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For those of you not already “in the know”, Toronto’s Danforth is a hot neighborhood for food and wine with lots of great finds. And in this growing and energetic area one of the real treasures is Globe Bistro. Our television crew pops by Globe a lot and so we decided we should blog about it. You can always count on us to share great finds.
When you produce television around the globe (ahem, no pun intended), you have the pleasure of trying out a variety of restaurants internationally, from little holes-in-the wall with great secret recipes to outstanding five star experiences, and Globe Bistro is a favorite haunt of ours that definitely stands up globally (pun intended).
Globe is comfortable, elegant and friendly, and offers a lot more than dinner. This eatery looks small on the outside, yet is huge when you get inside, and has a pretty open style (somewhat casual to dressy). The menu and the ambiance will suit many, from the carnivore to the vegetarian, or date night to plans with a crowd! It’s also a great place to hang out at the bar and enjoy Toronto’s atmosphere.
Wine Portfolio’s team really likes the brunch. Our faves include the Swine & Dine which is an exercise in pork and eggs (pork done 6 ways, all house-made), Red Fife Dutch Pancake (the walnut butter is to-die-for), Beet Salad (probably off the menu soon, as beets are going out of season) and Smoked BC Albacore Tuna dish (served on cucumber Udon noodles), yum. Everything is fresh and local as the two main Chefs, Dave Sanders (Executive Chef) and Adam Fowler (Chef) clearly take a lot of pride in sourcing and preparing the menu. The new Spring Menu is coming soon, so stay tuned, we’ll keep you updated.
Globe will also soon be opening their beautiful seasonal rooftop patio, which is one of the best places to hang on a sunny Sunday in Toronto while enjoying half-priced bottles of wine (Sundays only!). When you’re wine people, half priced bottles are a beautiful thing. There are a lot of dining spots on the Danforth and some have been there forever, but the next time you’re thinking about say, Allen’s (nothing wrong with Allen’s, coughsnootystaff), we suggest you cross the street and pop into Globe, you won’t be disappointed!
An aphrodisiac is a substance that is said to increase ones sexual desire, enhance arousal, and amplify libido. Aphrodisiacs can cause an increase of sexual desire through changes in chemical balances, physiological responses, or symbolic representations. Some foods and drinks may contain certain chemicals that elicit aroused physiological responses. Other aphrodisiacs may evoke sexual desires solely through their symbolic representations. In the Ancient times, undernourishment created a loss of libido and a reduction in fertility rates. Substances that represent seeds or semen, like snails and eggs, were seen to inherently have sexual powers, and increase libido. Similarly, other foods were considered to be sexually stimulating due to their physical resemblance to genitalia.
The Culprits:
Alcohol: Alcohol lowers inhibitions and increases confidence.
Bananas: If not already obvious, the shape of a banana is a phallic symbol. On top of this, some studies have shown that one of its enzymes, bromelain, can enhance male performance.
Caviar: Not only is caviar considered to be a sexy food due to its exotic nature, but it also contains high amounts of zinc, which stimulates the formation of testosterone in men.
Chocolate: Chocolate is known to contain both a sedative, which relaxes while lowering inhibitions, and a stimulant, which increases one’s physical activity levels and desires for physical contact.
Ginseng: Ginseng is known to increase one’s desire for physical contact.
Puffer fish: In Japan, the puffer fish is considered both a delicacy and an aphrodisiac. This fish has a poisonous gland that if not properly removed, can instantly kill. The sexuality of this food comes with the flirt with death that the consumer plays with in eating the food.
Oysters: Oysters have long been considered an aphrodisiac. One reason for this lies in the sexual nature of the oyster. Some oysters repeatedly change their sex from male to female and back. This gives rise to the thought that oysters can let one experience the masculine and feminine sides of sex and love.
Wine: Wine relaxes you and helps stimulates your senses. The experience of drinking the wine, examining its colour, caressing the glass, swirling the liquid and sipping it slowly is known to be a highly sexual one. Be careful how much wine you drink though. Too much wine can make you drowsy, and falling asleep on your partner is hardly sexy.
Truffles: Truffles are said to arouse the palate and stimulate the body. The rarity of this food gives it an exotic and sexual feel.
