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  • Writer's pictureToronto Vintners Club

Happy 40th Birthday TVC!


The Club turned 40 years in June of 2015! Happy Birthday Toronto Vintners Club! TVC’s inaugural event was a tasting of Bordeaux wines in 1975 and we’ve hosted a Bordeaux event every year since then.

The initial occasion for TVC's first event was $6.50 per person ($7 at the door). The average cost of the wines consumed that evening was $5.82. Mind you, they weren’t top Bordeaux by any means. The club served a Colona Sommet Rouge for $2.15 (it was once the world’s biggest selling wine) and the priciest was the 1966 Chateau Rauzan Segla at $17.70. A 1966 Rauzan Segla would set you back about $325 if purchased today and if you still want a Sommet Rouge, you’ll have to travel to BC to buy it where it sells for $6.50/litre. Oh we’ve come a long way baby!!!

What else happened in 1975? Britain chose its first women leader, Margaret Thatcher. The movie Jaws was released in June. Jimmy Hoffa, ex-teamsters’ boss, disappeared, never to be seen again. Canada’s population was 22.7 M, Pierre Trudeau was Prime Minister, the hourly wage was $6.40 and average family income was $50,208. Gas/litre was around 55 cents. The CN Tower was completed. The beaver become a national symbol. Ontario schools began using the metric system and seat belts became mandatory. First Canadian Place in Toronto Ontario opened. Chart smashers were: A Love Song by Anne Murray; Bennie and Jets by Elton John and Dancing Machine by Jackson 5. LCBO was incorporated as a Crown Corporation and the drinking age was 18. Pet Rocks were introduced and sold for $3.95, making their creator a millionaire. Sony developed Betamax; Microsoft was founded; Kodak invented a digital camera. Colour TVs had been around in Canada for 9 years but Caller ID had not been invented. Self-service LCBO stores were becoming more common place (the first was introduced in ’69).

Fast forward to 2006. Stephen Harper was first elected PM in Canada and Google bought YouTube.com for $1.6 billion. Bordeaux weather was variable and when the grapes were harvested had a dramatic impact on the quality of the wine produced. Some picked in during beautifully sunny, dry weather, while others battled rains into September. Overall, however, the best 2006 reds were judged to be tannic and powerful, requiring cellaring. Certainly Robert Parker Jr. liked the wines we’ll be sampling when he tasted them several years ago. He rates each 90+ points. Will nine years from vintage be enough time to soften those tannins? We will find out!!

This September, please join us in celebrating our 40th annual Bordeaux tasting with the 2006 vintage. We have 2 Grand Cru Classé (GCC) wines and second (2e) to fifth (5e) growth wines mainly from the Left Bank. The average cost of the wines for this tasting is $79 (based on futures’ prices) compared to $6 in 1975! Sorry, we can’t offer you the same event price as in 1975 but founding members or members since 1975 – yes, there are a few of you - get in at half-price. We will send you a special promo code in a separate email. As well, we will have some special draws to commemorate our anniversary. TVC now provides a reception wine at the start of the evening, with light appetizers served after the wines have been tasted.


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