by Malcolm Jolley

I have written previously on the hard, hard work we food and wine writers most endure under trying conditions to document this great good food and wine revolution that continues to move forward. So it will come as no surprise to regular GFR visitors that I once more strode unto the breach when duty called in the form of an invitation to John Maxwell and Billy Munnelly’s Men In Pink event, held every year in Toronto in the last days of June.

Maxwell and Munnelly are pioneer supporters of the Ontario wine craft. Munnelly has published the Billy’s Best Bottles annual wine guide, in all forms analog and digital, for decades and has always championed the best homegrown and made wines. Maxwell’s restaurant, Allen’s on the Danforth, was one of the first in the Dominion to eschew all imports and present its patrons with an all-Canadian wine list and because of that foresight offers older vintages of Niagara wines from its cellars that are near impossible to find outside of winery libraries. Sufficed to say their roots and connections in the business are deep. But neither man gathers moss, and three years ago they decided the next logical step in revealing to Upper Canadians the bounty of their domestic wine production was to focus on one style, rosé, and one demographic, the less-fairer sex.

Every year at Allen’s Maxwell and Munnelly play host to gentlemen winemakers from across Ontario, who bring this season’s pink wine from their cellars. A few restaurateurs, hacks and all-around supporters of the male persuasion are also invited to the convivium to discuss soberly and seriously the merits and qualities of Ontario rosé wine. There is also some tasting done over lunch and beyond, for good measure. Attendance is without obligation, except for one: each guest (and host for that matter) must wear at least one item of pink clothing. In the video below, I interrupt the labours of the some of the participants throughout the afternoon and ask them the question of the day: why do real men drink pink?

Can’t see the video? Click here.

Malcolm Jolley is a founding editor of Good Food Revolution and Executive Director of Good Food Media, the non-profit organization that publishes GFR. Follow him at twitter.com/malcolmjolley. Photo: John Gundy.

This video is made possible through the kind support of Fortessa Canada/Schott Zwiesel: casual elegance for everyday living.