Is wine becoming too expensive for the people who love it?

Jeffrey Roel is the General Manager and Head Sommelier at Henry's Restaurant in Toronto, an Advanced Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, and winner of the CAPS Cup.

We talk about the $150 tab that used to cover five courses, the Bordeaux house asking over $1,000 for its second wine, and how a sommelier finds value as everything climbs — including saying yes to wines Jeffrey once had to reject for being "too cheap." Plus: wine's gatekeeping problem, and what hospitality feels like once the choreography drops away.

We also discuss his pursuit of the Master Sommelier title — hard days included — and why you'll never see a pile of gummies on a Christmas table.

If you work in wine or hospitality—or just want to understand where the wine industry is headed—this episode is a must-listen.

Wine Is Getting Too Expensive. Who's Buying It? — Jeffrey Roel

00:00 The industry can explode — or fall away
02:34 You still spend $150 dining out — you just get less
06:13 Wine's gatekeeping problem — and where the great somms went
08:26 The $1,000 second wine: Who is that for?
10:23 What the GM sees that the somm never could
15:06 A $15 wine of the day that isn't cheap
17:40 “I'm sorry, it's too cheap” — the wines that finally have a home
21:34 The Greek red that sold 24 bottles in a week
26:43 What to order at Henry's, from the guy who runs it
28:30 Chasing Master Sommelier out of boredom
36:50 What makes the sacrifice worth it? “Nothing.”
42:37 Winning the CAPS Cup — and what Ontario Chardonnay gives away
49:33 Hot take: Syrah belongs in the cold
54:25 Jeff flips the mic: Is wine actually dying?
59:32 Why there will never be gummies on the Christmas table

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Links:

• Henry's Restauant — https://www.henrystoronto.ca/ · @henrys.to
• Jeffrey on Instagram — @je.frey.chambertin
• Tasting Notes Toronto — @tastingnotestoronto https://www.youtube.com/@TheTastingNotesPodcast

If this episode was worth your time, the best thank-you is sharing it with one person who’d love it.

Hosted and produced by Alex Abbott Boyd · Recorded in Toronto · © 2026 Tasting Notes Toronto.

What happens when a field biologist watches Somm on Netflix and decides to become a sommelier?

Nabilah Rawji was supposed to be a field biologist — the kind who spends 12-hour days hiking through the Amazon. Then a family stroke changed her plans, a nonprofit job disappeared, and a Netflix documentary pointed her toward a career she’d never considered. What followed is one of Toronto wine’s great scrappy origin stories: 60 cold messages to strangers, two replies, multiple restaurant jobs, and a rapid climb from zero to Advanced Sommelier.

We get into what Somm doesn’t show you about working in restaurants, how Nabilah built her career, and what it takes to be a sommelier and a parent in an industry built around evenings. We talk about Restaurant Lucie, her wine consulting and education work, and the challenge of putting a price on your own expertise.

We also get into her magical wine travels, the current struggle facing Vinequity — the organization she co-founded to provide scholarships and mentorship — and why Nebbiolo has “resting bitch face.”

This Wine Has Resting Bitch Face — Nabilah Rawji

00:00 “Nebbiolo has resting bitch face”
00:36 The 80% overlap between field biology and somm work
04:07 The stroke that ended the PhD dream
05:53 Unemployed on the couch, watching Somm on Netflix
08:31 60 cold messages, two replies, three jobs at once
10:48 Why a Toronto restaurant floor isn’t her hardest job
12:15 Zero to certified in 18 months — inside the Sunday study group
15:23 The new Restaurant Lucie
20:28 The blind pour that broke a guest’s brain (Ontario vs. New Zealand)
23:11 Two nights a week: making motherhood fit fine dining
30:26 “Please tell me to hit send on this invoice”
34:39 Vinequity’s do-or-die year — where your $20 actually goes
41:24 Why Nebbiolo’s attitude is worth it: an Alto Piemonte pilgrimage
46:24 Standing in the Cretan sea, feeling terroir
51:17 Why somms across the world call each other

