Tag: Wine
Beaujolais: Bold, beautiful and budget-friendly
Beaujolais gets a bad rap. For years, consumers have come to associate the region with the cheap, one-dimensional Beaujolais Nouveau that hits the shelves at the LCBO on the third Thursday of each November. These wines can be fun, but they’re largely responsible for type-casting Beaujolais as a region that makes playful, but not serious, […]
Rethinking California wine
I like to think about California wines as belonging to one of three different categories. Some wines might fit into more than one category or none at all, but for the sake of this column, let’s say there are the modernists, the traditionalists and the avant-garde. As a sommelier, when guests at my restaurant tell […]
Biodynamic wine production up by 20 per cent annually
It’s 2018 and any good wine list in the country will likely include wines produced following the principles of biodynamics. You may be a keen consumer, or you may have even consumed biodynamic wines at top restaurants without realizing it. You may also have heard a sommelier reference the movement while suggesting a wine at […]
Orange wines: Skin-fermented magic
Orange wines have recently captured the attention of sommeliers, winemakers and wine lovers alike. And contrary to what the name might suggest, these wines are not made from oranges. Rather, the word “orange” simply refers to the colour of the wines that results from a process involving the extended maceration of “white” grape skins with […]
Marrying wine with food from non-wine cultures
As their palates develop and knowledge grows, wine drinkers aren’t always content to drink the same wine with whatever they eat. A few start to dabble in the sometimes-elusive joy of food and wine pairing. Others jump right in. They search for a perfect combination; one in which the combined sensory pleasure of the two […]
Natural wines: A growing ‘crush’ of many wine lovers
Many of us share a growing interest in knowing where our food comes from and what happens to it along the way. Not surprisingly, this same curiosity has carried over to wine. Recently, natural wines have become less the secret buzz of sommeliers, and more the new crush of many wine drinkers. Whether natural or […]
Winning Rieslings from Canada and beyond
If wine grapes were people, Riesling would have a large and crazy family. The personalities on one side would be sweet and affectionate, the other dry and austere. In between, there would be all sorts that are combinations of the two, but all would have their own sense of balance, poise and focus. And they […]
Canada at 150: Wine worth drinking
A 150th anniversary is a good reason to take pride in Canada’s accomplishments and we have much to toast when it comes to our wines. Compared to some other New World countries, wine had a difficult start in this country. Early attempts by European settlers to cultivate their own vines typically failed due to the […]
Building a perfect wine cellar — and what to put in it
It’s quite natural for those who enjoy wine to develop some nesting tendencies. Things start off innocently enough, with a glass of wine when out and about, or perhaps a bottle bought to be enjoyed at home. Then, some hoarding begins. Whether it’s stashing a few bottles in the closet or building a designer wine […]
The art of blending
It used to be that where a wine came from was more significant than the grapes used to make it. The advent of regulatory appellation systems, the New World’s liberty to select its own grape varietals and a more scientific awareness of varietals have helped change that. While the history and tradition associated with regions […]
Recent Comments