar & Bistro (http://www.redsbistro.com/)
Did you Love the Pinotage? Get some today!
*Dan Rabinovitch
President, Azureau Wine Agency
e. dan@azureau.com
t. 416.940.1641
c. 416.895.6629
(Click to Enlarge)