Strawberries: Strawberries earned their reputation as an aphrodisiac from their large number of tiny seeds, which symbolize fertility. Throughout literature, art, and Folklore, they have been portrayed as symbols of sexuality. Containing more vitamin C than any other berry, this fruit is said to aid in strengthening the libido by providing the body with essential vitamins.
At the end of the day, and after much scientific research, there is inconclusive evidence as to whether aphrodisiacs truly exist. This being said, the mind and the imagination are one of the most powerful aphrodisiacs. While a food in itself may not cause an aroused physiological reaction, the hope of a certain response may lead to an additional sexual reaction, but attributed back to the consumed food. This heightened sexual awareness can then be passed onto their partner, increasing the overall sexual experience.
Happy Eating!
More Fast Wine Facts
- The Sangiovese grape was named after a god. The name derives from the Latin sanguis Jovis, translating to “the blood of Jove.”
- Bulls blood was previously used as a fining agent.
- Australia has over 60 designated growing regions (denoted as GI- Geographical Indications).
- To prevent a sparkling wine from foaming out of the glass, pour a third of the glass and pause before filling the rest.
- In the US, when a vintage is declared on a label, 95% of the grapes must have been picked that year.
- Once home to the Wappo Indians, the name Napa Valley comes from the Wappo dialect and means plenty.
- Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed October as California’s wine month.
- Napa Valley was named an American Viticulture Area in 1983, making it the first AVA in California.
- Vienna is the only major city that is also a designated wine area.
- 90% of wine made in the US is made in California.
- Greece is home to more than 300 indigenous and not very well known grape varieties.
- In South Africa, wineries are referred to as wine farms
- Of more than 50 countries in Africa, only eight are wine producing
- South Africa
- Morocco
- Algeria
- Tunisia
- Egypt
- Libya
- Zimbabwe
- Kenya
- When Mount Vesuvius buried Pompeii in volcanic lava in 79 A.D., it also buried more than 200 wine bars.
- Muscadine is not a variation of Muscat. It is native to the United States & used as table grapes for eating and occasionally used for wine.
- Screw caps seal 93% of New Zealand wines.
- In 2008 celebrity wine sales exceeded $50 million
- Vines were originally planted in South Africa to produce wines and grapes intended to ward off scurvy amongst sailors along the spice route.
- Winemaking and grape growing in Australia directly employed 28 000 people in 2006.
- The first grape vines in Australia arrived with the first European settlers in 1788.
- There are over 112,700 hectares of vineyards in South Africa.
- Mexico is the oldest wine growing region in the Americas yet the average wine consumption per capita in Mexico is only two glasses a year.
- South Africa exports around 400 million liters of wine a year.
- Morello is the name given to the Maremmano horse’s fur and Morellino it’s the local name of Sangiovese in Tuscany’s Maremma.
- French agronomist, Michel Pouget, is to thank for delicious Argentine Malbec. He took vines over in 1868 from Medoc.
Wine Of The Week – Mendel ‘Unus’ 2008
Each week I like to choose a new wine to introduce to our fans. These wines vary by region, by varietal and even by price. I don’t think cost and value are necessarily related. So I like to focus on wines I have experienced on my travels and I think our fans will enjoy trying. salut!
92 points, Wine Advocate:
“The 2008 Unus is a blend of 70% Malbec and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 16 months in new French oak. Medium purple in color, it displays a splendid bouquet of spice box, incense, lavender, earth notes, black currant, and blackberry with a hint of balsamic in the background. Full-bodied in 
the mouth with dense, layered flavors and a plush palate feel, this lengthy offering will benefit from 2-3 years of additional bottle age. Drink it from 2012 to 2023.”
Wine Advocate 192, December 2010
THE STORY & WINEMAKER:
Winemaker Roberto de la Mota has been working full-time in Argentina’s wineries and vineyards at 19 years of age . His passion for winemaking developed as a young child as he often helped his father after school at the Mendoza winery. Later De la Mota joined his father at the Mendoza Winery and worked together for many years, but eventually he moved on to work as the wine consultant at Cheval des Andes, a joint venture between Argentina’s top selections Bodegas Terrazas de los Andes and Bordeaux’s Château Cheval-Blanc.
