Recognized with a 2025 Vine Award for Best in Distinction, the Fairmont Royal York’s signature restaurant delivers a royal experience
It’s easy to forget that the rise of the luxury hotel pretty much gave birth to luxury dining. Most of us mere mortals typically inhabit “serviceable” away-from-home accommodations, contenting ourselves with grub from vending machines and–if luck is with us–maybe a snack bar that’s open late. This wasn’t always the norm.
In the late 19th century, a Swiss developer (César Ritz) teamed up with a rather well-known chef (Auguste Escoffier) to combine luxury digs with superior eats under the roof of the legendary Grand Hotel Monte Carlo. This began a trend that continues today in major world-class cities around the world, including Toronto.
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Opened in 2019 to celebrate the newly renovated Fairmont Royal York hotel, REIGN brings restaurant royalty to one of Canada’s most historic and iconic establishments. Encompassing a high-end restaurant, bar, and bakery, REIGN’s uniquely diverse layout is also reflected in its wine program, earning it the coveted Vine Award from VineRoutes’ Restaurant Awards.
The wine program at REIGN is co-managed by James Grant, Director of Beverage and cocktail-slinger extraordinaire, along with Jean Philippe Cote, Executive Assistant Manager/Director of Food & Beverage, and Frank Guerreiro, Assistant Director of Food & Beverage. The selection of close to 950 individual offerings on the list is drawn from an on-site stock of approximately 4,670 bottles, five per cent of which are Canadian (meeting the minimum threshold for Vine Award consideration). The wine list at REIGN is what might best be described as a “living document.”
When dining at REIGN, one has up to 950 different wine selections to choose from. (Photo by Rick O’Brien.)
“Our wine list tends to change fairly frequently, as wines that excite us move in and out of availability and season,” Grant explains. “Our approach is to generally look for wines that are classical in nature but not mass production, which means a more exciting wine list, but one that needs to be a bit more fluid.”
Grant goes on to explain that the wine program is specifically curated to complement REIGN’s classic brasserie food selections. As the menu items change to reflect seasonality, the wine list remains flexible in order to best adapt to what’s being served, skillfully crafted by Executive Restaurant Chef Roland Torok-Ducharme.
The result is a wine selection that focuses on the classic wine regions of both the New and Old Worlds, with by-the-glass offerings split pretty much evenly between Old World and Canadian choices. Wines are also picked for their adherence to sustainable winemaking and viticultural practices.
REIGN Executive Restaurant Chef Roland Torok-Ducharme. (Photo by Rick O’Brien.)
“Our beverage team works very closely with the kitchen,” Grant confirms. “We always attempt to ensure that the wine list, cocktail program, and food menu work in harmony.”
To maximize flexibility and offer the most interesting and exciting selections–and to develop strong supplier relationships–Grant and his assistants generally draw directly from agents rather than rely on the more limited selection offered via the provincial liquor monopoly. Wines are almost always pre-tasted prior to purchase to ensure the quality and flavour profiles match Grant’s (not to mention customer) expectations. Speaking of which, REIGN’s customers represent what Grant describes as a “healthy mix” of hotel patrons and outside traffic.
Wine Director James Grant.
REIGN also hosts fairly regular dinner events designed to showcase the best it has to offer in terms of gustatory indulgence. In collaboration with top Canadian wineries, REIGN offers a four-course meal paired with carefully chosen wine pairings to an intimate group. Starting with a visit to the spectacular rooftop garden, diners are then seated in the private The City’s Dinner Room and treated to a menu that might include Summer Pea and Ricotta Agnolotti, Fennel-Pollen Crusted Sea Bass, Juniper-Rubbed Venison Loin, and Reserve Merlot Spiced Poached Plums, all matched with a stellar selection of wines.
After dinner, consider a visit to the award-winning Library Bar for a bespoke cocktail. As alluded to earlier, Grant is a recognized and respected Cocktail King (since we’re sticking with the royalty theme), so one wonders if helping to manage the wine program at REIGN might be a bit of an occupational stretch. Not to worry.
“I love wine, and spent quite a few years working in wine retail to develop my palate and wine knowledge, in addition to pursuing a formalized wine education through WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust),” he reveals, while admitting that it’s “…a bit of a challenge making sure that everyone who has a vested interest in our wine program feels like they have their voices heard, while also developing a creatively-driven and thoughtful cocktail program.”
While most of us probably wouldn’t consider interchanging cocktails for wine at a dinner event, the two tipples do share a few things in common and, in the right hands, can make for interesting food companions.
“Wine and Cocktails often play different roles in an evening, but when produced thoughtfully, both wine and cocktails can achieve many of the same goals – from food pairing to aperitifs and digestifs,” Grant maintains. “The trick is to apply the knowledge for each category to the other; thinking about acid, tannin, and finish is just as important in cocktails as considering sugar content, ABV (alcohol by volume), and oak aging in wine. The more you know about both, the better off you are.”
Boasting elegant brasserie fare, timeless hospitality, and now a Vine Award–winning wine program, REIGN embodies the essence of luxury dining in one of Canada’s most iconic hotels. (Photo by Rick O’Brien.)
Grant points out that there’s an affinity between certain wines and cocktails.
“A bold manhattan, with its oak-aged whiskey (or whisky, as the American version–with the “e”–has become a rather scarce commodity in Canada as of late) and robust sweet vermouth can mimic certain elements of a red wine or a fortified [wine], much like a beautiful martini or bamboo can fill the same role as a delicious aperitif wine, fino sherry, or crisp white.”
View the complete list of Restaurant Award winners, Class of 2025
Though the Fairmont Royal York is steeped in (and preserves) historic luxury, tastes change. Grant and his team are in a unique position to get a first-hand look at where future consumer trends are going when it comes to libations. For Grant, there are a number of factors that might very well chart the direction of restaurant wine lists in the future.
“I think in the next few years, economic trends will certainly affect wine lists across the board. From trade relationships to the domestic job market, to the way climate change is affecting our growing regions. I think we will see a lot of changes as traditional wines are forced to adapt.”
With its air of regal elegance, fabulous food, sensational cocktails, and award-winning wine selection, you could say: REIGN rules.
– Tod Stewart is a senior editor with VineRoutes
