a peek inside the fishbowl

This may seem like a rather bold assertion to make, but I think the next best invention after sliced bread is bottled wine. (And wine delivery, but I will get to that in a bit.)

For some reason I have a pathological inability to make it to the LCBO before closing. As a result, Mark and I have had a few too many lovely steak dinners without a lovely glass of wine to go with it. This seems wrong to me, and awfully sad.

I’m very pleased to welcome a new patron to the Fishbowl: SavvyCompany!

I want to clarify, I’m far from being an aficionado. I like wine, but I don’t know wine, but I’m keen to learn, and, um, enjoy it as much as I can. :)

The Savvy team of accredited Sommeliers design fantastic wine, beer and food events. Some of you may remember a cheese tasting event I went to earlier this summer. It knocked my socks off. It was a very fun, casual, non-intimidating way to learn about some great local cheeses from a real cheese expert. (A cheese sommelier! Wouldn’t you kill for that job?) Here’s a free tip: get on the invite list by emailing cheers@savvycompany.ca because they can sell out quickly.

Want to extend your wine know-how? Check out their upcoming Savvy Events and get introduced to the people behind some of the best wines, beers and foods you’ll ever encounter. (Check this one out! Eep!) You can also enroll in Savvy U appreciation classes to quench your thirst for learning. (Haha. Pun intended.)

Last but not least, you must check out the Savvy Selections wine of the month club. Our first shipment arrived on my birthday. I think I may have hugged the poor delivery guy. (Imagine: “Ding dong! The wine is here!”) It’s a great way to discover hard-to-find Ontario wines that are not available at the LCBO. What’s more, they can be delivered straight to your home or office. It occurs to me that this would make a fantastic gift for the hard-to-buy people in our lives. The Savvy folks also send out a newsletter to go with each delivery, so you can impress your tablemates with witty phrases like: “I really appreciate the value of using New World technologies and traditional winemaking techniques.” :)

And if you make it to the LCBO before it closes (I count myself lucky when this happens) and are wondering what to buy, have their blog “If I only had $100, I would buy at Vintages…” at your mobile fingertips and read up on their Savvy Sommeliers’ wine tips before you buy. There’s tons of great information there, especially for people like me who are often attracted to bottles with pretty labels. (Shhh! Don’t tell anyone.)

Thank you SavvyCompany for your patronage. I think we make a great pairing, and I look forward to much more wining and dining in the near future!