Show Notes
If you could only drink one wine region for the rest of your life, which would it be? Stephanie Duboudin is the CEO of Wine Victoria, the body behind the state's 21 wine regions and 800-plus wineries. She was in Toronto for Wine Victoria's trade showcase, so we sat down with the question Alex hears from every buyer: the wines are world-class and many cost a fraction of their European equivalents, so why is it so hard to get them on a list? We map the state — 21 regions packed into less than half the area of France, from snowfields to near-outback — then take the tour an Ontario drinker actually needs: the five regions to know, and where to look if you love Burgundy, Bordeaux, Prosecco, the northern Rhône or Port. and why Australians won't tell you how good their wine is. If you buy wine for a list, sell it, or just want a new region to love at a price that makes sense, this one is a must-listen. The World's Most Underrated Wine Region? — Stephanie Duboudin Timestamps: 00:00 Would he drink only Victorian wine forever — and why is it so hard to sell? 01:18 "The people want France": the $39 pinot vs the $70 Bourgogne 02:54 The map: 21 regions in a state smaller than France, and Burgundy's three-to-one 05:22 Melbourne's food culture, and why Ontario drinkers aren't this engaged 07:26 Young Victorians lead the country on pinot: 800 wineries, three wine bars in a town of 7,000 09:46 The five regions to know: Yarra Valley — and if you love Bordeaux 12:50 Mornington Peninsula — and if you love Burgundy: Yarra, Mornington, Macedon 17:06 Blind tastings against premier cru, and Victorian Chardonnay: Giaconda, Oakridge, Moorooduc, Bindi 20:09 King Valley: Prosecco, Italian settlers, Sangiovese and Fiano 22:25 Grampians: Riesling and Shiraz, Best's and Seppelt's cellars — and if you love the northern Rhône 24:55 If you love Port: Rutherglen's 30,000-acre estates, paddle steamers and "Christmas pudding in a glass" 28:56 An old industry and a new wave: Patrick Sullivan, and the Burgundian who bought Bass Phillip 30:57 Tall poppy syndrome: why Australians won't tell you how good their wine is 32:03 One thing to remember
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Links: Wine Victoria — winevictoria.org.au Insider Wine (Alex's agency; Victorian wines in Ontario) — insiderwine.ca 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.
More from Tasting Notes Toronto by Insider Wine
What does a wine career look like when your body can't do the hours anymore? Merrin McHugh ran the floor and the wine pairings at Actinolite for seven years. Then a stroke in 2023 took her off the floor. Today she is the Wine Director for restaurants Sara and Rasa, the founder of Wine by Merrin, and does sales at Boires. We talk about the 10-hour days and the 400-name handwritten wait list that burned her out, the three days she was alone after the stroke, and how she now runs two wine programs without being on the floor — a $60 pairing at Sara included. Plus: can fine dining and a life outside it coexist at all? "No. Maybe." We also get into the kitchen that used fermented white-currant juice instead of lemon, and "no news is news" — her advice to every wine rep and every buyer. If you work in restaurants, hire sommeliers, or just want to know what the hours really cost, this episode is a must-listen. Is Fine Dining Burning Out Its Best People? — Merrin McHugh Timestamps: 00:00 Would she do it again at 40? 00:35 Joining Actinolite the week the Globe review hit 02:36 Cooking the Canadian landscape: no lemon, foraged dishes, the health inspector 04:29 From Yours Truly to running Actinolite's wine list 07:14 Building pairings for vegetable-led menus: orange wine, a sparkling red, the egg dish 11:30 A day in the life of a 26-seat restaurant 12:42 Burning out: bonfire dinners and the 400-name wait list 14:47 Leaving for a fishing lodge in BC 16:07 The stroke 18:14 Rehab, her voice, and learning to walk and speak again 20:42 Wine by Merrin: consulting for Sara and Rasa from home 23:48 What a working week looks like now 25:17 Is this sustainable? Partner, parents and rest 27:40 Can a tasting menu afford a full-time sommelier? 30:17 One thing she'd change about the industry 31:32 Advice for the next generation 33:43 Life as a wine rep, and what reps and buyers get wrong 36:27 Ontario producers worth finding 39:20 Her favourite Toronto wine lists 42:11 Where to find Merrin, and Sara's $60 pairing 🎧 Enjoyed the episode? Follow, rate, and review Tasting Notes Toronto on your favourite podcast platform — it really helps others discover the show. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Links: Wine by Merrin — @winebymerrin Sara — @sararestaurantto Rasa — @rasarestaurantto 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.
Should a sommelier ever sit down while the rest of the room is working?
Why would a restaurant kill à la carte when the majority of fine dining is bringing it back? Adam Minster is a partner in The Food Dudes — the group behind Rasa, Sara, Chop'Hop and Pantry — and this spring Sara went all-in on a single seven-course tasting menu. We talk about the 70% of guests who'd already made the decision for him, the choices that keep it $115 instead of $300, and how a $60 wine pairing works economically. Plus: the hospitality reflex you can hire for but can't train. If you run a restaurant, work a floor, or just want to know what a $115 tasting menu is really buying you, this episode is a must-listen.
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.
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 · [email protected] (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.