The excitement for the Ottawa Wolf Blass tasting started with a long lineup that snaked down the sidewalk in front of Restaurant 18. The great vibe from the people who attended, Wolf’s rascal humour and the tasty wines made it a wonderful evening. Here’s more on that plus two video clips from CTV News below [...]

What a spectacular evening we had in Toronto last week at the Wolf Blass tasting! A full-house of 90 guests packed the waterside restaurant Against the Grain. As I interviewed Wolf about his experiences, we tasted his wines and some delicious tapas. More details on the event as well as the Canada AM clip below [...]

We continue our video chat below with Master Sommelier Bruce Wallner about Canada’s Best Sommelier Competition in Halifax this month. We find out why the Quebec sommeliers are such fierce competitors (think Cobra Kai in the Karate Kid) and the next competitions for the successful candidate. You can also watch part one of our video [...]

In the video chat below Bruce Wallner, recently named Ontario’s Best Sommelier, talks about participating in the Best Canadian Sommelier Competition this month in Halifax. He’s already a certified Master Sommelier and has worked in restaurants around the world, including Australia, Spain and the UK. We also talked about what made him want to become [...]

In the CTV News video clip below, we chat about the exciting development in Atlantic Canadian wines, including those from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI. From the Olympics to a Tidal Bay of refreshment, it’s worth taking a second (and fifth) sip of these wines … Here are my wine reviews for Jost Vineyards, [...]

In this second video chat, Karen King talks about pairing icewine with chocolate as well as being on the CBC TV show The Big Decision. You can also see the icewine cocktails we discussed in part one of our conversation … Blue Cheese and White Wine Pairing: Video Part 3 Building a Persuasive Wine Brand: [...]

We’re back with Arlene Dickinson in this video chat below, one of Canada’s top entrepreneurs who has had phenomenal success in many fields, from television to books; consultancy to consumer products. We’re going about her wine Persuasion. Let’s start with your own experience with wine: Was wine on the family table when you were growing [...]

Arlene Dickinson, in the video chat below, is best known as a judge on the hit TV show Dragons’ Den as well as advising struggling companies on The Big Decision. She’s the owner and CEO of Venture Communications, a powerhouse agency focused on marketing strategy, has been inducted into Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100 [...]

In part two of our video chat below, Scott shares his most memorable wine experiences in restaurants, including a hilarious story about the worst one (watch him in the small screen with the bottle when he explains what the waiter did) … The International Culinary Center  2010 Bastianich Adriactico Friulano A floral white with mouth-watering [...]

In the video below, Scott Carney, Director of Wine Education at the International Culinary Center, shares his insights on the education and training required to become a Master Sommelier. As well: How is the Master Sommelier different from the Master of Wine? What makes your approach to teaching wine different from other schools? Why is [...]