Ever get tired of making wine runs to the LCBO, only to arrive and find the vintage you know and love is out of stock? Chances are this will lead to a phone call where you vent to your significant other/BFF before resigning yourself to splurging on something pricier. Why pricier? Because ain’t nobody got time to go back for another bottle if it’s cheap and sucks. Sound familiar? I know I do this because that’s how often I drink wine. I know I probably shouldn’t admit that but alas, I know (read: hope) I am not alone. Lucky for us lushes, two wise winos who regularly experienced the same problem have come up with a solution. You’ll be dying to pop the cork on kwäf, the new service that identifies fantastic wines not available at the LCBO and delivers them straight to your doorstep at a discounted price. Win? Wine!
The minds behind this venture are Justyn Szymczyk, a wine lover who grew up surrounded by vineyards in Niagara, and Dick Snyder, editor and founder of City Bites Magazine, both of whom enjoy a good glass of wine every now and then. One day over two such glasses, they talked about wanting to find ways to buy better wines at more affordable prices. kwäf is the result of their conversation. One can only wish that all rants over drinks ended so well!
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The first thing you have to do is sign up for free. After that, you’ll get a special email offer that allows members of kwäf the opportunity to buy a case or more (some wines are available for purchase in lesser quantity) of an exclusive wine. Don’t worry, all their wines are chosen based on independent tasting sessions with the “kwäf Taste Buds”. Who are they? Oh, just a panel of professional Toronto sommeliers that include Terroni sommelier Lindsay Groves and Opus sommelier Zoltan Szabo. If the wines don’t pass their test, they simply are not “kwäf”ified.
Now that you know the wine is fantastic, let’s get to some other great parts. First, the price is discounted for a period of time – members only get a window in which to order. Also, no more awkward eye contact with that same judgey cashier at the LCBO ever again: kwäf delivers it straight to your door! Last, the wine is not available at the LCBO, so if you’re going to someone’s house for dinner, you can gloat about bringing your host a bottle from your special “reserve.” Nobody needs to know — can I get an amen?
So what’s the catch? Well, there isn’t one really. Obviously, due to LCBO policy, the kwäf boys would love to eventually offer international wines but for the time being they are focusing on their love of the VQAs, knowing that spectacular wines can be found in our beloved backyard. So far, members are over the moon with interest growing daily.
Currently, kwäf is offering 2-3 wines per month, but is looking to increase their offerings come 2015. In the meantime, members get a few perks. They receive monthly picks of the best taste/value wines available at the LCBO as chosen by the kwäf experts. They can join “Club K” where they have the option to subscribe to a 6-pack of wicked wines that is delivered to you every three months and includes easy tasting notes and food pairing hints. Eventually we hear a “wine of the month” club is launching. We don’t know about you but as wine lovers, this company is hitting all our heartstrings.
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Pssst! If you happen to be one of our newsletter subscribers, watch out for a special kwäf + Vv Magazine offer coming out next week! You can also sign up for our newsletter on the right hand side of the page under “Free Email Updates.” Easy peezy, lemon squeezy!
What are your thoughts on kwäf? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.
