A wave of chic bars serving a bevvy of natural wines have popped up around Toronto in recent years, making the world of wine a lot more approachable and fun for the average vino lover. Officially opening its doors in the Leaside neighbourhood on Nov. 23, The Daughter is a new natural wine and bottle shop with a menu of delicious snacks and artful small plates in an elegant and romantic setting.
“Natural wine has this collectible quality, with small allocations and limited production. Once something is sold out it may take some time to get the new vintage in,” says Marissa Goldstein, The Daughter owner, who after feeling unfulfilled working in law and real estate, moved to New York City in 2017 to attend a specialized farm-to-table culinary program at the International Culinary Center. She went on to work at the seasonally-inspired restaurant Loring Place and the Michelin starred restaurant Blue Hill Stone Barns in Upstate New York before bringing her specialized training back to Toronto.
When designing the menu for The Daughter, she drew inspiration from her time working in New York, along with her time spent living in Barcelona and Tel Aviv. Joining Marissa is manager Lauren Wilkins, a seasoned vet in the hospitality industry with a specialization in natural wine and craft beer. Together, Marissa and Lauren have worked tirelessly to curate a food and wine program that promises to use only the finest quality ingredients, suppliers, and producers.
Patrons can order from a menu featuring a complementary selection of sharing plates and snacks like charcuterie, cheese, in-house made dips, snacks, sandwiches, challah, a beautiful cured salmon plate, salads, as well as a few vegetarian options. They even offer grilled cheese and crudité for the kids.
Like the menu, the décor has been thoughtfully chosen to create an interior that truly enhances and reflects the wine within, blending elements of Japanese and Scandinavian minimal design with warm Canadian hues and natural crust face stone.
“To highlight the beautiful colour spectrum of the natural wines, a palette of minimal materials and textures were carefully selected, like the natural stone blocks which are filled with fossils alluding to the organic and natural processes used in in the production of natural wine,” says Marissa, adding that, “a lot of people have been calling our space “sexy” which we definitely don’t mind hearing!”
Stop by the 1560a Bayview Ave. spot Wednesday and Thursday 11 a.m. until 10 p.m., Friday to Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight and Sundays 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Food service is available 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. every day except Sunday.