Chianti Classico dinner and book launch at Barque Smokehouse
With WineAlign Critic and Author Michael Godel
Please join us in Toronto at Barque Smokehouse on Thursday, October 22nd for a Smokin’ Sangiovese dinner with author Michael Godel to celebrate the release of his recently published book “The Next Rooster.“
Date: Thursday, October 22nd
Time: 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Place: Barque Smokehouse, 299 Roncesvalles Ave., Toronto, Ontario.
Tickets: $135 (plus fees – Includes a signed copy of “The Next Rooster”)
Reserve Now, Limited Availability
The evening will begin with a glass of Traditional Method Sparkling Wine. Enjoy a casual structured tasting of Chianti Classico DOCG wines from estates represented in Michael’s book, creatively paired with, and elevated by Chef David Neinstein’s smoking southern Ontario BBQ. Michael will read excerpts from the book, teach some essentials about Chianti Classico wines, Italy’s most important red grape, and the hills where these remarkable wines are produced.
Italy has commanded much of Godel’s attention, with more than 50 excursions in the last 10 years, more than half of them to Tuscany. In February 2018 the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico made Godel one of their first five recipients of an Ad Honorem title, Ambasciatore. He educates on behalf of the Tuscan territory’s Gallo Nero and their noble Sangiovese. “The Next Rooster” is the culmination of 10 years studying in the region, getting to know the producers, and their next generation.
The Next Rooster is a portrait of continuity in motion. Through 44 essays, it brings together the stories of families whose lives, vineyards, and futures are rooted in the hills of Chianti Classico, one of Italy’s most historic and dynamic wine regions. United by the symbol of the Gallo Nero—the Black Rooster—these daughters, sons, nieces, and nephews represent the next generation stepping into roles shaped by inheritance, responsibility, and change.
The book begins with the generation that transformed Chianti Classico during the 1970s and 1980s, when producing wine in the region demanded conviction, sacrifice, and a willingness to embrace uncertainty. Their efforts helped establish the prosperity and international reputation the territory enjoys today. Yet this is not a book about looking backward. It is about what comes next.
Chianti Classico has always been defined by diversity—of soils, elevations, philosophies, and people. That multiplicity remains its greatest strength. As the region enters a new era marked by technological connectivity, environmental challenges, and evolving global markets, a new generation is emerging with its own ideas, ambitions, and understanding of place.
Rather than presenting a chronology of wine history, The Next Rooster tells a human story, exploring succession, adaptation, and the enduring connection between family and land. Rich with Tuscan culture, food, wine, and history, these essays reveal how continuity is preserved not by standing still, but by moving forward.
Chianti Classico has always had something new to say. This book listens to the voices now preparing to say it.
We look forward to seeing you on October 22nd.