Winemaker Jean Claude Mas Sponsored Post by Paul Mas Wines When the hustle and bustle of everyday life has us over-committed and rushing from one thing to the next, it’s especially comforting to remember a simpler time, when we could derive pleasure from life’s everyday luxuries. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting we give up modern conveniences, or even (heaven forbid) put down our phones, but simply take the time to appreciate life’s simple pleasures, like a delicious glass of wine. It’s really quite achievable and can be as easy as treating yourself to a quiet evening, […]
Wine Videos
Blending Family, Tradition and Place: Peter Lehmann Wine Tasting
It is a pleasure to meet any winemaker, especially one who makes a journey across the world to share his wine personally with us. Our group had the pleasure of meeting Ian Hongell from Peter Lehmann wines who led us through a tasting, at Sidedoor restaurant, with their wide range of wines paired with tapas. Jennifer MacDonald Havers Wine Columnist, Ottawa Citizen Peter Lehmann is located in the Barossa region, a small wine region of Australia producing only about 65,000 tonnes of fruit per year. It contains some ancient Shiraz, Cabernet, Grenache and Semillon vines, some are 150 or 160 years […]
Taste Ontario! Defies Wine Stereotypes
Two Taste Ontario! events featured large tastings of Ontario wine recently. There wa strong representation of provincial wineries pouring a wide range of styles largely from the 2013, 2014 and 2015 Ontario Vintages. You’ll find 100+ wine reviews from our team here, along with which stores have the wines in stock now. You’ll get a sense of the strong attendance and energy in the room from the video below (click on the arrow to play it). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mm2l6sp94g [tweet_box design=”default” float=”none”]The 2012 Ontario vintage was a warm one, resulting in deep grape ripening and full-bodied style #wine.[/tweet_box] [tweet_box […]
Austrian Wines Come to Montreal April 12
On April 12 in Montreal, more than 30 vintners present up to 165 wines at the Austrian Wine Fair, which also features a Tutored Tasting for wine professionals, guided by Willi Klinger from the Austrian Wine Marketing Board. Wine lovers will enjoy Austria’s unique grape varietal, the beloved Grüner Veltliners, Rieslings, Sauvignon Blancs and our liquid gold, Austria’s sweet wines, accompanied by hors d’oeuvres and live piano music. For Montreal, please register at [email protected]. This post is sponsored by the Wines of Austria.
Austrian Wine Fair Comes to Toronto April 14
On April 14 in Toronto, over 30 vintners present up to 165 wines at the Austrian Wine Fair, which also features a Tutored Tasting for wine professionals, guided by Willi Klinger from the Austrian Wine Marketing Board. Traditionally known for its white wines, did you know that a third of Austria’s vineyards are made up of red wines? Join us for an educational seminar featuring flights of the three red aces, the indigenous grape varieties Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent, plus a rare flight of Austrian Pinot Noir. A trade Walk Around Tasting is followed by the […]
Under the Tuscan Moon – Gabbiano Wine Tasting Dinner
Heather Wall Wine Columnist, Huffington Post Canada Wine tasting lunches that I have had the pleasure of attending usually follow a similar format. A visiting winemaker/owner/agent; a group of local sommeliers and bloggers; a lovely meal paired with six or so of the winemaker’s selected wines; and some technical notes with some storytelling. We all leave with tasting notes and stories we can share with our wine loving community. A recent Ottawa Castello di Gabbiano tasting at Sidedoor Kitchen in Ottawa threw that format out with the must! As we entered the private dining room there […]
Champagne and James Bond: The Spy Who Loved Bollinger and Dom Perignon
James Bond was one of the first action heroes to make wine connoisseurship seem masculine and sexy. (Most of he-man flicks don’t lend themselves to the quiet reflection of wine: try to imagine Arnold Schwarzenegger sipping a silky burgundy to relax after an extended car chase.) In the Bond flick, Die Another Day, 007 is freed after fourteen months of torture in a North Korean prison. The first thing he wants? A shave and a bottle of 1961 Bollinger. In GoldenEye (1995), a female psychiatrist asks him what he does to relax. Bond presses a button on the dashboard […]
Oscar Movie Wine Pairings: Lincoln, Argo and Les Mis Video
Oscar wine pairings: Argo & Lincoln … Video vine.co/v/bgndDa0YLA3 — NatalieMacLean (@NatalieMacLean) February 24, 2013 Which wines will you be drinking during the Oscars tonight? Got some more pairings to suggest for Lincoln, Argo, Les Miserables, Life of Pi or other movies that are nominated? Which wine to pair with #Oscar nominee Les Miserables? Video vine.co/v/bgnpIEM9WBx — NatalieMacLean (@NatalieMacLean) February 24, 2013 Life of Pi wine pairing … What are you drinking during the Oscars? Video vine.co/v/bgnjvLhQ5ZV — NatalieMacLean (@NatalieMacLean) February 24, 2013
Which Women Shine with Wine in the Movies?
Wine, women and … the movies. As we celebrate the Toronto Film Festival (TIFF 2014), here’s a look at some of the cameo roles that wine and women have played in film as terrific co-stars. In The Seven Year Itch (1955), Marilyn Monroe, moves into a Manhattan apartment above Tom Ewell, a married man whose family has gone to Maine for summer vacation. When the two get together for an innocent glass of champagne, the bottle explodes—and he gets his thumb stuck while trying to stop the overflow. That makes for lots of double-entendres about pent-up pressure […]
Why is Champagne the Wine of New Year’s Eve?
On CBC Ontario’s CBC drive-home shows we chat about bubblies for the New Year’s in the third part of our holiday wine series. We also chatted about this on CBC’s Alberta at Noon as well as The Morning Edition in Saskatchewan and Metro Morning in Toronto. Champagne is the traditional sparkling wine to ring in the new year, but there are other alternatives. Further below are the wines we talked about in the audio clip above. Do you know the answers to these bubbly questions? Why is Champagne the wine of New Year’s Eve? Savvy champagne producers have managed […]
