Tasting Events

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29 / 7:00 pm
Quebec Beer & Cheese with Mirella Amato & Julia Rogers
Kicking off the 2009 Hart House Tasting Series will be a little taste of Quebec without leaving the GTA. This unique tasting is not to be missed as we import product straight from our French Canadian neighbours just for your tasting pleasure. Let experts Mirella and Julia guide you through a beer and cheese tasting.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5 / 7:00 pm
Pinot Camp with Norman Hardie
If you’re a Pinot lover tonight is the night for you! Let winemaker Norman Hardie lead you through a detailed tasting of Pinot Noir from the countries that make it best. Afrim Pristine will be bringing along treats from the Cheese Boutique.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12 / 7:00 pm
Contemporary Cocktails with Dick Snyder
Dick Snyder of CityBites Magazine hosts a night of cocktails that promises to get you in a Mad Men kind of mood. Bartenders from the Harbord Room, Ame and the Black Hoof will delight us with contemporary twists on classic cocktails. 

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19 / 7:00 pm
Wines from New Regions with Sheila Person and Stephanie Kern
Care for a glass of Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains from Romania? Join Sommeliers Sheila Person and Stephanie Kern as they showcase wines from up and coming regions around the world. A votre sante!

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26 / 7:00 pm **in South Dining Room**
Tea Tasting with Karen Hartwick
Smell, swirl and taste. This isn’t another wine tasting - experience a tasting like no other with Karen Hartwick from Tea Leaves in Stratford as she explores the world of tea.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3 / 7:00 pm
Billy & Bubbles with Billy Munnelly and Guest Chef Jonathan Gushue
What could be better than a little bubbly and some fancy hors d’oeuvres to match? Langdon Hall’s Executive Chef Jonathan Gushue will partner up with Billy Munnelly as they explain sparkling wines and the foods that love them. **Attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the 20th Anniversary edition of Billy's Best Bottles.**

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOOUT THE 2009 HART HOUSE TASTING SERIES:

The Bulletin, November 4, 2009

The Medium, November 9, 2009

Inside Toronto, November 13, 2009

Dine N' Vines, November 17, 2009

Spezzatino, November 24, 2009

Biographies

Mirella Amato
Specializing in Ontario and Québec brews, Mirella has made the promotion of craft beer her full-time job. Mirella is a regular contributor to TAPS, Canada’s beer magazine, and has been published in a number of North American beer magazines and brewspapers. She is a founding member of Cask! a certified beer judge, and a board member of the Canadian Amateur Brewers’ Association. www.beerology.ca

Jonathan Gushue, Langdon Hall
Since 2005 Executive Chef Jonathan Gushue has been creating award winning food at Langdon Hall in Cambridge, Ontario.  Not only does Langdon Hall have a much coveted Five Diamond Award from AAA/CAA but Jonathan was recently recognized by the prestigious James Beard Foundation.  Before taking his culinary talents to Langdon Hall, Gushue was the Executive Chef of Truffles Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto. www.langdonhall.ca

Norman Hardie, Norman Hardie Winery and Vineyard
Norm Hardie was the head Sommelier and then General Manager at Truffles at the Toronto Four Seasons hotel, before he left to pursue winemaking in the 90s. When he left the restaurant business, he returned to his country of birth, South Africa to learn the ropes and apprentice. He apprenticed in Burgundy, moved over to New Zealand, then to California; all the time keeping an eye on what was happening in Ontario. By the time he was back, Prince Edward County was just becoming a wine centre and he was able to find his property and establish Norman Hardie Winery and Vinyard. www.normanhardie.com

Karen Hartwick, Rosewood Manor
Karen Hartwick is known as Canada’s Tea Sommelier. She graduated with top level honours from the Specialty Tea Institute in New York. She is an expert on the culture, presentation, origins, and health benefits of tea. Karen founded Tea Leaves, a wholesale distributor and tea shop in 2001 followed by a tea tasting bar in 2003. Hartwick is the owner and operator of Rosewood Manor, a popular Victorian bed and breakfast located in Stratford, Ontario. www.stratfordtealeaves.com

Stephanie Kern, Hart House
Stephanie has been an Event Manager at Hart House since 2005.  She is a hospitality professional with Chef Training from George Brown College in 2000 followed by her CAPS Sommelier certification in 2008.  In addition to planning everything from meetings to weddings, Stephanie teaches seminars on wine and spirits, has been a contributor on gremolata.com and written articles for Hart Beat Magazine.

Billy Munnelly, Billy’s Best Bottles
Born in Ireland, Billy is the champion of good, everyday wine, and has delivered irreverent, lighthearted and enlightening wine advice for over 30 years.  From 1983 to 2005, his bi-monthly Billy’s Best Bottles Wineletter is one of Canada’s first, and most widely circulated, consumer wine report. His annual wine buying guide, ‘Billy’s Best Bottles Wines’, is now Canada’s best selling wine book. This year marks the 20th anniversary edition. www.billysbestbottles.com

Sheila Person, Hillebrand Winery Restaurant
Hospitality has been in Sheila’s blood since bartending to put herself through the University of Alberta.  Making the move to the Big Smoke in 1998 she has since worked at such renowned establishments as Auberge du Pommier and the Drake Hotel.  Since completing her CAPS Sommelier certification in 2008, Sheila has re-located “Napa North” and is now the Restaurant Manager and Resident Sommelier at Hillebrand Restaurant Winery in Niagara. www.hillebrand.com

Afrim Pristine, Cheese Boutique
For the past 40 years the Cheese Boutique has been aging and curing everything from cheese to beef to Meyer lemons.  Afrim Pristine is the son of owner Fatos Pristine and has made quite a name for himself not only in Toronto but worldwide.  He was named Chevalier by Confrerie des Chevaliers du Taste Fromage de France 2007. www.cheeseboutique.com

Julia Rogers
Julia Rogers is a cheese professional, wine educator and event animator. She trains sommeliers and hospitality students in cheese appreciation, and teaches for the internationally recognized Wine and Spirit Education Guild. Her articles appear in Food and Drink, Slow Food Canada and Wine Express, and in her newsletter, The Wedge Issue, accessible via her website, www.cheeseculture.ca. Among other regular Toronto engagements, she hosts Night School for Cheese Fans at the Leslieville Cheese Market, which was recently voted “Best Cheese Appreciation Class in Toronto” by Toronto Life Magazine. www.cheeseculture.ca

Dick Snyder, CityBites Magazine
Since 2005, Dick Snyder has published and edited City Bites magazine, covering Toronto¹s food and drink scene with taste, humour and bite. He also writes about things that taste good for enRoute, Zoomer, Fashion and Good Food Revelation (goodfoodrev.com).