If there’s one thing that most people don’t know about me, it’s that besides a middle-school trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake to see a play at the Shaw Festival, I have never been to Niagara. Shocking, I know. What self-respecting Canadian wine writer has never visited the nation’s largest viticultural region?? With a milestone birthday coming up, it was time to remedy this travesty. I started dropping hints months ago about going to Niagara for the big event. So when my husband told me to pack a bag for a surprise birthday trip last weekend, I had my suspicions about where we were going. It ended ..read more

This month the French Winophiles are delving into the sparkling world of Crémant d’Alsace, and I will be focusing in particular on two excellent examples from Domaine Baumann-Zirgel. Last year I had the pleasure of tasting a myriad of samples from Alsace, thanks to the Alsace Digitasting. And while it totally rekindled my love for riesling, I was disappointed that due to sample bottling constraints, we weren’t able to try any Crémant d’Alsace, the famed traditional-method sparkling wine from the region. So I was thrilled when the Winophiles chose Crémant for this month’s topic, as it gave me ..read more

Summer is here, which means I am on the prowl for delicious, easy-drinking, sit-in-the-backyard-on-a-sunny-afternoon-and-oops-the-bottle-is-somehow-empty — not to mention affordable — white wines for summer. Here are a couple of goodies from recent Vintages releases. Parras Evidência White 2020 Evidencia white wine from Portugal Yummy yummy yummy I got Dão wine in my tummy! At this wine’s price point, I was keeping my expectations very low, but was totally blown away by its drinkability. It is so pale it almost looks like water in the glass. On the nose it smells of subtle citrus and flinty ..read more

I was born in the south of France, and after moving to Canada, I went back every summer to spend time with my family in Provence. Looking back on those visits conjures up the scent of pine trees and the feel of the salty Mediterranean breeze on my skin while fishing with my grandmother, not to mention visions of tables laid out with a panoply of delectable dishes and multiple bottles of wine. Given my past, it’s no wonder I became a wine lover, with rosé as my all-time go-to. We have been sailing in the Eastern Caribbean since November. After a month and a half in Grenada, I was super excited ..read more

It’s one of my favourite times of the year! Not only because October is my birthday month, but because Thanksgiving is one of my favourite food-and-wine holidays. AND it’s Libra season, when calm and balance are key. Now if only we could get past this darned Mercury retrograde… Here are my top Thanksgiving wines for 2021! Paul Mas Viognier Paul Mas Réserve Viognier – Nicole Vineyard 2019 I seem to recommend a viognier every Thanksgiving! There’s just something about this mid-weight wine with yummy peach characteristics that seems to go perfectly with Thanksgiving fare. While viognier traditi ..read more

The leaves are changing colour and we are wayyyyyy overdue for a happy hour! Let’s say “hello fall” and meet on Zoom to taste some lesser known wines. When: Friday, October 1, 2021, 7 p.m. ET Where: Your place! Find a comfy corner of your house and settle in with a glass of wine and Zoom. Dress code: Don’t feel like changing out of comfy clothes? Then don’t! You can wear whatever you like. What to drink: You’ll receive a shopping list for one red and one white wine once you register for the event. Everyone knows chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, merlot and cabernet sauvignon, so th ..read more

I never turn down a chance to drink/taste/write about wines from the Côtes du Rhône. They are some of the most gorgeous, easy-drinking wines from France. So when I found out the French Winophiles were discussing this beautiful wine region in the South of France this month, I knew I had to participate. While some of my fellow Winophiles received samples, I went to the LCBO to grab a couple of my go-to (i.e. affordable!) Côtes du Rhône wines from well-known producer M. Chapoutier. Introduction to M. Chapoutier Hermitage Chapoutier. Photo credit: chapoutier.com Originally founded in 1808 as “Cal ..read more

Once upon a time, I thought I was the only sommelier in the world who didn’t like riesling, the main Alsace wine variety. Riesling, one of the six “noble” grapes, is originally from Germany. It is an aromatic white grape, known for its floral, citrus and stonefruit qualities, with more mineral notes when grown in cool climates and more fruity and petrol-y notes when grown in warmer climates. Yup, petrol. And that’s the characteristic of riesling I just can’t get past. When present in a wine, it’s literally all I can smell. I find it overpowering. Some critics would argue that it is people who ..read more

At a recent virtual Happy Hour, one of the wines we were drinking had a cute little “Vegan” logo on it. When I mentioned it, one of the participants asked, “Wait a minute, isn’t all wine vegan?” And the short answer is: nope. Traditionally, wine isn’t vegan (and sometimes not even vegetarian *gasp!*). This post breaks down the aspects of the winemaking process that use animal products, and gives tips and tricks on finding vegan-friendly wines. Fining Fining is a stage of the wine clarification process where a substance is added to the wine to remove any suspended particles. This eliminates th ..read more

Next virtual wine tasting event Sparkling Happy Hour: Friday, June 11, 2021, 7:30 pm In this Sparkling Happy Hour, we’ll dive into all things bubbly! I’ll answer all your sparkling-related questions, like: Why is Champagne so expensive? What is the proper way to open bubbly? Why are there so many different types of glasses for sparkling wine and which is the best? Is there red sparkling wine? How do you preserve the bubbles once the bottle is open? And much more! Interested? Join us! It’s free! Step 1: Register for the event on Zoom by clicking the button below. Step 2: Buy any bottle of bu ..read more