This is just a sampling of my reviews for June 21. You can access the 88 wines that I reviewed for June 21 as a text wine list with my complete tasting notes, scores, food matches and the stock for each bottle in their closest LCBO stores. You can also see my wine reviews for June 7. You can 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 Paid Member. Inventory stock numbers are usually posted online a day or two […]
Wine Articles
The Great Canadian Wine Match: The BBQ Edition
In May 2013, we launched the first People’s Choice Wine Awards with The Great Candian Wine Match. Thousands of wine lovers from coast to coast (and around the planet) voted for their favourite Canadian wines online and via social media. This friendly (and increasingly social ;) competition brought wine drinkers and winemakers together to celebrate the best of what we produce in this country, and garnered considerable media recognition for both nominees and winners. We’re building on that success this year with The Great Canadian Wine Match: The BBQ Edition, pairing Canadian wines with your favourite grilled or barbecued foods, […]
Wine Review of the Week: National Waiter’s Day Wine
Steve Cranny, a graduate of the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS) program, has selected our Wine Review of the Week to celebrate National Waiter’s Day, May 21. A toast to all those hard-working heroes of the restaurant industry! #NationalWaitersDay Here’s Steve wine review and rating: Until I became involved in the Industry I had no idea how hard service professionals work to make other people happy. So in honour of National Waiter’s Day and all of those great service people I would like to recommend a wine that I have enjoyed across several vintages. The Caparzo Brunello di Montalcino […]
10 Best Shiraz Wines to Buy Now + 5 Surprising Facts about Shiraz
Shiraz and Syrah are both originally from the same clone, but various regions have chosen one name or the other. You’ll find my top 10 Shiraz reviews and ratings here. 5 Surprising Facts about Shiraz: They both create rich, robust red wines with a smooth texture and signature aromas of spice, pepper, clove and licorice leading, followed by dark fruit such as blackcurrant, blackberry, plum and black cherry, as well as truffle, earth, violets, vanilla, smoke, sandalwood, cedar, cigar box, earth and leather. The greatest of these wines can age for 25 years or more. The grape […]
Wine for Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch & the Charming Man Behind the Bottle
Winemaker Matt Fowles talks with guests By Jane Staples An early spring evening, a cozy fire burning in the hearth and award-winning wine from Australia’s Fowles Wines set the tone for a delightful evening at Australia’s High Commission on April 8th. The original Fowles family ancestors settled in Australia in the early 1800s, having arrived from England and Ireland. The winery is now run by one of their descendants, Matt Fowles, who was formerly a successful lawyer. In 2007, Matt was selected to be part of the “Future Leaders” program that fosters a new generation of wine industry leaders for […]
Sulfites in Wine: A Debate to Cause a Headache?
By Natalie MacLean What’s the big deal about sulfites in wine? Most wine labels bear the warning “contains sulfites” (or sulphites, the Canadian and British spelling), which can alarm consumers into thinking that the substance is harmful or unhealthy. In fact, sulfites, the salts of sulfurous acid or sulfur dioxide (SO2), are just a common food preservative that prevents the wine from oxidizing after fermentation (it turns brown and the fruit aromas go stale) or spoiling from bacteria once bottled. Traditionally, in Europe no warning label was required if there was less than 100 parts per million of sulfites added, […]
Insider’s Guide to Bordeaux: Tips on How to Find Great Wines
By Natalie MacLean Here are some tips to get the most out of Bordeaux wine — whether you’re visiting the region itself or just pouring over the liquor store shelves. Get a good grounding A few basics about Bordeaux can help you bluff your way through the next bow-tie tasting. The region, about three hours southwest of Paris, is bordered by three rivers: the Gironde, the Garonne and the Dordogne. It’s divided into five districts (or appellations): Pomerol, Saint-Emilion, Graves, Sauternes and Médoc. Within each of these are more specific districts, much like those hollow wooden Russian dolls, with each […]
A White Wine that is Remarkably Green
Sponsored Post: Text and Photos by Santa Margherita It turns out that Santa Margherita’s white wine, the celebrated Pinot Grigio, is remarkably ‘green’. With the Italian winery undertaking extensive sustainable practices, at home and now here in Canada, to ensure that production and distribution of the wine has no impact on the environment. In fact, the bottle is now Carbonzero Certified. In honour of Earth Month, from April 1st – April 26th Santa Margherita will be planting trees across Canada. Fifty cents from each sale of their celebrated Pinot Grigio in Ontario and British Columbia will be donated to support […]
Wine Descriptions and Adjectives Chart
This is a very helpful chart with 120 key wine descriptions and adjectives for a range of wine styles. You can see a larger wine chart here and even order it as a poster from Wine Folly. You may also find the UC Davis Wine Aroma Wheel helpful.
The Rising Green Tide of Sustainable Viticulture and Eco-Centric Winemaking
Trending words like sustainable viticulture, eco-centric winemaking, biodynamic and organic wines, and that old chestnut, environmentally-friendly grape farming, are all sprinkled as liberally as compost on wine blogs, labels, and most recently, the LCBO Vintages Magazine. They’re all part of a growing trend that looks at wine holistically, though of course, there’s also a certain amount of natural barnyard marketing here ;) Regardless, it’s a good thing. Sustainable viticulture can include everything from LEEDS-certified buildings like Stratus Vineyards in Niagara, which recycles gray water; to lighter bottles that meet the Lightweight Glass Wine Standard of 420 grams. Those wineries don’t […]
