Krug’s Coming to Town and 3 Other Killer Wine Events for August and September

The end of summer be nigh, when the days are getting shorter and speaking like a pirate be less socially acceptable. But there’s a silver lining: we’re starting the ramp up to harvest and that means more wine events—like these four beauts that will usher you gingerly into the fall.

Krug x Published on Main

Like American legislators, wine lovers are a tough group to reach consensus with. There is one constant that the entire spectrum can agree on, though: Krug is the bomb. Anarchist natural wine garagistes grudgingly revere it, tech bros flash it for street cred and old timey oenophiles break it out on truly special occasions. The only downside (other than the price of course, which is…uhm…suitably elevated) is that it’s getting tricky to source. Once a mainstay at the BCL, its scarcity means that it’s no longer available there. And it’s just as rare at restaurants where spotting it often causes an Instagram blast alerting your fellow aficionados. Luckily, Published on Main is one of two official Krug Ambassades (a fancy word for embassy that is going toe-to-toe with my spell check as we speak) in Canada meaning that not only do they have a ready supply, once a year, they get to roll out the Krug carpet for the Krug Single Ingredient Program, which sees a who’s who of acclaimed chefs from all over the world create something magical to pair with Krug offered by the glass. This year Chef Gus Stieffenhoffer-Brandson has been tasked with elevating the humble carrot to new heights and he’s created some eye-opening combos like Roasted Pickerel with Carrot Kimchi and Popcorn Butter Sauce or an insane Carrot Lox amuse bouche.
Krug Week runs from September 13-28 (technically weeks, we know, but we’re not complaining).

Vinicola Portugal

Honestly, wine peeps also pretty much agree that Portugal offers some of the best values in wine right now and even the hardcore tasters can always find something super cool and awesomely obscure in the region. The trick is finding someone who can help you navigate the bounty. And that someone is Kissa Tanto/Bao Bei operations director Justin Isidro, who brings Vinicola Portugal—his celebration of Portuguese wine—to Heritage Hall for it’s fourth iteration on September 27.

The event is a walk around format with over 25 wineries representing a cross section of the country (our insiders tip-look for Baga from Luis Pato, perhaps the greatest under-the-radar grape on the planet). There’s also a pop up store from Sutton Place Wine Merchants—a huge plus in a Province where sourcing cool Portuguese bottles is a nightmare—and a snack bar from Arc Imports. Tickets (available here) are a very reasonable $65 and are limited to 120, so get in there amigos and amigas.

Free Wine in Mt. Pleasant

The last time I followed a sign that said “Free Wine” I woke in bathtub in Havana with a pounding headache and one less kidney than I previously sported, but enough about Bar Mitzvahs. Luckily our friend and contributor Kurtis Kolt is as trustworthy as they come and he’s the ringmaster in charge of choosing three interesting wines and then leading the gathered through the informal tastings every Tuesday Night from 6-7. The tastings come with fun themes like bubbles (our friends from Bella‘s bubs were there) and there’s even light snacks from neighbourhood stalwarts Ayoubs. And to be clear — it’s free. All you have to do is show up at 14th and Main (preferably early as they’re limited to 35 people). They’re running for the rest of August and likely September.

Winemaker’s Dinners at Botanist

There are so many winemaker’s dinners these days that it’s got to be pretty special for us to take note. These ones are, indeed, special, which is scant surprise given that Botanist has been absolutely slaying the cocktail collabs for the past few years. These were just announced so the information is just coming in but the participants have us…excited. First up on September 10 is John Hughes from Australia’s Rieslingfreak, one of the cultiest, coolest producers working with the grape anywhere in the world. What’s cool is that John likes to do pretty radically different expressions so the opportunity to taste several of them back-to-back is a real treat. Then, on September 16 things get a little more bougie with Stephane Richer de Forges (how’s that for a handle!) of Louis Roederer where he’ll drop nine (yes, nine!) champagnes on the lucky few.