The Metro Toronto Convention Centre will sell no wine before it's given the seal of approval by its wine council. The newly established council — comprised of 22 experts, including local sommeliers, wine agents, as well as convention clients — selects the wines that are poured to the more than one million people who visit the venue annually.

Richard Willett, the MTCC's vice president of food and beverage, designed the wine council as a way to involve key stakeholders. It also helps the MTCC stand out in the very competitive convention business.

The wines for the event year were selected on March 16 when the MTCC held its first annual blind wine tasting. A list of 70 Canadian, American, and international wines were picked based on the ratings provided by the council.

Wine council member Jeff Gilbert, deputy executive officer of the Ontario Libraries Association, appreciates the opportunity to select the wines that groups like his will consume. “We spend a lot on wine as event planners, and it's great to have some input into the selection that we can choose from.”