4 Glasses: A Tu B’Shevat Natural Wine Tasting

Tu B’Shevat literally translates as the New Year for Trees and is often seen as a day to honour and celebrate environmentalism. Although Tu B’Shevat falls in the middle of winter in Montreal, it marks the beginning of the growing season in warmer climates. Kabbalists in 16th century Spain created the ritual of a Tu B’Shevat seder to celebrate the holiday. This seder involves drinking four cups of wine and sampling an abundance of fruits and nuts. We took inspiration from this ritual but, as we tend to do, we put a modern spin on it. We celebrated by having Nick Hamilton, a local sommelier, lead us through a wine tasting of four glasses of natural wine: a white, an orange, a rose, and a red. We also served some nibbles that featured the seven species of biblical Israel (wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates) that are traditionally eaten on Tu B’Shevat. To top it all off, Aroma Jockey Jarome, a perfumer and olfactory artist, infused the evening with sensational smells.

The Wandering Chew hosted this event on Saturday, February 8th, 2020. Tu B’Shevat literally translates as the New Year for Trees and is often seen as a day to honour and celebrate environmentalism. Although Tu B’Shevat falls in the middle of winter in Montreal, it marks the beginning of the growing season in warmer climates. Kabbalists in 16th century Spain created the ritual of a Tu B’Shevat seder to celebrate the holiday. This seder involves drinking four cups of wine and sampling an abundance of fruits and nuts.

We took inspiration from this ritual but, as we tend to do, we put a modern spin on it. We celebrated by having Nick Hamilton, a local sommelier, lead us through a wine tasting of four glasses of natural wine: a white, an orange, a rose, and a red. We also served some nibbles that featured the seven species of biblical Israel (wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates) that are traditionally eaten on Tu B’Shevat. To top it all off, Aroma Jockey Jarome, a perfumer and olfactory artist, infused the evening with sensational smells.

The Wandering Chew hosted this event on Saturday, February 8th, 2020.