iYellow Wine School Hits Toronto

iYellow Wine School is now offering up a social and approachable way to learn about wine - touting price tag of $25 a class, a laid-back atmosphere, and an hour and a half of casual wine drinking.

Wine is a pleasure as complex as it is simple, as universal as it personal. And like most things in the food-o-sphere there is an infinite amount to know in understanding, evaluating and appreciating it. Terroir, micro-climates, soil (or lack thereof), blending, aging and vintage are just a few of the words that buzz around wine events and tastings to the chagrin of the wine novice.

So when I heard about a new wine school on the block, I thought I would check it out.

iYellow (named after its founder Angela Aiello) started out as a blog - a way for Angela to keep her ear to the grapevine so to speak. She grew up in Ontario wine country and worked in the industry for ten years before moving into television production.

She woke up one day and realized that one of her biggest passions, el vino, was being swept under the rug. So she started a personal wine blog that has steadily grown and changed over the last four years into 4,000 member wine club (iYellow Wine Club), an online store featuring Ontario wines (iYellow Wine Store) and now iYellow Wine School.

The wine school was devised as a casual, social and interactive to learn about wine without the commitment and expense of more formal wine education programs in the city. They are hosted at Reds Wine Bar + Bistro and lead by resident sommelier Taylor Thompson.

I attended last Saturday's iYellow class, called "Hi I'm Syrah, but you can call me Shiraz." We tasted five wines including 2006 Penfolds Thomas Highland Shiraz and 2006 Langmeil Valley Floor Shiraz from Australia, 2003 Cuilleron St. Joseph Les Serines from France, 2006 San Francisco Wine Press Syrah from California and the world's first Shiraz Icewine, 2006 Pillitteri Shiraz Icewine from Ontario.

Seated at a table with three other strangers, we quickly began chatting about the wines we were drinking, which ones we liked or didn't like, and why. Once class was over, Reds offered all the wines we tasted at half price by the glass, as well as charcuterie and cheese platters. No one (except me, who had to run to an event at the Havana Cultura Cuban fest) seemed in a rush to leave; people just hung out and talked wine, life, and food.

There are four classes left in the fall program happening over the next four Saturdays. They will cover sparkling wines, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. The iYellow team is already busy at work planning the winter program.

In addition to the school, iYellow hosts various social events and wine tours as well. On October 27th they are hosting NIGHTLIFE, a tasting event featuring 23 Napa Valley wines with 23 Napa Valley wine makers.

So if you're interested in learning about wine without too much stuffiness and pretension, then iYellow might be the school for you.

Photos by the author.