by Susan Desjardins In June 2012, Bill C-311, presented by Dan Albas, MP for Okanagan-Coquihalla, received royal assent just before the House of Commons rose for the summer. Why do we care? Laws governing the transport and sale of alcohol across provincial boundaries dated back to 1928 and the Prohibition Era. Until the passage of Bill C-311 by unanimous vote of the House, it was a criminal offense to take or ship wine across provincial boundaries. Talk to European winemakers about this and they just shake their heads – “How can this be? You are one country, are you not! […]
Wine Articles
Importing Wine For Pleasure & Profit
Importing Wine for Pleasure & Profit Seminar (9:30 a.m.-4 p.m) Saturday November 10th – Toronto – The Old Mill Inn & Spa, 21 Old Mill Road Saturday November 17th- Ottawa – Novotel Hotel, 24 Nicholas Street Featuring C. Steven Trenholme, a 30-year veteran of the international beverage alcohol industry, with details on how to import wine, spirits and beer into the Ontario marketplace for personal use or as a career. $295.00 Pre-Registration Required Contact — C.S. Trenholme & Associates, [email protected] What Professionals Have Said About My Seminar It is refreshing to see new people excited to get into our industry. […]
An Evening of California Wine Tasting with David Mirassou
By Loukia Zigoumis I’ve always been a wine lover… red, white, I wasn’t picky. I went through a phase where I only drank Chianti, and then I made a switch, and decided to only drink Pinot Grigio. Now, I enjoy it all, and will experiment with different flavours and types of wine depending on where I’m going, whom I’m with, and what I’m eating. I’m learning a lot from reading Natalie’s book Unquenchable, too. If I’m just going out for drinks, I’ll choose my wine carefully. I am learning about the different flavours and tastes, and what goes well with what, […]
Drinking Diaries: Women Serve Their Stories Straight Up
Why did you start a blog and then publish a book about women and drinking? It all started with a night of…drinking. We are neighbors, friends and fellow writers who often enjoy sharing a bottle of wine (or two) over dinner at home with our husbands and children. The other thing we share is that both of our mothers have struggled with alcoholism. Yet we both love to drink wine. This contradiction seemed ripe for digging deeper, and we found that—other than descending into a church basement—there was no forum for women to share their stories. So we started one. […]
Wine and Book Pairings: Breakthrough Research Published in Unquenchable
This decidedly tongue-in-cheek video interview below focuses on the new chapter in the paperback edition of Unquenchable, which hits stores October 23. Find out why wine and book pairing is the new food and pairing and the reason I’ve dedicated my life to this field of research. (Many have tried, but no one makes fun of me like I do.) Here’s the link to online booksellers. In addition to paperback, Unquenchable is also available as an e-book for Amazon’s Kindle, Sony e-Reader, Indigo-Chapters Kobo, Barnes & Noble Nook and Apple iPad. Dorothy Parker said it best: “There’s a […]
Wine Quotes and Wit Round 6
Sometimes when I reflect back on all the wine I drink I feel shame. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the vineyards and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this wine, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, “It is better that I drink this wine and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver.” ~ Jack Handy 24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not. ~ Stephen Wright […]
Toronto Symphony Wine Auction November 8
Toronto Symphony Wine Auction Imagine your delight sipping a fine wine, say a 1990 Chateau Cheval Blanc or a 1999 DRC Richebourg, that you acquired at auction for a fraction of its appraised value. This fantasy could become reality by attending the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Annual Fine Wine Auction on Thursday, November 8. Discover the many gems from around the world that will be up for auction this fall. Share the wine list with your friends, colleagues and followers. We are at: http://tsvc.ca/wineauction The complete auction catalogue will be available for download on October 1. This year’s auction will take […]
Celebrity Wines: Dan Aykroyd, Sonja Smits, Arlene Dickinson
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 …
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!
