The month’s column in More Magazine focuses on wines made by or endorsed by celebrities such as Arlene Dickinson, Sonja Smits and Dan Aykroyd. Surprisingly, these are well-made wines and range widely in price. Pair them with your favourite movie or television series featuring these stars …
Month: September 2012
Nova Scotia Wines: Top 25 List
Here are my top 25 wines from Nova Scotia, and like my Top 25 BC Wines, this has been in the works for the last few months. Nova Scotia holds a special place in my heart because I grew up just outside of Halifax, spending my summers in Cape Breton. Although I’ve visited most of the wineries several times when I’m home, I’ll be visiting all of them over the next year again as I start the research for my third book, which will be exclusively about Canadian wines from coast to coast. Nova Scotia’s wine industry may be small, […]
BC Wines: Top 25 List from the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
I’ve been tasting through hundreds of wines for the last few months to select my top 25 wines from British Columbia. This isn’t based solely on numbers, but rather on a broader view of a range of styles and grapes. In fact, wine scores taken out of context are meaningless. I hope that this list will provoke debate, even controversy, as that’s what we need to kick-start a national conversation about the great wines that we produce in this country. What’s easy is sniping from the shadows; what’s hard is taking a stand in the public spotlight for your convictions. […]
Canada’s Best Restaurants – Maclean’s Magazine
Just got my copy of the Maclean’s Magazine first-ever Restaurant Guide for dining establishments across Canada. This is going to be my bible for where to eat when I travel. I was honoured to be part of the team of reviewers … pick up a copy to read the reviews. (An aside, here are my favourite restaurants in other cities.) Just a couple of hints … Sidedoor Contemporary Kitchen & Wine Bar Hours: Monday to Saturday Lunch: 11:45-2 pm, 7 Days a Week: 4:30 pm tacos; 5 pm Dinner Address: 20 York Street, Ottawa, ON Phone: 613-562-9331 Play Food and […]
Thanksgiving Wines: Turkey, Stuffing and Cranberry Sauce
My latest column in Active Adult Magazine has lots of terrific wines for your Thanksgiving dinner, including pairings for roast turkey, stuffing or cranberry sauce. You can also find my tips for pairing Thanksgiving (or Christmas) turkey and wine in Reuters (second story), Kansas City Star, The Vancouver Province, The Star-Ledger, Contra Costa Times and The Star-Gazette. Let’s give thanks for all of these great bottles!
Tyrrell Wines Australia Video: Semillon Magic + Shiraz
Bruce Tyrrell was a pleasant surprise: terrific interview with a great wit and insights into the Australian wine industry in this video chat below. He frames the magic of semillon, old and young… plus there’s his Rufus Stone Shiraz, black liquid enchantment. The Tyrrell family has been producing wines in Australia’s Hunter Valley since 1858. Bruce Tyrell is the fourth generation of his family to run the winery that now produces 500,000 cases per year. In 2006, Bruce was recognized with an Order of Australia medal for his contribution to the Australian wine industry; improving grape quality, research, tourism and […]
Best Cellar Wines in LCBO Vintages Release September 29
By Gaby Israel Here’s my best cellar wines list for this release as a shopping list that you can print and will show you LCBO stock availability. #1 choice – France – Midi – 2010 Les Vignes Bila-Haut Cotes Du Roussillion-Villages (168716) – $14.95 The Roussillon history is complex and compelling, and has at times been quite violent. Terraces on stony soil, with a rich geological background and a climate that man has adopted for his crops. The Roussillon was bound to attract Michel Chapoutier’s attention. He decided to locate his domain at Latour de France. Black and brown […]
Wine and Cheese Tasting on Google Video Hangouts October 10
The Wine & Cheese Gang is back together again for another Google + Video tasting on October 10 at 8 pm. After the fun we had during our first tasting, we started planning this one. The wines and cheeses are different, but we’ll take the same conversational approach, weaving in some great insights on pairing wine and cheese. Taste along with us that evening! In the meantime, we’ll also be on Twitter using the hash tag #CDNcheese. Cheers! La Fromagerie du Presbytère Bleu d’Élizabeth, Sainte-Élisabeth-de-Warwick, Quebec Elizabeth Blue is an organic semi-soft cheese made from pasteurized milk with non-interior mold. […]
Canada’s Best Sommeliers: Celebrating our Wine Wizards
A toast to Véronique Rivest who won the Best Canadian Sommelier Competition in Halifax on September 17, as well as to the finalists, Will Predhomme and Élyse Lambert. Semi-finalists included Bruce Wallner, Robert Noel and Bertrand Eichel. They all participated in extensive written exams, blind tasting, wine list correction and an hour-long simulated restaurant service in front of a live audience in their second language. You can watch two video interviews about the sommelier competition with semi-finalist Bruce Wallner. Winner Véronique Rivest Les Fougères Restaurant Chelsea, Quebec Congrats to our hometown gal on her extraordinary win: we are so […]
Wine and Women Go Hand in Hand – National Post
By Hollie Shaw Wolfgang Blass says women are his long time weakness and the secret to his success. In a recent interview with the thrice-married raconteur behind Australia’s Wolf Blass wine label, females were a frequent topic, both for a good bon mot — he repeats his oft-quoted trope, that his wines “make strong women weak, and weak men strong” — and detailing a canny business strategy. Mr. Blass, 78, was in Toronto last week to support the brand’s extensive film festival sponsorship, and chronicled how he left war-torn Germany at age 23 to pursue winemaking. Now the fourth largest […]
