Update: As of December 3, 2013, our site has moved up in its ranking from 760 to 608 (the lower the number, the closer to the top), continuing to be the only Canadian wine site with more traffic than the LCBO, SAQ, BCLDB and other liquor stores in the country.August 22, 2013: Our team is thrilled with the new rankings for Canadian wine sites from Alexa, the leading provider of web metrics that measures and rates Canadian site traffic and audience engagement. Alexa is considered the Nielsen ratings for the digital world, and has been quoted frequently by those in […]
Month: August 2013
The 5 Worst Questions to ask a Sommelier Video
Tom Vigeant, the coordinator of the Sommelier Certificate Program at La Cité collégiale, answers the 5 worst questions that you can ask a sommelier. ou going to try to sell me an expensive wine? 2. Shouldn’t I just order your cheapest wine on the list, that’s the best value right? 3. I’m on a date and have a price in mind, but don’t know which wine. Are you going to make me say the price out loud to help me choose? 4. You recommended a wine to me, I’m tasting it and I don’t like it. It’s my […]
LCBO Best Wines: Stonier Pinot Noir, Emiliana Syrah Vintages August 17
Here are my top wine picks from the August 17 Vintages Release. VIP Members can access all 68 wines that I reviewed as a text shopping list with my complete tasting notes, scores, food matches and the stock for each bottle in their closest LCBO stores. Stock numbers are usually posted online a day or two before the release based on the LCBO doing so. They can also add my wine picks to their custom shopping list with one click and access that list on their smartphone. This is one of the benefits of becoming a VIP Member. I’ve […]
Campfire Chili Recipe with Banana and Cream Cheese S’mores
Camp out in Style When most of us think of camping, visions of shoddily made wieners and messy marshmallow confections come to mind. Sure they can be tasty, but they’re hardly anything to write home about. That is, until now. Try these following two recipes for Campfire Chili and Banana and Cream Cheese S’mores; with Canadian Monterey Jack and Canadian Cream Cheese, they’ll turn your carefree camping trip into a gourmet getaway. And, of course, the only other thing that a gourmand needs with good food is good wine. Here are a couple of my camping suggestions. Cave Spring Cellars […]
Wine of the Week: Cathedral Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, South Africa
Oscar Wilde observed, “Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.” However, anyone who thinks that great wine beyond their means suffers from a lack of solid wine shopping list. Start your weekend list with this robust cabernet sauvignon that’s on sale now at the liquor store. It’s perfect for barbecues and planning trips to discount warehouse outlet stores. Cheers, Natalie Sale Ends: August 18, 2013 Sale Price: $14.95 | Save: $1.00 (Usually $15.95) Natalie’s Score: 87/100 Cathedral Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Paarl, South Africa Leanings toward Bordeaux with a toasty nose and dark fruit. Good balance […]
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, Perrin: Best LCBO Wines Vintages August 3
Here are my top wine picks from the August 3 Vintages Release. Full Members can access all 75 wines that I reviewed as a text shopping list with my complete tasting notes, scores, food matches and the stock for each bottle in their closest LCBO stores. (Stock numbers are usually posted online a day or two before the release based on the LCBO doing so.) They can also add my wine picks to their custom shopping list with one click and access that list on their smartphone. This is one of the benefits of becoming a Full Member. You […]
Halifax Sommelier Pairs Wine and Seafood with Titanic Menu
Avery Gavel, assistant manager and sommelier at The Five Fishermen restaurant in Halifax, shares his insights about pairing wine and seafood, creating historic meals with wine and his take on Nova Scotian wines. What was your first wine experience? I grew up on a dairy farm in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, the oldest of five children. Wine wasn’t part of our family traditions, not even special celebrations. Communion in church was grape juice, even. My first wine experience was at The Five Fishermen in the early 1970s when I was 24 and on a double date. We ordered the cheap German […]
Liquid Lingo of Italy: You Say Wine, I Say Vino
By: The Drink Wine and Giggle Gals Dove regna il vino non regna il silenzio. (Where wine reigns, silence does not reign.) Italian Proverb The second stop in our linguistic tour of the world’s top wine-producing countries is Italy. Whenever the Drink Wine and Giggle Gals think about Italy, we think about the Italian philosophy of living referred to as la bella figura—“the beautiful figure”—that is about much more than dressing well, looking good and admiring all forms of physical beauty. La bella figura is also defined by behaviour, specifically how one comports oneself when ordering wine. Our first Italian […]
A Wonderful Life With Wine – Ottawa At Home
Raised by a single mother in Nova Scotia, Natalie MacLean learned the value of a deal, hard work and ambition at a young age. A strong work ethic and drive, combined with study at Oxford University and in Canada, has helped to shape her into the woman she is today: An award-winning author of two best-selling books and an internationally-acclaimed writer on wines. Natalie enjoys life to the fullest, sharing a love of movies with her 14 year-old-son Rian, and engaging in the family sport of dining out on weekends. There is nothing she likes more than great conversation and […]
