Curried Shrimp and Pineapple Skewers Recipe Paired with Reif Riesling

Post by Reif Winery Summer is here and we can help you beat the heat with our 2013 Reif Riesling now available pre-chilled at your local L.C.B.O. It’s a perfect summer sipper with fresh aromas of peach, pear, apple and lemon citrus. It is one of our winemaker Klaus Reif’s favourite wines and his go-to wine for his summer entertaining as it pairs well with light appetizers, salads, pastas, seafood, poultry and pork. It was also a great vintage for white wines in Ontario as it was generally a cooler vintage with fruit at harvest maintaining their natural acidity levels […]

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Wine Pairings for NS Lobster, BC Salmon, Alberta Beef

From CTV’s site: Our resident wine expert, Natalie MacLean, stopped by The Social to share Canadian wines that pair perfectly with the hosts’ favourite patriotic goodies. We had lots of fun pairing the hosts’ favourite Canadian dishes with Canadian wines. Melissa loves Nova Scotia lobster, Traci is a fan of BC salmon, Lani loves beef and Cynthia has a fondness for butter tarts. Ladies, there’s a wine for that … in fact, many. Join us on The Social again July 24 when we chat about great wines for dinner parties. Cheers! P.S. Take The Great Canadian Wine Quiz to find out […]

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Canadian Wine Pairings for BBQ Steak, Chicken, Seafood

On Monday’s CBC radio drive-home shows, we talked about great Canadian wines to pair with your summer barbecues. You can listen to one of those clips above. Discover 10 Surprising Facts about Canadian Wines here. The wines we discussed here included: Jabulani Vineyard & Winery Frontenac Gris 2013 Richmond, Eastern Ontario, Canada Sibling Rivalry Pink 2010 Niagara Escarpment, Canada Mission Hill Five Vineyards Cabernet Merlot 2011 Okanagan Valley, BC VQA, Canada Benjamin Bridge Nova 7 Gaspereau Valley, Nova Scotia, Canada Posted with permission of CBC.   Canadian Wine Pairings for BBQ Steak, Chicken, Seafood   Giacomo: Well according to national stereotypes, […]

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Grape White North: 10 Surprising Facts about Canadian Wine

What better way to celebrate Canada Day than with wines that are truly our own? Choice isn’t a problem with 500 wineries producing 350 million bottles annually. However, it’s the quality of Canadian wines, rather than the quantity, will convince you that they are the ideal complement to summer fare. Although many Ontario and British Columbia wines are available nationally, those from smaller producers may only be available in their home provinces. This makes them a special treat worth sampling if you encounter them during your summer travels. Here  are my top Canadian wine reviews to add to your custom […]

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10 Best Brunello di Montalcino Wines to Buy Now + 5 Surprising Facts about Brunello di Montalcino

Brunello di Montalcino is a robust Italian red wine grape produced in vineyards in and around the town of Montalcino, about 120 km south of Florence in Tuscany. The word Brunello is derived from the Italian masculine form Bruno, which means “brown.” You’ll find my top 10 Brunello di Montalcino reviews and ratings here. 5 Surprising Facts about Brunello di Montalcino: 1. The origins of Brunello di Montalcino can be traced back as far as the 14th century. A red wine praised by the nobles of Tuscany as the “best wine in Tuscany,” Brunello is considered the youngest of Italy’s […]

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10 Best Nero d’Avola Wines to Buy Now + 5 Surprising Facts about Nero d’Avola

Nero d’Avola is one of the most important red wine grapes in Sicily and increasingly in Italy as a whole. You’ll find my top 10 Nero d’Avola reviews and ratings here. 5 Surprising Facts about Nero d’Avola: 1. Nero d’Avola is named after Avola, a small town in South East Sicily. Several hundred years ago Nero d’Avola was known as “The Black Grape of Avola.” Nero d’Avola is also known as Calabrese, which lends to the idea that Nero d’Avola originated in Calabria on mainland Italy at the tip of the boot. 2. The best Nero d’Avola comes from the […]

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Best New Zealand White Wines for Summer Sipping: LCBO Vintages July 5

You can access the 70 wines that I reviewed for July 5 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 21. 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 before the release based on the LCBO doing so. Here are […]

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Wine Jobs and Careers: Wine Course on Importing Wine is Good Training

By Debbie Trenholm Since I began working in the wine industry over 10 years ago, there are two questions that I am constantly asked: “I was away on holidays in ‘wherever’ and discovered X Wine that isn’t at the LCBO. How can I get it shipped into Ontario?” “I want to get a job in the wine and beer business. Any tips on where to start?” If I had a toonie for each time I get asked these questions, I would be drinking Champagne every day! With the rapid growth of the wine, craft beer and premium spirits too, there […]

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Canadians Vote for Their Favourite Wines for Canada Day

This Canadian Press (CP) story was published in the major daily newspapers across Canada. Canada’s best wine for barbecue? Tipplers can vote on favourites By: The Canadian Press OTTAWA – Many Canadians opt for beer or gin when it comes to pairing beverages with grilled food. But wine lovers can now weigh in with their picks in an online poll. In The Great Canadian Wine Match: BBQ Edition, launching Friday, wine lovers can nominate and vote for their favourite Canadian wines to pair with grilled chicken, beef, seafood, pork, vegetables and dessert. Unlike traditional competitions judged by experts, wine lovers […]

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