Marc Almert of Germany is the winner of the 2016 Wines of South Africa (WOSA) International Sommelier Cup, with Joe Yang of Macau and Nathan Morrell of Canada tying for second place. The top three finalists were amongst the elite group of eight contestants flown to the Cape Winelands to compete in the prestigious event this fall. The other participants were from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United States of America and Kenya. Held every three years, the Sommelier Cup seeks to raise awareness of South Africa’s wine excellence amongst international restaurant, hotel and style-bar influencers. As they […]
Events
Pascual Toso Proves There’s More to Argentina Than Malbec
By Priya & Alex, A Vine Romance The only thing better than enjoying a good bottle of wine is getting to meet the person who made it. We were fortunate to have that opportunity recently as we sat down with winemaker, Felipe Stahlschmidt from Pascual Toso. This Argentinian winery is celebrating it’s 125th anniversary. That’s a nice age for a “New World” region. They describe their production facility as “an old Chevy with a brand new Mercedes engine inside”. It’s a great analogy for an older building that has been completely updated with state-of-the-art production equipment. Alex: Pascual Toso is a fairly large […]
Frescobaldi Wines Find New Respect with Old World Elegance
Recently, Canada’s top wine writers and sommeliers gathered in Toronto to taste an impressive line-up of wines from the Italian estate Frescobaldi with Stefano Benini, the winery’s export director. You can watch the video above to hear Stefano discuss Frescobaldi wines. Priya & Alex, A Vine Romance Wine Show Hosts & Sommeliers Alex: Overall we both enjoyed the Frescobaldi style. They’re like a bridge between traditional Italian winemaking techniques, coupled with powerful Californian-style fruit, which makes their wines appealing to all sides of the wine-drinking spectrum. Priya: It’s true. Alex and I don’t always agree on red wines especially – he […]
Facebook Live Video Posts
In this Facebook Live Video chat, we discuss terrific wines for Thanksgiving. You can click on the arrow above to play the video. If you’d like to read the comments, or make a comment yourself, visit: https://www.facebook.com/natdecants/videos/10154411500734845/ You’ll find the most recent live video wine tasting at the top of the timeline here: www.facebook.com/natdecants We taste every Sunday evening at 6 pm eastern so add us to your calendar and grab a glass of wine. Click on Follow, Like and Signup on the page above to get notified when we go live. Dom […]
Gorgeous Cookbook from Canada’s Capital is a Go-To Gift Book
One of Canada’s most respected and award-winning food writers, Anne DesBrisay, has just published her first cookbook, Ottawa Cooks. Anne has been the undisputed champion of the nation’s capital dining and food scene for more than twenty years. Her cookbook is a glorious compendium of recipes developed by Ottawa’s top restaurant chefs. You can try them at home, or simply visit the restaurants to enjoy them there. Best of all, this book is an ideal gift for anyone in your life who loves food. The mouth-watering food photography alone makes it worthy of any coffee table. Anne is the restaurant critic for Ottawa […]
Wine Club Besties Find Friendship in the Glass
By Lori Kilmartin Sommelier & Blogger Do you love wine, but no one else in your household does? Do you love wine but can’t afford to buy the more expensive wines you’d like to try. Do you just love wine – and would like to drink and learn more about it? There’s a great solution to all of the above – join a wine group – or form your own! I’ve been fortunate to be a part of the Wine Beasties Group (play on “Bestie) for about 9 years now. This group of 8 members was formed over 20 years […]
15 Sommeliers + Bloggers, 60 Wines, 700 Wine Reviews Live Posting + Tweeting Today
Heather Wall, wine columnist for the Huffington Post and a frequent contributor to our review site, talks about our tasting yesterday with 15 sommeliers, wine writers and bloggers working their way through more than 60 wines. More than 700 wine reviews will be posted online and shared on social media, including Twitter and Facebook. Stay tuned for our next tasting! Martha Kelly is the regular wine expert on the Rogers Daytime Television Show in Ottawa, as well as a regular writer for our site. She is the owner of Capital Wine School, teaching the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) […]
Thanksgiving Wines: Live Video Chat
In this Facebook Live Video chat, we discuss terrific wines for Thanksgiving. You can click on the arrow above to play the video. If you’d like to read the comments, or make a comment yourself, visit: https://www.facebook.com/natdecants/videos/10154411500734845 You’ll find the most recent live video wine tasting at the top of the timeline here: www.facebook.com/natdecants We taste every Sunday evening at 6 pm eastern so add us to your calendar and grab a glass of wine. Click on Follow, Like and Signup on the page above to get notified when we go live.
Pairing Wine with 7 Turkey Dishes from Bacon to Turducken
Yesterday, Leanne and I chatted about great wine with Thanksgiving turkey on CTV. We started with “basic” roast turkey, but went way beyond with citrus and Cajun turkey, and even that oddity turducken. Click on the arrow above to play the video. You can also watch our second chat about pairing wine with turkey left-overs from turkey tetrazzini to (oh yes) turkey pizza! Roast Turkey Santa Margherita Brut Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Veneto D.O.C.G., Italy Wits End Luna Shiraz Mclaren Vale, South Australia, […]
How to Import Wine into Canada for Pleasure and Profit
Importing Wine, Beer & Spirits for Pleasure & Profit Seminar Saturday November 5th, 2016 Novotel Toronto Centre 45 The Esplanade – Toronto 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM Join Charles Steven Trenholme for the day-long seminar Importing for Wine, Beer & Spirits For Pleasure & Profit, which provides insights into the dynamics of importing wine, craft beers & spirits into Canada. Charles Steven brings to the seminar 35+ years of experience working in various capacities including managing national sales agency, brand management, sommelier and as educators. Charles Steven knows first-hand that there are still hundreds of suppliers around the world actively […]
