Sun, November 12, 2017 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM EST
KIN Vineyards 2225 Craig Side Road Ottawa, ON K0A 1L0

Come and join us for an aftertoon at KIN Vineyards for a Tour and Tasting.

KIN is the regions newest vineyard and winery, having just opened their tasting room this year. They tend two vineyards nestled along the Carp Ridge, by the Carp River, and resting upon the grey limestone of the Ottawa Formation. Each vineyard supports a distinct terroir, a unique personality, and a tremendous potential for remarkable wine.

This event provides a two hour tour and tasting which takes you into the vineyard (weather permitted) or the production facility. Our guide will explain the history of the vineyard and what happens on the agricultural side, followed by the tasting of 4 wines inside and including a cheese and charcuterie board to go with the tasting.

We look forward to seeing you there.

​Members and Sponsored Guests: $25

Thu, October 26, 2017 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM EDT
Vendange Institute 440 Albert Street Suite C108 Ottawa, Ontario
With Fall upon us, thoughts of drinking light fruity wines on the patio turn to thoughts of more robust wines paired with hearty stews and roasts next to a warming fire. The October 28th Vintages release is featuring premium Italian wines and big red New World wines. This stands to be a great tasting, and a good opportunity to taste some new releases geared to the season.

We encourage you to register early as all members signed up by Saturday, October 21, 2017, will be invited to suggest a few of their choices from the release. We will consider the requests as we make the final selection, particularly looking at popular items based on multiple responses along with any creative thematic suggestions.

The VPR is an opportunity to “try before you buy” a number of wines to be released by Vintages on the following Saturday. Taste some selected, expensive, highly reputed wines that might not cross your palate otherwise and also have the chance to discover wines offering exceptional price/quality ratios and affordable lesser-known premium quality products that are well-made bargains.

The tasting will be lead by Guild Directors Sean O'Regan and Greg Nyman.

Members: $67.80
Sponsored Guests: $ 79.10

Thu, October 12, 2017 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM EDT
Vendange Institute 440 Albert Street #C108 Ottawa, ON

The Guild is resuming its wine Century Varietal Club series where interested members work their way to tasting one hundred different wines each made from a different variety of grapes.

Whether you are stuck in a rut always buy the same types of wine. Whether you are eager to discover new wines. Or, whether you simply like the thrill of the hunt in finding rare and esoteric single varietals. We think you will enjoy the challenge of tasting over 100 different grape varieties.

The concept of the Wine Century Club was created by a couple of New Yorkers with the goal of tasting 100 different grape varieties. While some may view this as extreme wine tasting, most will find it an exciting opportunity to expand their palate and broaden their knowledge of wines beyond the so-called noble varieties.

This Guild event will feature 12 to 14 different varietals toward the goal of eventually tasting 100 different varietals or more. This is not as daunting a task as it seems, since most people have probably tasted 10-20 different grapes without even knowing it and wine enthusiasts and sommeliers are likely to have sampled 25-40 single varietals already.

Our Century Varietal Club tasting events will focus on offering different single varietals every time and we will run these tastings periodically as we collect interesting and unique samples.

​To help you track progress, we will provide a list of over 150 grape varieties. As a result of tasting on your own or at one of the Guild’s Century tasting events, you’ll be able to keep track of your varietals. When you hit the century mark, you will earn a Century Club Certificate of Achievement. The whole thing works on the honour system, but BEWARE should you cheat! The wrath of Bacchus may forever curse your palate.

Members: $50.85
Sponsored Guests: $ 60.85

Thursday, September 28, 2017 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Vendange Institute 440 Albert Street, Suite C108

The first VPR of the season will feature wines of Tuscany, wines for Thanksgiving and winemaking families. Come join us as we taste higher end Sangiovese-based wines as well as searching out some of the highly recommended wines that punch above their price point. In addition, we will try to fit in some other recommended wines from the release highlighting Thanksgiving and winemaking families both here in Canada and abroad.

We encourage you to register early as all members signed up by Saturday, September 23, 2016, will be invited to suggest a few of their choices from the release. We will consider the requests as we make the final selection, particularly looking at popular items based on multiple responses along with any intriguing thematic suggestions.

The VPR is an opportunity to “try before you buy” a number of wines to be released by Vintages on the following Saturday. Taste some selected, expensive, highly reputed wines that might not cross your palate otherwise and also have the chance to discover wines offering exceptional price/quality ratios and affordable lesser-known premium quality products that are well-made bargains.
The tasting will be lead by Guild Director Lisa Isabelle and Guild President Bill Ellis.