🙌 Enjoyed the episode? Follow, rate, and review Tasting Notes Toronto on your favorite podcast platform — it really helps others discover the show. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Links:

• Restaurant Lucie — restaurantlucie.com · @restaurantlucie
• Vinequity — vinequity.ca · @vin.equity · info@vinequity.ca (verified)
• Vinopath, Nabilah’s wine consulting & cellar management company — vinopath.ca
• Nabilah on Instagram — @nabilahrawji
• Tasting Notes Toronto — @tastingnotestoronto https://www.youtube.com/@TheTastingNotesPodcast

If this episode was worth your time, the best thank-you is sharing it with one person who’d love it.

Hosted and produced by Alex Abbott Boyd · Recorded in Toronto · © 2026 Tasting Notes Toronto.

What if the most authentic thing a chef can do is adapt?

At Antylia (Dufferin & Bloor), chefs Aldo Camarena and Ashley McKay are building one of Toronto's most exciting restaurants on exactly that idea — Mexican and Ecuadorian traditions, cooked through Ontario corn, Indigenous ingredients, and the city's endless collision of cultures.

We get into why they show up to every wine tasting (rare for chefs), the thousands-year-old Indigenous science behind a perfect tortilla, a 17-step cauliflower, and the family ceviche recipe that shocks guests when they learn what's in it. Aldo also shares the story of arriving in Canada as a refugee, getting fired by a chef who told him "you're useless — but don't give up," and cooking his way to an answer.

If you enjoyed my conversation with Eva Chin on neo-Chinese cuisine, this one picks up the same thread: what happens to a food culture when it moves.

Tortillas Are Sacred. Authenticity Isn't. — Aldo Camarena & Ashley McKay of Antylia

Timestamps

00:00 Why wine matters as much as the food
05:34 From art school and a refugee arrival to professional kitchens
11:44 The vision behind Antylia — and a lifelong obsession with corn
14:55 Why making tortillas is a sacred craft
18:27 Building a restaurant around community, not transactions
23:30 What great hospitality looks like today
25:46 The 17-step cauliflower and the pursuit of craftsmanship
29:04 Storytelling, authenticity, and the future of Latin American cuisine
37:18 Canadian ingredients, Indigenous traditions, and redefining authenticity
42:43 Grandma's ceviche — and yes, there's ketchup in it
51:57 Why regulars keep coming back to Antylia
57:23 Visit Antylia

🙌 Enjoyed the episode? Follow, rate, and review Tasting Notes Toronto on your favorite podcast platform — it really helps others discover the show. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

In this episode, I sit down with Matt Landry, Advanced Sommelier and Head Sommelier at Prime Seafood Palace, to talk about what it actually takes to build a career in wine today.

We get into why Matt thinks Bordeaux currently offers better value and consistency than Burgundy, why serious wine drinkers should be paying more attention to New World regions like Argentina and Australia, and how competitions can accelerate a sommelier’s career. Matt also shares how he is reshaping the wine program at Prime Seafood Palace through thoughtful pricing, generous corkage, and a belief that hospitality should be built into the wine list itself.

We also discuss the changing role of the sommelier, why wine professionals need to understand finance and restaurant operations, and the bottles and experiences that have shaped Matt’s career.

Stop Sleeping on New World Wine & Sign Up for a Competition — Matt Landry

00:00 – Why Matt Thinks Bordeaux Is Better Value Than Burgundy
06:16 – Three Bordeaux Wines Matt Recommends
07:48 – How Climate Change Could Reshape Burgundy
09:36 – Why Sommeliers Should Pay More Attention to the New World
13:23 – Why Australia Deserves More Attention
14:05 – How Matt Got Into Wine
18:06 – The Court of Master Sommeliers & the Advanced Exam
22:48 – Why Sommeliers Should Enter Competitions
26:34 – Taking Over the Wine Program at Prime Seafood Palace
31:05 – Pearl Morissette vs. Prime Seafood Palace
34:05 – Working with Matty Matheson and the Kitchen
34:47 – Why Wine Sales Are Growing at Prime
39:16 – Why Matt Pours Krug as a Welcome
41:02 – Why Hospitality Can Be a Meaningful Career
43:45 – The Sommelier Role Is Becoming More Than Wine
46:05 – The Best Wines Matt Has Ever Had
50:09 – The World's Most Underrated Wine Region

