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Ring the Bell for Gender Equality 2019 at NEO Exchange – Toronto

It was thrilled to attend the #internationalwomensday2019 event at NEO Exchange last week. Many inspiring speeches by Jos Schmit, CEO and President NEO Exchange, Anne Le Guellec, Consul General of the Netherlands and Deborah Frame, CFA – Co-Head Women in ETF.  Followed by an outstanding panel discussing investing in Gender Diversity.  Topics discussed and debated were: women on boards, what public disclosures are required to evaluate companies on GD, and Canadian ETF providers who introduced gender-focused investment products and their performance. Panel participants included: Clare O’Hara, Moderator, Jennifer So, Lindsay Patrick, Florence Narine and Raj Lala.

A Special Congratulations to Heather Zordel who was recently appointed Commissioner at the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC)!

#iwd2019 #genderdiversity #etfs #fairness #equality #diversitymatters #womenonbaystreet #baystreet #speakup #womenonboards #bebold

Wine Review: 2016 Taliano Michele Blagheur Nebbiolo, Langhe DOC, Piedmont, Italy

2016 Taliano Michele Blagheur Nebbiolo, Langhe DOC, Piedmont, Italy

Beautiful ruby-red colour; it reveals perfumes of white flowers, raspberries, and cherries, which carry through to the palate; well-balanced tannins; Approachable now, this will also age well.
Best decanted.

VINE: Nebbiolo 100%
SOIL: calcareous
ALTITUDE: 300m above sea level
EXPOSURE: south
SYSTEM OF VINE GROWTH: Guyot
NR. OF VINESTOCKS PER HECTARE: 4000
RETURN IN WINE PER HECTARE: 63 hl
VINTAGE: first half of October
VINIFICATION: traditional with maceration
REFINEMENT: wood for 12 months
REFINEMENT IN BOTTLE: 2 months
ALCOHOLIC CONTENT: 13,5-14%

PAIRINGS:
Blagheur prefers mushroom dishes, ripe cheeses, second courses which include chicken, rabbit, and game.

93.5/100

Liz Palmer

“PORN STAR MARTINI” NAMED UK’S FAVOURITE COCKTAIL

Knocking the minty Mojito off its perch, the cheekily titled Porn Star Martini is now the most popular cocktail in the UK, according to recent research by CGA Strategy. Porn Star Martini is now the most ordered cocktail in UK restaurants, bars and pubs.

Viewed as a modern classic, Porn Star Martini is made with vanilla vodka, fresh passion fruit, passion fruit liqueur and lime juice, and is served with a shot of Champagne on the side.

Pernod Ricard revealed that Absolut Vanilla brand is now the number one flavoured vodka in the UK on-trade, a spokesperson states “We have been tracking this fantastic cocktail’s rise in popularity and are delighted it has finally been given the crown it deserves. Consumers are increasingly looking for experiences and the Porn Star Martini delivers this because of the theatre the serve provides”

“We have recently seen just how loved this drink is via our Porn Star Martini Townhouse at London Cocktail week, which welcomed over 900 consumers,” said Adam Boita, head of marketing for Pernod Ricard UK.

The cocktail was created in 2002 by bartender and LAB bar founder Douglas Ankrah at The Townhouse bar in Knightsbridge. Ankrah first christened the cocktail Maverick Martini, in a hat tip to a dodgy club in Cape Town, but changed the name to Porn Star Martini.

“I called it the Porn Star Martini because I thought it was something that a porn star would drink. It’s pure indulgence, sexy, fun and evocative,” Ankrah told The Buyer in a recent interview.

Emmanuel Macron Opens Presidential Wine Cellar to Public

France’s Elysée Palace has officially opened its doors to its wine cellar first time

France’s Elysée Palace has officially opened its doors to its wine cellar first time this past weekend as part of a bid by President Emmanuel Macron to promote national heritage.

There were 350 members of the public who toured the cavernous cellar which houses 14,000 bottles, from all the wine growing regions of France.

“This is the first time we’ve opened the cellar to the public,” Virginie Routis, the Elysée’s sommelier for the past 11 years, told Europe 1 radio.

The three-meter high vaulted cellar is two floors below ground level and keeps a plethora of fine wines and spirits, from cognac to top champagnes, at an ideal temperature of 13 degrees Celsius.

The also cellar contains prestigious vintages such as Cheval Blanc, Latour, and Puligny-Montrachet. Its oldest bottle is said to be a 1906 Sauternes.

“The wine is chosen according to the menu. I make a selection…Madame and Monsieur Macron also get to approve the choice. We really have to represent French gastronomy, so you have to choose wines that speak to a given foreign delegation,” she said.

The cellar was designed in 1947. During Jacques Chirac’s presidency in 2013, some 1,200 bottles were auctioned off as the quantities were too small to serve at official dinners.

Unlike his teetotal predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy, Mr. Macron is quite knowledgeable on French wines and has confessed to drinking a glass of wine at lunch and dinner.

He has chosen to open the cellars as part of France’s annual Heritage Days, where numerous state and listed buildings are exceptionally opened to the public.

SANDRO BOTTEGA AWARDED RIEDEL WINE MAKER OF THE YEAR IN TORONTO

Sandro Bottega, the owner and Managing Director of the Italian winery and distillery Bottega, will be honoured this evening with the 2018 Riedel® Winemaker of the Year Award. 

Sandro Bottega will receive the award from The Cambridge Food & Wine Society, on behalf of Riedel, the Austrian crystal glassmaker who is the world leader in functional wine decanter design.

The official ceremony is held this evening at the historical Biagio Ristorante, 155 King Street East in Toronto.  In attendance will be Canadian authorities and European consuls, the Riedel family, Mrs. Shauneen E. Bruder, Honorary Consul General of Luxembourg in Toronto and Leo Chan, President of the Cambridge Food & Wine Society.

The Riedel® Winemaker of the Year Award is granted to Sandro Bottega for “having enchanted wine and gastronomic art lovers since 1977, in over 120 countries worldwide, with his artistic skills, the entrepreneurial ability and energy, and the quality and genuineness of the products”.

Sandro Bottega comments: “I feel deeply honoured and grateful, and I dedicate this prestigious recognition to my parents and to the whole company who has worked with creativity, passion and humbleness to produce wines, grappa and liqueurs, always in compliance with the corporate values: Quality (Italian taste and authenticity), Design (expression of the excellent aesthetic character of being made in Italy) and Social Responsibility towards the environment and the community”.

This award has been presented to great names of the world of wine, such as Robert Mondavi, U.S.A. (2005), Karl Kaiser and Donald Ziraldo, Canada (2006), Lamberto Marchesi de Frescobaldi, Italy (2007), Léon Beyer, France (2008), João Nicolau de Almedia, Portugal (2009), Miguel Torres, Spain (2014).

The evening at Biagio Ristorante, whose theme is “Marco Polo Revisited”, will feature an array of international tastes including Italian food and wines, as well as grappa and single malt Scotch whisky. Funds raised from this event will go towards the charity, Grapes for Humanity Canada.