By Susan Desjardins A recent tasting event in Ottawa provided the opportunity to once again taste a range of wines from Nova Scotia’s burgeoning wine industry. Vines were planted as early as 1611, when a French settler, Louis Herbert, planted a vineyard in the Bear River area – he soon learned that climatic conditions in the region make wine production a challenging enterprise. It wasn’t until 1980 that an intrepid entrepreneur, Roger Dial, produced Nova Scotia’s first commercial vintage at the Grand Pré winery. The Jõst family soon followed suit, establishing their winery in the Malagash Peninsula. The Grape Growers’ […]
Wine Picks
Tasty Cool Climate Chardonnay, Niagara, Italy and Tasmania, Robust Barolo and Brunello, Italy, plus dry Rose from France: July 23 Vintages Release Wine Reviews
My top picks and best value wines from the July 23 Vintages Release: Full-bodied, deep and delicious Italian red wines: Barolo, Brunello, Amarone Cool-climate, generously layered Chardonnay: Tasmania, Niagara, Italy, France Zesty, herbal, food-friendly New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc Blackberry-rich Cabernet and Shiraz from Australia Smooth and luscious Niagara Merlot Rhone and Okanagan Syrah You can get all 74 wines that I’ve recommended from a wide range of price points, scores, food pairings, regions and styles, including red, white, sparkling, rose and dessert wine. Make sure you pick some back-up choices from the full list in case some of these below […]
How Oyster Bay Tamed Prickly Pinot Noir in New Zealand
By Greg M.P. Hughes Winemakers who specialize in Pinot Noir are some of the hardest working viticulturists on the planet. This grape’s thin skin makes it extremely vulnerable to diseases, makes colour extraction torture to get right, and yields are minuscule (not a tremendous ROI compared to Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz). Pinot Noir’s idiosyncrasies are enough to make even hardened pro winemakers tear their hair out. That is why Pinot Noir is one of the most misunderstood selections that wine experts explain to their audiences. Most people understand it as byword for a quality wine, but have no idea what […]
Wine Review of the Week: Wine for Mother’s Day
Our Wine Review of the Week celebrates Mother’s Day with this lovely Chardonnay that can be given as a gift or opened with brunch favourites. This wine is selected by Dianne Fisher, International Sommelier Guild (ISG) Sommelier and wine video blogger. Her wine review, rating and tasting note: After tasting the Rosehall Run Chardonnay, it made me think it could be a candidate as one of life’s little indulgences for the busy mom, in honour of Mother’s Day. This wine is so well balanced with lush tropical fruits, notes of brown butter and caramel that revel themselves with every sip. […]
Wine for Women: Bottle of the Sexes
I love tasting and writing with tongue in cheek. Here’s my column in More Magazine about so-called women’s wines. Personally, I can’t resist a pink label or cuddly squirrel. I guess I’m just at the mercy of those intrepid marketing teams … it’s like they read my mind after I had been drinking too much of Two Hands Gnarly Dudes Shiraz … More articles about women and wine. You go girl!
Top 10 Icewines from Ontario and BC: Inniskillin Chardonnay Icewine, Megalomaniac Riesling Icewine, Ganton & Larsen Propect Vidal Icewine, Jackson-Triggs Gewurztraminer Icewine
What could be more festive than icewine in the winter. Here are some of my favourites. It always helps to have some back-up choices in case those below are already sold out. You can also add my Top Wine Picks to your custom shopping list by clicking on the little shopping cart icon. Stock up for the chilly weather ahead, then enjoy! Natalie [table id=25 /]
Are Expensive Wines Always Better? Are Screwcap Wines Always Plonk? Busting 7 Sacred Wine Myths
On CityTV’s Breakfast Television, we chat about six wines in three different price ranges, all of which offer terrific value: Dr. L Riesling, Torres Syrah, Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Wente Cabernet, Burrowing Owl Chardonnay, Masi Amarone. Insider tip: go south for better bargains, such as Sicily in Italy rather than Tuscany or Provence rather than Bordeaux in France. They taste twice as expensive as they cost! Meanwhile, Canadian Press (CP) published this story below this week in newspapers across the country … Putting a cork in wine myths December 15, 2016 Everyone who really enjoys wine […]
Holiday Gift for Wine Lovers: Give the Gift of Great Wines Year Round
Wondering what to give the wine lovers in your life? How about a guarantee that they’ll enjoy every bottle they open? With a gift subscription to my wine reviews, they get exclusive access to my best value and top rated wines: red, white, rose, sparkling and dessert wines from around the world at all price points. They’ll discover wines they’ve never heard of that go amazingly well with a wide variety of dishes: bottles they would never have pulled off the shelf based on the label alone. No more disappointing bottles, no more paying too much for too little taste […]
Something to Wine About: The Mystique of French Wine Decoded
It’s understandable to be intimidated by French wine — even if you know enough about wine to know which varietals you like. Intimidated by the French section in your local wine store? That’s understandable — even if you know enough about wine to know which varietals you like. In fact, your question might be, “Why don’t they just put the varietal on the bottle?” It was while reading the book, “Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass” by Natalie MacLean, that I got the answer to my question. Wine and Chocolate Make a Perfect […]
Merroir, it’s a Thing. A Tasty, Tasty Thing; Wine and Oyster Pairings
By Rebecca Meïr-Liebman of Chef & Somm Photos by Signe Langford Oenophiles have always understood the concept of terroir; food- lovers are grasping this taste of place, too.Ingredients are just as terroir-driven as wine, sometimes the connection to the soil, sun, and air is even more pronounced in a cheese or a cacao bean than in a particular wine! And, what if that taste of place –or terroir– is underwater? Well, until I met with Patrick McMurray, author, oyster expert and shucking champion, I was unaware of how much terroir- or, rather, merroir-driven these beautiful bivalves are. Joining him at his […]