🙌 Enjoyed the episode? Follow, rate, and review Tasting Notes Toronto on your favorite podcast platform — it really helps others discover the show. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

In this episode, I sit down with award-winning writer Nancy Matsumoto, co-author of Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake and author of Reaping What She Sows, to explore two conversations reshaping hospitality.

We begin with a deep dive into Japanese craft sake—why it's fundamentally different from wine, whether terroir applies, and the innovations changing modern sake production.

Then we turn to the hidden costs of cheap food, the challenges facing sustainable agriculture, and what restaurants can realistically do to support local producers while surviving on razor-thin margins.

Whether you're a sommelier looking to better understand sake or a chef thinking about the future of food, this episode is packed with practical insights and thoughtful conversation.

Sake Isn't Wine. Cheap Food Isn't Cheap — Nancy Matsumoto

Timestamps

00:00 – Why Sake Isn't Rice Wine

00:40 – Falling Down the Sake Rabbit Hole

02:29 – Does Sake Have Terroir?

04:59 – How Regional Sake Styles Are Changing

07:46 – Three Bottles to Start Your Sake Journey

09:20 – The Low-Polish Revolution & Sustainability

11:42 – Technology vs. Tradition in Sake Brewing

14:01 – Reviving Heirloom Rice

17:34 – Why Our Food System Is Broken

20:27 – Organic Labels, Greenwashing & What Matters

25:46 – The Hidden Cost of Cheap Food

32:49 – Why Women Are Leading Change

39:42 – How Restaurants Can Support Local Farmers

43:04 – Sustainable Wine, Biodynamics & Farming

47:07 – Nancy's Favourite Sake Bars

48:08 – One Thing Everyone Can Do This Week

🙌 Enjoyed the episode? Follow, rate, and review Tasting Notes Toronto on your favorite podcast platform — it really helps others discover the show. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

What happens when a chef cooks her way back to a heritage she almost lost?

Eva Chin is the chef behind Yan Dining Room — a 26-seat room built inside Hong Shing Restaurant, born out of a fire, where she cooks what she calls "neo-Chinese cuisine": traditions followed, rules broken.

In this conversation we get into how growing up between the US and Hong Kong, training in kitchens around the world, and rebuilding her own identity through food all end up on the plate. We talk about how every dish becomes a vessel for memory and how a private dining room became an intimate storytelling stage. We get into the stereotypes that have boxed in Chinese food in North America since the railroads, her case for "anti-gatekeeping" cuisine, and why she believes food can heal intergenerational wounds that conversation can't.

It's a conversation about identity, authorship, and what it means to cook a cuisine that's still being written.

Chinese Food Isn't What You Think It Is — Eva Chin of Yan Dining Room

00:00 – Yan Dining Room origins
02:21 – Dining room as storytelling
06:41 – Neo-Chinese cuisine & nostalgia
10:36 – “Fusion is confusion”
13:42 – Rewriting Chinese food stereotypes
20:07 – Critics & early reception
27:07 – Wine pairing Chinese food
30:12 – Becoming a chef (no school)
33:10 – Brae & Australia foraging
34:50 – China train journey & Hong Kong wake-up
38:53 – Food, family & healing
41:06 – Moving to Toronto / Momofuku
44:25 – Anti-gatekeeping Chinese food
48:47 – Farmers, terroir & sustainability
54:48 – Future of Yan

🙌 Enjoyed the episode? Follow, rate, and review Tasting Notes Toronto on your favorite podcast platform — it really helps others discover the show. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

What happens when you leave Toronto, buy a neglected 17-acre farm in Niagara wine country, and plant a vineyard — with no formal training in viticulture or winemaking?

