Pinot Paradise

 October seems to be a Pinot month here in Ontario, for a number of reasons… First, Thanksgiving offers up a golden opportunity to pull out Pinto because it’s a perfect accompaniment with turkey and other Thanksgiving fare. Secondly, the Pinot Affair (weekend of October 19-20), an annual celebration of Pinot

Where Do We Go from Here, Wine Lovers?

 Summer is officially over. At least that’s what Labor Day signified, but according to the calendar, we still have a couple of weeks left till we say goodbye to the nice weather; and while summer seems like it just got here, it will soon be time to bid the shortest,

Celebrating Six Gamay Wines

 Our very own Michael Pinkus decided to celebrate one of the least    celebrated grapes on the planet, at least when it comes to some    seriously good wine. So from August 26-31, Pinkus hosted Gamay Week, a    series of six videos, each telling readers and watchers about the    great Gamay wines being made right

Four Must Buys this Labor Day Holiday Weekend

 If you’re like me, you look forward to Vintages Saturday with equal parts excitement and dread… excitement, because soon you will be sipping on a new wine… dread because there goes another 100 bucks out the window (granted, it’s on wine but still). This coming weekend is another Vintages release

Summertime Wines of All Kinds

 There are two wines that were released by the LCBO in June that you’ll need to do a little digging around for but they are well worth the effort. Starting with a sweetie from Spain: Torres Floralis Moscatel Oro ($16.95 / 500ml - #642173). Why this one? Simply put, it’s

A Matched Pair from New Zealand

 People are always asking me for a pair of wines they can bring to a BBQ, or over to a friend’s house, that won’t embarrass them but make them look like they know something about wine and food matching. I’m always intrigued as to why people think they have to

The Rosé That Might Just Change Your Mind…

 Back in 2008, I went to a lunch for a tasting of Château d’Esclans wines… the centerpiece of this tasting were four rosés and that might come as a surprise to many. First off, you don’t usually see a winery centering its production around pink wine, and secondly, they were

One This Afternoon, One This Evening

 People often ask me if there really is such a thing as afternoon wines and evening wines.  The simple answer is no, you can drink whatever you like at any time you want, but there are some wines that make better sense at certain times of the day. For instance,

Another Spanish Kiss

 I know I promised you some New Zealand wine this week, and I now promise you that next week I will deliver… but last week I gave you a little kiss from Spain and just a day after I wrote that piece, someone reminded me of an even deeper kiss

A Wickedly Good Rhone Wine

 One of my favorite parts of my job is teaching. I like giving seminars and talking to/with people about wine, answering their questions and giving them the straight goods about wine. I don’t believe in couching wine in terms people don’t understand or giving descriptors that only a handful of

Climbing the Ladder of Torres

                           Torres is a name you should recognize – a very prominent wine producer out of Spain with many parcels of land growing different and sometimes unique varieties – especially for Spain (Pinot Noir anyone?). My parents don't

California’s Last Hurrah

 I’ll be quite honest with you here. I’m a little tired of California and her wines at the moment.  That’s because, at this time of year, they do a big push at the LCBO leading up to the California Wine Fair held across Canada. The California wine fairs in Ottawa

Through All the Bad-Mouthing, Merlot Still Makes a Great Wine

 It’s the grape that takes the brunt of all the bad jokes about wine – culminating in that famous line from Sideways when Miles proclaims: “I’m not drinking any fuckin’ Merlot” … they say that movie single-handedly brought the sale of California Pinot Noir up and tanked those of Merlot.

California Chardonnays: Magic on the Palate!

 It’s going to be all California all the time at the LCBO this month. You’ll hear radio ads, see billboards and be confronted by all things California at your local liquor store. It’s a good thing for all you California wine fans, bad if you like drinking your wine from

March Wines for All Weather Conditions!

 As we pull into March, it’s time to look at some wines that are good for cool weather and yet are diverse enough to handle what lies ahead. My friend used to say “March is a b*t*h” – he went on to explain that March was the only month where

Looking to Western Canada for Chardonnay

 I know we’re in the depths of winter here in Ontario – coming out of one of the worst snowstorms in more than a decade… which is why I thought it best to look ahead to the warm days of spring – or at least talk about wines that’ll put

Valentine’s Day Sparkles for Not a Lot of Bread

 For those aware of traditional bubbly, the title of this blog should give them a little chuckle… for those who are unaware, allow me to let you in on the secret: traditional method bubbly (that has its secondary fermentation in the bottle, can often smell like fresh-baked goods, especially bread;

Abbotts & Delaunay Wines Are Worth Seeking Out

 There’s a myth in Ontario that the Liquor Control Board of Ontario is the only place to buy imported wines… while it’s true the LCBO owns the monopoly on single-bottle buying, there are these guys (and gals) in flannel suits called agents who also bring booze into the province –

Less Cash . . . Here’s What to Stash

 There is a handful of great discoveries to be found among the ruins of LCBO’s leftovers from the pre- Christmas push. Some of these wines should be purchased in bulk (three or more), starting with a lovely German Sekt, Schloss Wachenheim Riesling Trocken Traditionelle Flaschengarung ($16.95 - #301366). It’s unusual

A Taste of Oregon — Sort of . . .

 Sadly, we don’t see a lot of Oregon wine here in Ontario. If you go to the LCBO website and type “Oregon” into the search box, you’ll find a grand total of six wines; if you refine this product search with an “advanced search” for “USA – Oregon” you’ll come

A Hidden Chilean Gem Left Over from the Holidays

 Ninquen is the second property that was acquired by Montgras between 1998 and 1999, but let’s back up a bit and talk about the main company first, before we find out what Ninquen is about. Montgras was founded by Hernan Gras in 1993… and as it turns out Mr. Gras

Masi’s Flagship Wines: “Some of the Best I’ve Tasted”

 I recently had a chance to taste two of Masi’s wines side by each… You’ve probably all heard of Masi or at least seen their bottles on the shelves at the LCBO – and I’ll be honest, I’ve never met anyone who hasn’t had at least one of their wines at one

Get to Know Spain – You Won’t Be Sorry

 I always have my eye on two Spanish producers: Bodegas Castano and Juan Gil. Castano makes Hecula, which is one of those brands I have been tracking since I first picked up a bottle of the 2003… it was one of those wines that showed me that the rest of

Bubblies! – Everything you want from a bottle of Champagne

 Many of you probably started the year with a glass of bubbly… many even went as far as to blow the usual budget on wine and opted for a French Champagne.  As for myself, I opened a bottle of Louis Roederer Brut Premier ($68.95 - #268771). It is everything you

Something “Completely Yummy”: 2011 Montes Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon

 I’m going back to Chile for the second week in a row and once you put your lips on a glass of this wine, you’ll realize why I am recommending it. You see, just recently in Toronto, the Chileans came to town and held their annual Grand Tasting, which they call Discover