​Members: ($45+HST) $50.85
Sponsored Guests: ($55+HST) $62.15

Sunday, June 25, 2017 from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM (EDT)
Bar Laurel 1087 Wellington Street Ottawa, ON K1Y 2Y4

Join National Capital Sommelier Guild co-founder J. Phillip Nicholson and Bar LaurelSommelier Jordan Sabourin―sherry advocates to the core―as they lead us on a comprehensive tasting tour of every major style of sherry … with each of four stunning flights (15 sherries in total) matched with superb classic Spanish fare served up by Chefs Jon Svazas and Zachary Resnick.

The wine list and menu below reveal the truly fabulous and rare treat that is in store for us. Book early to avoid disappointment.

COST: $120 per person inclusive of service and taxes. Open to Guild Members and Non-Members alike, including wine and food tasting enthusiasts from the Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group (GNAG).

RESERVATION AND PAYMENT: GNAG Members―Send an email to Phil Nicholson indicating how many spaces you wish to have reserved. Phil will follow up with further details on formal registration and payment via Eventbrite.

Please note that Phil will be hiking in the Spanish Pyrenees in early June, so email him very soon to avoid disappointment. [email protected] 613-282-4184

SEATING: The first 36 seats are at tables, with an additional 14 spaces available at the bar.

WELCOME
Croft Pale Cream & Lustau Virmut―Smoked Roasted Almonds

FINO AND MANZANILLA
Valdespino Inocente―Baby Squid Gilda
Toro Albala Electrico―Razor Clam Gilda
Hidalgo La Gitana―Bleu de Basque Cheese Pintxo
Valdespino Delicio en Rama―Manchego Sheep Cheese Pintxo 

AMONTILLADO, PALO CORTADO AND OLOROSO
El Maestro Sierra (12 years)―Fig and Serrano
Gonzalez Byass Del Duque (30 years)―Dry Aged Ribeye
Lustau Palo Cortado―Octopus
Valdespino Palo Cortado Viejo―Secreto Di Iberico
Gonzalez Byass Alfonso Oloroso―Bellota Lardo

CREAM, MOSCATEL AND PX
Harvey’s of Bristol Cream & Lustau Moscatel―Basque Cheesecake
East India & Osborne 1827 PX―Fried Ice Cream

Thu, June 15, 2017 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM EDT
Vendange Institute 440 Albert Street #C108 Ottawa, ON 

In celebration of Canada's 150th anniversary of Confederation, the National Capital Sommelier Guild is hosting a special tasting of premium Canadian wines, representing some of the many world-class wines Canada is producing each and every year from our 671 grape-based wineries and 1,700 grape growers/vineyards across Canada.

Join Guild Director Matt Steeves while he explores (and pours) some of Canada's finest wines sourced from across this great country. Celebrate Canada's 150th in style and treat your palate as we join together and celebrate Canada's impressive wine scene. If you're planning a Canada 150 party, Matt's wine picks will give you some great options to pour for your lucky guests.

Members: $56.50
Sponsored Guests: $ 67.80

Wed, June 7, 2017 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM EDT
Algonquin College Hospitality Amphitheatre Room H102 (across from Wine Lab)
1385 Woodroffe Avenue Ottawa, Ontario

The Guild’s Annual General Meeting is part business and part social event. A (very) brief summary of the year’s activity and financial status will be followed by an election to fill Board of Director positions being vacated for 2017-2018. While the votes are tallied, members will be given an opportunity to provide feedback about the Guild and Guild events, and address questions to the retiring Board. This will be followed by a reception where food and wine will be served. There is no cost for this event but we ask you to register to make sure we have enough refreshments. We look forward to seeing you.

​This event is for Guild members only, and is free to attend.

Sun, June 4, 2017 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM EDT
Coconut Lagoon 853 Saint Laurent Boulevard Ottawa, ON K1K 3B1

As we are nearing the end of the wine tasting season, the Guild is delighted to announce that we have partnered with Chef Joe Thottungal from Coconut Lagoon for a special evening to be held on Sunday June 4th, 2017, starting at 6:00 pm.

Joe will be on site to explain and describe every one of his dishes, including this year’s Gold Medal Plates Silver Medal winning dish “Kerala Infused Oil Poached Halibut”. We will be offering a 6-course menu at $110 cost (including HST and Gratuity) for Guild members and $125 for Sponsored Guests. There are only 50 seats available for this event. Make sure to reserve early.

The event will be lead by Guild Directors, Marie-France Champagne and Don Cook. They have challenged themselves to pair two beverages with every course and to explore the endless possibilities of wine and food pairing. These will not be typical Indian food pairings. Do not expect to taste a buttery Chardonnay or an off-dry Riesling at this event. You might however encounter some wine varietals that you have not tasted before. Perhaps, a local cider and maybe the odd beer pairing. We will be looking for our guests to provide us with feedback for each of the course’s best pairing.

Joe & his team are very pleased with their new look as they have recently completed renovations to both the exterior and interior of the restaurant. Parking is available on-site.

Members: $110
Sponsored Guests: $125

Please scroll below for the evening’s full menu. We will keep the pairings secret until the event!