De la Mota has since become one of Argentina’s biggest champions of the Malbec grape. To continue
his wine endeavors he has partnered with Bodega Mendel - one of the new up and coming boutique wineries in Mendoza, focusing on 80-year-old Malbec and Cabernet vineyards. Mendel’s vineyards (totaling 32 hectares) were originally planted in 1926 & 1928, and are located in the heart of Mendoza – the true wine country of Argentina.
A true Adobo winery, Bodega Mendel is miniscule by its neighbours standards of size, but with Roberto’s guiding hand and Santiago Boaknin’s knowlege in vineyard management and oenology, Mendel has risen quickly to the top of the list of great Mendoza wineries. At a recent tasting at Mendel, Santiago was kind enough to take me through the vineyards, even though just the day before he had been thrown from his horse and broke his leg. He showed me how they practice organic vineyard management, with the vine rows interspersed with wildflowers and local grass to deter insects from eating the grapes. There are a number of olive trees on the property as well, with which Santiago makes the most beautiful olive oil (Santiago makes it as a hobby – there is none for sale).
The tasting table is made of an old door taken from one of the winery buildings – truly a sustainable place – and the wines were showing beautifully. I was treated to 2008 Mendel Malbec and Unus, 2007 Mendel “Finca Remota” and a very unique 2009 Semillon that Mendel has just started making in tiny quantites that I fell in love with – unfortunately it’s nearly impossible to get as Semillon in Argentina is fast becoming one of their most loved whites.
As a follow up to our blog yesterday, UK merchants are reporting selling out of Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2008 following the news that the bottles will carry the Chinese symbol for 8 when the wine is bottled next year.
On Tuesday morning UK time, the price of a case of Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2008 was trading at £8,500 on trading platform Liv-ex. By Wednesday lunchtime it had risen to £10,160, a rise of just under 20%.
The message is clear, major European producers understand that the Chinese market represents a huge opportunity. But what we find most exciting as we’ve travelled across China and spent weeks in Hong Kong is that the region is emerging as a hub for production as well. As the years go on China will be a collector, consumer and producer, and that legitimizes the market.
Congrats to Rothschild for getting in early.
The future of luxury goods is being written in the boardrooms of France and China. For wine the new New World is calling.
As Wine Portfolio’s episode on Wine in China proved there is a large and ever growing market for fine wine in the Middle Kingdom. The rapidly expanding economy, Chinese love for luxury brands, and a new appreciation for wine (especially French wine) make the market attractive for foreign investment. And Chateau Lafite Rothchild has responded in a big way demonstrating that they understand the direction of the global luxury market for the next 20 years.
A spokesperson for Lafite owner Domaines Barons de Rothschild said Chateau Lafite Rothschild’s 2008 bottle is to feature the Chinese symbol for the figure eight in celebration of the First Growth’s new vineyard venture in China. The symbol reflects Lafite ‘s partnership with CTIC, China’s largest state-owned investment company. The company has acquired 25 hectares in a joint venture on the peninsula of Penglai in Shandong province, an area we featured in our Chinese episode that is said to be China’s Bordeaux.
The spokesperson explained the reasoning for adding the auspices figure to their bottles was to, “remind all those who will have the pleasure of drinking these wines in a few years of this exciting undertaking.”
As Jody and the team saw when we visited Penglai, China is an emerging consumer of wine and wants to be an emerging producer. Lafite clearly gets this.
Women in Wine
Wine Portfolio invited four leading women of the wine industry to share their love of wine on June 29th at the Pierre. Watch our upcoming New York Episode and enjoy more articles about this special event here at Wine Portfolio’s Blog.
Event Location: 2 E Bar/Lounge, The Pierre Hotel (http://www.tajhotels.com/pierre)
The Host: Jody Ness, host of Wine Portfolio
Special Guests: Four leading ladies of the modern wine industry (Shown in the above photo from left to right)
- Deborah Brenner, author of Women of the Vine ( www.womenofthevine.com)
- Susan Kostrzewa, Executive Editor of Wine Enthusiast (www.winemag.com)
- Laura Maniec, Master Sommelier (www.mastersommeliers.org/Pages.aspx/Laura-Maniec)
- Dana Nigro, Senior Editor of Wine Spectator and Managing Editor of winespectator.com (www.winespectactor.com)
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