While Guelph’s downtown core was amping up the dance tunes on Saturday night and lineups were growing outside local bars, a group of 20-somethings were enjoying a more sophisticated evening at Van Gough’s Ear.
Wine, art, jazz music and conversation were the order of the day at the fourth Marvonnay — a sort of “coming of age” event for young professionals looking for more sophistication in their social encounters.
Most University of Guelph students would be familiar with the downtown party scene but as they leave school and enter the work world, they might be unfamiliar with the finer things in life. It can be handy to know a little about wine and how to behave professionally in social settings as they begin their professional careers.
Marvonnay exposes them to wine and cheese pairings and offers jazz and art as backdrop, said the event founder.
“I’m an entrepreneur and this is something I envisioned long after the first time,” said Felix Aleobua, 24, who graduated from the University of Guelph in June with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in marketing management and a Bachelor of Biological Science.
“I’m an old soul. I like Miles Davis and a glass of wine and there’s a little sophistication in that. I saw an opportunity for people coming of age.”
‘Marvonnay’ is a play on Marvin Gaye and chardonnay.
Event-goers sampled four of six wines selected for their variety – different grapes, sugar content and country of origin.
They received cards with information about the wine and how to approach the sampling. They then filled out scorecards to rate their favourite wines.
This is different from a typical wine tastings, Aleobua said, where a small group of people crowd into a small room at a winery and listen to an expert talk about the wine.
“People are taking notes. It’s very formal,” he said. “We’ve made wine-tasting a social event.”
Arienne Wesley and Stacey Pruce contributed art to the event and wouldn’t mind if they sold a piece.
“But it’s really just about enjoying good wine and cheeses and meeting new people,” Wesley said.
Paige Piczak said she attended Marvonnay III in the spring and enjoyed it enough to go again.
“Felix has such a passion for this event,” she said. “And it keeps getting better.”
