Congratulations to Ashleigh Forster of One MICHELIN Star DaNico, the MICHELIN Guide Toronto 2024 Sommelier of the Year winner!
At DaNico in Toronto’s Little Italy, Ashleigh Forster offers a wide selection of exquisite Italian wine. Paired perfectly with Chef Daniele Corona’s Italian tasting menu, her wine selection takes guests on an adventure that highlights indigenous Italian grapes and key varieties from other regions. DaNico’s impressive range of top producers matches its equally impressive cuisine.
We spoke with her recently to learn what she enjoys about her role and how she picks new wines, plus what she's drinking right now.
How were you introduced to the world of wine?
It has been an amazing journey. Since I was young, I always worked in the restaurant industry, and I had always been either a server or a back house or something. And then I ventured into another world for a career, and I didn't love it, and my heart always came back to the restaurant world. I've always loved the energy. Meeting new people every day. You're going to the same place every day, but it's always different, and so my heart always belongs to the restaurant world.
I started taking wine a little bit more seriously, and I started going to those really special places, like Alinea and Eleven Madison [Park], and it really opened my eyes to the incredible world that food and wine coming together can be.
What are you drinking these days?
My go-to wine is almost always white. This is where Italian wine shines for a few reasons. They're really underrated. The price point is not always so high. And for me, as someone who likes to enjoy wine, I can't afford to be buying those crazy Burgundy bottles!
A beautiful Ribolla or a Friulano are amazing. And then shoot down to Sicilia and head up the mountain and drink a Bianco and get this mineral vibrancy that's like an electric shock. There are so many Italian white grapes that I'm obsessed with, and I always want to be drinking.
What’s your criteria for adding a new wine to your list?
First and foremost, it needs to work with the food. People are coming here to experience Daniele's passion and his food and his expression on the plate, and I'm here to try and elevate that as much as I can through that pairing. So of course, even if I love this line so much, and it doesn't quite shine as much as I thought it might, we can't force things.
Outside of that, I look for varietals that guests haven't experienced before, styles that they maybe haven't experienced or smaller producers, I love to try and highlight as much as I can. We're not a big restaurant, so I'm not bringing in cases upon cases, but just the little bit of exposure I can give to a producer I find special.
How has your taste in wine changed over time?
Pretty drastically. Even as a teenager sitting around the dinner table with my family. My family loves wine, but we're into maybe more humble styles of wine. As you go along and your palate develops, you definitely pull back on slightly bigger, bolder discussions of any kind. I mean, don't get me wrong, any Chardonnay, any which way, I will always love but definitely, I find myself always gravitating to a lighter and a leaner style of red, especially in the summer like Pelaverga, a little chilled down, is probably my favorite thing to drink.
With my heart always being in the world of Italian wine, it's such an incredible place to explore because there are so many different grapes that I feel like I'm always being like, ‘Oh, this is fun and new and cool. This is an expression of this grape that I've never even had before.’
Do you have a favorite wine-related film, book, or magazine?
Anything by Ian D’Agata because that man knows a lot. He's always a go-to if I'm trying to garner up some more knowledge. I keep Kerin O’Keefe’s Barolo and Barberesco books in my cellar. They’re such a beautifully condensed version of quick tidbits about every producer, so I find it super valuable.
What's the biggest misconception about being a sommelier, or about wine in general?
I work very hard to take out the snobbery, to try and just make it as relatable as possible. I can't tell you how many times a week a guest will say to me, ‘I like this but I'm so sorry, I don't know much, or I'm not an expert.’ I always joke with them, and my go-to line is, ‘thank God you're not, because I wouldn't have a job.’
I would never walk into an office and apologize that I don't know as much as someone in their fields. I think there's this weird thing about wine. People think they should know more, and if they don't, it's shameful, like oh my gosh. I'm constantly learning, it's wildly okay for you to not know, and that's why I'm here. I find that that puts them at ease, and then they feel a little bit more comfortable in terms of my suggestions, especially when I'm trying to take them to a region or a grape they don't know.
What's your ideal meal and pairing?
There's a lot that I do love. We have this amazing spaghettoni ai funghi dish with black truffle, and I have this amazing 2016 Castello di Verduno Barolo.
I love those pairings, but to be honest, I'm a pretty casual girl at heart, and so a beautiful bottle of Lambrusco and a pepperoni pizza makes my heart sing. The simplicity of it coming together. I love things like that when it's a few ingredients, a really simple bottle, and it just is really beautiful.
Hero image: Valentyna Tretiak / Ashleigh Forster
