By Melissa Pulvermacher Another tasting during my time at the 2016 i4C Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration was with Secreto Patagonico’s Production and Sales Manager, Tomas Groppo Parisi. Secreto Patagonico is in the southern hemisphere in Patagonia, Argentina. A lot of us immediately think of Mendoza, heat and Malbec when we think of Argentina, which may leave us a bit confused with the relevance to cool climate wines in this situation. Patagonia is actually in the south of Argentina and remember that in the southern hemisphere, the south is a lot cooler than the northern regions. Mendoza, the Malbec-famous region, […]
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Gerard Bertrand’s Cool Climate Wines Blend in A Spiritual Component
By Melissa Pulvermacher Gérard Bertrand, a name we all recognize in the wine industry certainly has a diverse portfolio, but after sitting down with JP Turgeon, Canada’s Gérard Bertrand Portfolio Director, I was given the opportunity to taste the ‘cool climate’ options in our market. JP shared his story, his attempt at the gruelling Master of Wine exam and how he is incredibly proud to be working with this portfolio of quality wine from Gérard Bertrand. Gérard Bertrand is represented in Ontario by Family Wine Merchants and has several wines currently available here in the LCBO. The winery currently owns 650 […]
Errazuriz Winery Puts Chile on the Wine Map with Cool Climate Viticulture
By Melissa Pulvermacher On October 31, I had the pleasure of joining Eduardo Chadwick and fellow industry professionals for lunch at the Shangri-La Hotel in Toronto. Bosk restaurant catered the intimate meal and Eduardo spoke about the wines that we tasted from Errázuriz Vineyards. Eduardo Chadwick Aconcagua Costa The majority of the wines tasted at the luncheon were from a relatively new wine region –Aconcagua Costa. About 12 km from the cool Pacific Ocean, Chile is able to successfully grow and harvest in a cool-climate zone that is very well suited to white varieties, as well as Syrah and Pinot […]
Henry of Pelham’s Paul Speck on Cool Climate Chardonnay
By Melissa Pulvermacher To kick off the annual International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (i4C) in Niagara, Ontario, I visited Paul Speck of Henry of Pelham Winery on the Short Hills Bench in St. Catharines. The Henry of Pelham winery has been owned by the Speck family since 1988. While tasting the wines, we explored this concept of cool climate viticulture. Ontario’s weather can be somewhat unpredictable from year-to-year, which is why our local wines tend to have a lot of vintage variance. Beginning with some of my favourite Niagara bubbles, the Cuvee Catharine Carte Blanche had me salivating right […]
Niagara Wine Pioneer Reif Estate Winery Video Tasting
Last night, we were joined by special guest Klaus Reif, Head Winemaker and Owner of Reif Winery, who chatted about making wine in Niagara and his vision for Ontario wines. Click on the arrow above to watch the video. What an amazing conversion last night! Klaus’ audio is fixed after 4 minutes, so hang in ;) Klaus shared some wonderful stories about when he first made #wine at age 10 and (hid the bottles behind some bottles in his father’s winery), and then at age 24 making a new style that upset his uncle and then won an award at […]
Tasting History with Washington’s Chateau Ste Michelle Winery
Yesterday, Canada’s top writers and sommeliers gathered in our nation’s capital for two tastings with Chateau Ste. Michelle Head Winemaker, Bob Berteau. These were historic tastings, with mature vintages drawn from the winery’s library, as well as new vintages in the market now (or soon). It was also an historic first for a Facebook Live Video Winemaker Event in Canada, as we were joined virtually by many other wine lovers in real-time who were also able to ask Bob questions. You can see a snippet of that live stream above by clicking on the arrow, and watch the complete wine […]
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 […]
The Godfather of Zin: Tasting Zinfandel of Ravenswood Wines with Joel Peterson
Last night, we were joined by special guest, founder and winemaker, Joel Peterson of Ravenswood Winery, discussing the history of Zinfandel. Click on the arrow above to watch the video. Listen to Joel’s witty stories about winemaking. Learn about the fascinating history of Zinfandel. Discover the best pairings for Zinfandel. If you’d like to read the 42 comments for this tasting, or make a comment yourself, visit: https://www.facebook.com/natdecants/videos/10155095648434845/ P.S. Want to know when we go live next Sunday with our special guest Rudi Rabl of Austria? Tune in here for our Facebook Live Video Wine Tasting: www.nataliemaclean.com/live Click […]
Tasting Wine Out in Left Field with this New Zealand Winery
Last night, we were joined by special guest winemaker, Richard Painter of Te Awa Wines, helping us pair food with New Zealand wines. Click the arrow on the video above to watch our chat. P.S. Want to know when we go live next Sunday with our special guest? Tune in here for our Facebook Live Video Wine Tasting: www.nataliemaclean.com/live Click on the “Follow” and “Like” buttons on this page to get notified when we go live. We’ll be simultaneously broadcasting on Facebook Live, YouTube Live Stream and Twitter Live Video via Periscope. You’ll find upcoming and past Live Tasting Videos […]
Mother’s Day Gifts, Wines and Pairings
By Natalie MacLean How to thank Mom for all those kisses, compliments and band-aids? Try a great bottle of wine with Mother’s Day gift, brunch or dinner pairing. As a mother myself now, I call my glass of wine at 5 p.m. “Mommy’s little helper.” Here’s to you Mom! Here are my Top 20 Wines for Mother’s Day, either made by women or named for them. Often the latter were originally made by women. Try these wines that I recommended on the Conde Nast site Epicurious.com or more choices on Canada AM and in More Magazine: Veuve Clicquot Champagne France […]
