ZINZEN, ZINZEST, ZINFUL: The licence plates in the parking lot warn me that this is no tweedy wine tasting. Closer to the wharves, a line of three thousand people, thick as an anaconda, snakes its way along San Francisco’s waterfront. Behind them soars the Golden Gate Bridge; Alcatraz Island sits brooding in the distance; and the glinting bay is dotted with tiny tissue sails. But no one’s admiring the postcard view: all eyes are fixed on the warehouse’s paint-peeled doors, waiting for them to open on the Zinfandel Advocates and Producers tasting, the world’s largest single-varietal wine event according to […]
Meritage Wines: Do They Blend In or Stand Out?
Are Meritage Wines a case of mistaken idenity or do they blend in to stand out? The words Perrier, Häagen-Dazs and Godiva may not be in the dictionary, but they’ve all come to mean a high-quality product. That simple guarantee of value, captured in a short and memorable brand name, was what North American winemakers were searching for a couple of decades ago, when they were first trying to establish their identities as producers of fine wine. Even before then, in the early 1960s, vintners were looking for a way to position their wines as something more than “cheap ‘n […]
796 Wine Reviews, 113 Wines, 16 Wine Writers and Sommeliers, 1 Terrific Tasting
Canada’s top wine writers and sommeliers gathered in our national’s capital yesterday to taste through an impressive line-up of wines. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram were on fire as they posted their reviews live and shared on social media. You can get the complete list of wines here, along with their reviews and the closest liquor stores that have these wines in stock now. This list is also accessible on the wine mobile apps. Stay tuned: we’re already planning our next big tasting! Jacky Blisson above has just returned from Napa Valley where she wrote her final papers […]
Balderson Cheddar Cheese Tart with Summer Vegetables Recipe Paired with Cabernet Franc
Summer Vegetable and Balderson Cheddar Cheese Tart Pair this delicious recipe with Featherstone Winery Cabernet Franc 2013 Ingredients: 1/3 cup [75 mL] Lactantia Butter melted, divided 1 bunch green onions, chopped 1 cup [250 mL] chopped asparagus 3 plum tomatoes, deseeded and chopped 2 cups [500 mL] chopped spinach 2 tbsp [30 mL] chopped basil 6 sheets thawed phyllo dough 2 tbsp [30 mL] honey mustard 2 cups [500 mL] grated Balderson Heritage Cheddar Cheese 1 cup [250 mL] Lactantia 10% Table Cream 4 eggs, beaten Preparation: In fry pan over medium heat cook green onions in 2 tbsp [30 […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings July 23
You can access the 109 wines that I reviewed for July 23 as a text wine list with my complete tasting notes, scores, food matches. You can also see my wine reviews for July 9. If you are a Paid Member, you can add my wine picks to your custom shopping list with one click and access that list on your smartphone to find the stock for each wine in your closest LCBO store. These are just some of the benefits of supporting out wine community as a Paid Member. Inventory stock numbers are usually posted online a day […]
Want an Instant Wine Library? 500 Wine Book Collection for Sale
Some of my favourite wine books … The Heartbreak Grape by Marq de Villiers, A Fool and Forty Acres by Geoff Heinricks, Adventures on the Wine Route by Kermit Lynch, A Hedonist in the Cellar by Jay McInerney and The Billionaire’s Vinegar that I reviewed for the Globe & Mail. Speaking of heartbreak, all of these treasured books are among my wine library collection of more than 500 books that I am selling in its entirety. Why? I feel that these tomes are now a part of me so I no longer need their physical manifestations (translation: I’m downsizing homes and […]
Why Washington Wines Will Surprise You: Videos + Reviews
Recently, Canada’s top wine writers and sommeliers gathered in the nation’s capital for a spectacular tasting of Washington State wines led by head winemaker at Columbia Crest Winery, Juan Munoz Oca. This also included wines from Chateau St. Michelle, H3 and Two Hands, which are part of the winery’s portfolio. Here are their surprising insights and insider tips on discovering Washington state wines. Heather Wall Wine Columnist, Huffington Post Canada Juan weaves a familiar story of most winemakers I have had the pleasure of meeting. Wine is in his blood and prior generations have taught him a love and respect for […]
Is This the World’s First Crowd-Sourced Wine? You Can Vote!
As a tech geek, I love this story behind the world’s first crowd-sourced wine. Our team member, Lori Kilmartin, does a fabulous job of sharing it from our tasting of Washington wines recently. Lori Kilmartin Sommelier & Blogger I really enjoyed hearing about the “Crowd-Sourced Cabernet” program that Juan launched in 2014. As the location of the winery in Paterson, Washington is a bit off the beaten path, visitors were not as plentiful as at other wineries. Juan wanted a way to share the winery and the experience of making wine with others, so he came up with this unique idea. […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings July 9
You can access the 122 wines that I reviewed for July 9 as a text wine list with my complete tasting notes, scores, food matches. You can also see my wine reviews for June 25. If you are a Paid Member, you can add my wine picks to your custom shopping list with one click and access that list on your smartphone to find the stock for each wine in your closest LCBO store. These are just some of the benefits of supporting out wine community as a Paid Member. Inventory stock numbers are usually posted online a day […]
Ontario Wines in Upcoming Vintages Releases
In response to our latest readership survey, we’re posting early reviews of wines coming out in the LCBO this fall. You’ll find tasting notes and scores for Ontario wines coming out in the next Vintages Releases below. You’ll find all wines here. To find a wine quickly, click on the “CRTL” and “F” buttons on your keyboard, then search by a simple keyword in the open blank that appears. One unique word is often best, for example: Pelham Please note that prices are subject to change and will be updated when the LCBO publishes its final prices for each release. […]