In this episode, I sit down with Corey Mio of Mio Vineyard and Sempre Mio Wines to talk about building a vineyard from scratch, learning to farm on the fly, and why he believes great wine starts long before the grapes reach the winery.

We discuss the realities of growing grapes in one of the world's most challenging wine regions, Corey’s obsession with Chardonnay clones, why he identifies as a farmer first and winemaker second, and the realities of building a vineyard business in Ontario, including selling grapes to established wineries while gradually growing their own label, Sempre Mio Wines.

We also dive into the future of Ontario wine, the pressures facing Niagara growers, the challenges of regulation and development, and why Corey believes supporting local wine requires more than just talking about it.

Whether you're a wine lover, aspiring farmer, or someone dreaming about building a life around something meaningful, this conversation offers a fascinating look at what it takes to turn a vineyard dream into reality.

Timestamps

Quitting Toronto to Build a Niagara Vineyard from Scratch — Corey Mio of Mio Vineyard

00:00 – He Bought a Vineyard With No Experience

01:45 – Why Niagara Changed Everything

03:56 – Finding the Farm and Building Mio Vineyard
07:58 – Why Great Vineyards Take Decades
10:06 – The Business of Farming, Selling Grapes & Sempre Mio
12:19 – Farming Philosophy and Vine Longevity
14:25 – The Chardonnay Obsession: Varieties, Clones & Quality
20:07 – The Story Behind the Tantalus Mio Vineyard Chardonnay
23:01 – The VQA Fight and Ontario Wine Regulations
25:59 – Building Sempre Mio Wines
28:29 – Niagara's Potential and Challenges
31:09 – What's Holding Ontario Wine Back?
37:19 – Niagara Recommendations & Where to Find Sempre Mio
41:02 – Final Thoughts

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What happens when a wine pop-up in a laneway quietly becomes one of Toronto's most talked-about (and hardest to find) wine experiences?

In this episode, I sit down with Matt Palynchuk — Wine Director at Union Restaurant and longtime sommelier at Archive Wine Bar — to unpack the origin story and philosophy behind Raton Laveur, an 18-seat, event-driven wine space tucked behind a working cidery, with no reservations and no Google Maps presence.

What started as a "maybe we can do something with this weird back space" quickly evolved into a packed, word-of-mouth wine bar built on constraint, curiosity, and an unapologetic rejection of convenience. We explore how the space came together, why discomfort can actually enhance hospitality, and what it means when a hidden bar becomes too discovered through social media.

If you care about wine, hospitality, or how a packed room actually gets built without marketing — this one's a must-listen.

Matt Palynchuk — Raton Laveur | The Hardest Bar in Toronto to Find (and Get Into)

00:00 Opening a Wine Bar Behind a Cider Factory
00:52 From Idea to Opening in Three Months
01:47 How Word-of-Mouth Built a Packed Room
02:41 Why Toronto Loves a Hidden Bar
04:00 Designing a Space That Forces Connection
04:57 Frank's in Dublin — The Dream Wine Bar
06:24 Why Small Spaces Make Better Bars
08:30 Curating a Culture vs. Forcing One
11:20 What Raton Laveur Actually Is
12:33 Weekly Themes: Baga, Tenerife, Aligote, the Giro
14:48 Wine for Nerds and Newbies
16:27 Always Ask for a Taste First
17:59 Hospitality vs. Convenience
18:40 The Night He Knew the Bar Was Working
19:45 The Four-Top That Came for a Photo Shoot
22:49 Private Instagram, No Google Maps
25:01 The Easter Weekend Lineup Down the Alleyway
27:49 Making Wine Accessible — Lessons from Archive
31:51 Ontario Wine Deserves Respect
37:06 Overrated / Underrated: Wine Regions
38:16 Please Don't Come

🙌 Enjoyed the episode? Follow, rate, and review Tasting Notes Toronto on your favorite podcast platform — it really helps others discover the show. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.