Toronto’s Hidden Wine Club for Drinkers (Snobs Need Not Apply)

by Nicola Brown · March 17, 2015

Entrance to iYellow. Credit: Richard Abrich

Enter from the back alley; it’s the door covered in yellow graffiti.

These are probably the last words you’d expect to hear from someone giving you directions to a wine club in Toronto. But they will get you to where you need to be: iYellow Wine Club on Queen West.

If the entrance doesn’t give it away, the laid-back atmosphere in this underground cavern betrays that this is no ordinary drinking establishment.

The stairway down to iYellow’s cavern is strewn with empty wine bottles, a bird cage and an old TV. Credit: Richard Abrich

You can do away with any preconceived notion of what you might expect a “wine club” to be (refined, exclusive, snobby, even?). Instead, embrace these adjectives: relaxed, friendly, with the odd bit of tongue-in-cheek, for fun.

The founders are fun–not fussy!

Founder Angela Aiello and Education Director Taylor Thompson are an ebullient pair. They remind their patrons that drinking wine should be enjoyable–now there’s a novel idea!

There’s just the right balance of knowledge and free-flowing wine in iYellow’s “wine school” classes. The pair will likely have you giggling giddily by the end. Given the laid-back nature of the evening, I am somewhat taken aback to find out that Taylor is also the Wine Director at the Ritz-Carlton in Toronto.

iYellow seems to be full of surprises.

Tasting begins. Credit: Richard Abrich

Crowded around wooden table tops with wine barrel stands, patrons sip and savour through a tasting course that feels more like a close friend’s soirée than an educational class.

Home away from home

The space is intimate and cozy, with airs of a speakeasy.

Bookshelves fashioned from old wine crates house heavy wine tomes. Credit: Richard Abrich

Old wine crates stacked to form bookshelves carry hefty tomes like The Taste of Wine and The Wine Bible. You could take a seat in one of the comfy leather couches and settle in for the evening, or the week. After a few glasses it would be easy to imagine you might live here–at least until Angela kicks you out after closing.

Settle in for the evening with big leather couches, cozy lighting and eclectic décor. Credit: Richard Abrich

Most useful wine tip

Thanks to Taylor I now know how to properly aerate my sips without inadvertently choking or dribbling them everywhere. He advises putting teeth to tongue and slowly drawing in air through the small gaps in between.

I make a mental note to remember this as I happily raise my sixth glass to a surprising and delightful new watering hole. This is a club for wine lovers and drinkers, not critics, so check your snobbery at the door.

Details

Location: 243 Queen Street West, Toronto
Opening Hours: open for scheduled wine classes and events, see website for details
Twitter: @iyellowwineclub
Phone: (416) 572-3916 ex. 2103

On this trip: Wine class supplied by iYellow Wine Club.

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Nicola Brown

Owner & Principal at Think Forward Communication

Nicola is an international award-winning writer, editor and communication consultant based in Toronto. She has travelled to 32 countries so far and is always poised to head out the door again. Nicola loves both the visceral and intellectual dimensions of travel, and will passionately argue for its psychological paybacks, especially after a few glasses of wine. She lives for opportunities to illuminate the life-changing power of travel for as many people as possible.