Ontario hotel offers free tastings of rare auction wines worth up to £15,000 a bottle

Guests at Kat Florence Hotel in Elora, Ontario, will soon have the opportunity to sample some of the world's rarest and most sought-after wines as part of a new complimentary tasting experience reserved exclusively for hotel guests.

Launching on 20 October, the luxury retreat's new 100-Point Elite Auction Wine Tastings will feature ultra-rare wines sourced from prestigious auctions around the world, with some bottles valued at up to £15,000.

The intimate tastings, held twice weekly and limited to just six guests at a time, will be led by Elizabeth Davies, Kat Florence's personal sommelier and rare wine specialist.

"Some of my most memorable evenings have been spent around a table with a remarkable bottle and the people I love," said founder Kat Florence. "I wanted to create a space where my guests could have that same experience. Elizabeth, my personal sommelier, pours for them just as she pours for me: something extraordinary, along with its story, in an intimate room. It is included in every stay, because the finest things in life are meant to be shared."

Davies, a certified sommelier with more than two decades of experience in luxury hospitality, is responsible for curating the hotel's wine collection and sourcing bottles from leading auctions worldwide.

"It's both an honour and a wild adventure to have what can only be described as the greatest sommelier position on Earth," said Davies. "As Kat Florence's personal sommelier, my role is much like that of her in-house gem hunter, but instead of rare gemstones, I'm searching the world for extraordinary, ultra-rare, and 100-point wines.

"I get to hunt down bottles that most sommeliers and wine lovers only dream of experiencing. What makes this opportunity even more remarkable is that Kat doesn't simply collect these treasures; she shares them with her guests, giving us the extraordinary privilege of experiencing and appreciating their greatness together."

The new tasting programme has been timed to take place before the hotel's signature multi-course dinner experiences, which are included as part of every stay.

At the same time, Kat Florence Hotels has expanded its culinary line-up with the appointment of Shai-Ann Tyson, a finalist on Top Chef Canada and winner of the 2023 Garland Canada Culinary Competition.

Tyson joins a roster of guest chefs that includes Anthony Bish, Marc Collyer, Dale Mackay and Neill Anthony. Under the hotel's dining concept, guests are served an elaborate tasting menu prepared by a celebrity chef, with both the chef and menu remaining a surprise until the evening.

The additions are part of the hotel's broader focus on creating highly personalised luxury experiences. Housed within a historic 1848 limestone building in Elora, the property is known for combining fine dining, rare gemstone displays and bespoke hospitality.

The announcement comes ahead of the return of the Elora Christmas Market, presented by Kat Florence, which runs from 14 November through to Christmas Day. Featuring more than 100,000 lights and European-style market chalets, the event has become one of the area's most popular festive attractions.

The complimentary wine tastings will take place every Tuesday and Thursday at 5pm, with places allocated to hotel guests on a reservation basis through the property's concierge service.