LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2023

WINE WITHOUT BIDDING WARS

Among the wines that consistently sell over their high-estimate prices at Iron Gate wine auctions are Dom Pérignon Brut Vintage Champagne ( VINTAGES 280461, $354.95 ) and an iconic red Bordeaux: snag a Château Mouton Rothschild 2005 ( VINTAGES 34185, est. $2,280 ) as part of the Mature Bordeaux special Vintages online offer on October 12!

Going, Going, Gone … to a Good Cause In 2020, in-person wine-auction fundraisers were in crisis. Warren Porter, the founder of Toronto’s Iron Gate Private Wine Management, had a solution. He had long supported a regulatory change allowing wine auctions online, and immediately built a virtual platform. With online auctions, “the charity can raise more money, more people can participate and you don’t need to spend money on a venue and the lamb chops that go with it,” he says. In 2020, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra online wine auction raised $650,000, double the typical in-person tally. Serious wine collectors can get involved by donating bidding-magnet bottles for auction, and thousands of potential buyers—including those who might never attend an in-person fundraising gala, and casual wine fanciers—can bid online. (Find out about upcoming events at irongate.wine). Porter says, “Even if you’re not a collector, it’s a fun thing to do for a cause.”

Wine Without Borders Beyond Niagara and Prince Edward County lie promising new Ontario wine regions. From just North of Toronto to Georgian Bay, the shores of Lake Huron and Lake Erie, Eastern Ontario, and Norfolk and Haldimand Counties. Visit these wineries or look for their bottles at the LCBO. NEAR TORONTO G. Marquis The Red Line

Pinot Grigio VQA LCBO 276501, $14.95 HURON SHORES Unapologetically Brash White VQA LCBO 493676, $12.95

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