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History & Photos » 2005

A three-day event entertained wine collectors and connoisseurs from Canada and the US, allowing patrons to get a close-up sniff of the most sought-after vintages from Europe and North America, at the inaugural Grand Cru Culinary Wine Festival; October 27 – 29, 2005.

So it is with pleasure that we say “thank you” to our guests, sponsors, volunteers and scientists for helping us raise $1.5 million to support research at Toronto General Hospital and Toronto Western Hospital.

This event increases our ability to foster research “research to find the cures for life-threatening diseases and to restore quality of life for countless patients in Canada and beyond,” said David Smith, Chair of Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation.

The Halpern Enterprises Portfolio Wine Tasting, hosted by Todd Halpern, a Foundation Board member and owner of Halpern Enterprises, set off opening night festivities. It attracted notable wine critic Pierre-Antoine Rovani and drew the first set of 1,400 festival patrons to The National Club on Bay Street on opening night. Wine-lovers had a choice of sampling over 300 wines from 70 estates, some of them new or never before released in Ontario.

On the Friday, the Grand Cru Exclusive Wine & Dine Experience took place in 25 private venues across the Greater Toronto Area. It matched the best chefs with the best wines the world has to offer. Needless to say, guests were wined and dined, but in a very unique way. They spent the evening in the homes of some of our most prominent citizens in the company of renowned UHN research scientists from Toronto General Hospital and Toronto Western Hospital.

On the Saturday, the excitement came to a head with the Grand Cru Brunch and Wine Auction featuring Canada’s premier chefs who created a brunch befitting rare vintages. Four hundred and fifty people attended the National Trade Centre part of the festival. Guests bid on fabulous items such as an all-expenses-paid trip for four to the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Ga., a barrel of Puligny-Montrachet from Mr. Halpern's own Burgundy house, and a private jet trip for 10 people to New York for dinner with a "mystery host". Who doesn’t love a mystery?

Find out more about our history: 2006 | 2007 | 2008