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 […]
10 Best Pinotage Wines to Buy Now + 5 Surprising Facts about Pinotage
Pinotage is South Africa’s best-known red wine grape, even though it is far from the most widely planted variety in the country. It is the iconic grape because it was created in South Africa and has a storied history. You’ll find my most recent Pinotage reviews and ratings here. 5 Surprising Facts about Pinotage: 1. In 1925, at the Stellenbosch University a Professor of Viticulture crossed Pinot Noir with Cinsault (also known as Hermitage) to create the hybrid Pinotage grape. 2. Pinotage is the key component in the “Cape Blend”, a blend that was created to showcase Pinotage’s ability to […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Mobile Wine App is Your Pocket Sommelier in the Liquor Store
Anthony and I chat about how mobile wine apps are changing the way we learn about wine, and buy it. You can get my new wine app here as well as watch a video clip about it on CTV News. We also chat about great wines for summer barbecues and casual gatherings. Post with permission for Global Television. Mobile Wine App is Your Pocket Sommelier in the Liquor Store Anthony: Just in time for the summer. Have you ever gone to the LCBO and been so overwhelmed by the amount of choice? You don’t know if this goes […]
Prize Winners of the Great Canadian Wine Match
So here they are: the prize winners of The Great Canadian Wine Match! Everyone who nominated a wine was eligible to win one of 25 Weber BBQ Cookbooks or one of 3 Weber grilling utensils. Those who nominated wines that made it to the finalist round were also eligible to win the grand prize of a $3,000 Weber Summit Gas Grill. You can watch a short video of this magnificent grill here. Winners have not yet been notified … this is the big reveal! Yes, I could list the winners here, but then you might not watch the video. This […]
True North Vine: A Toast to Canadian Wine – Metro News
The Liquid Assets wine column is syndicated in Metro Newspapers across the country in every major city. You’ll find the winners of The Great Canadian Wine Match: BBQ Edition here. Posted with permission from Metro News.
