This is a bit of a divergent from my other posts, but this time last year I was working on the website and deciding who I was going to be as The Prairie Wino and I have been reflecting on this past year, so bear with me as I ramble about my reflections. A bit of history, alcohol had a profound impact on my life, especially my teenage years.  I have an alcoholic parent and saw the two-sides of a man I loved; the caring, fun loving guy who poorly attempted to do my hair as a child, who shook me into my tights, who sacrificed his favourite sandwiches to give to us, even though we hated ..read more

No, definitely not.  But I am not going to lie, that is kind of what I thought before I got to drinking more and more Cabernet Francs and was able to really appreciate what this grape had to offer.  In fact, based on DNA studies, Cabernet Franc could actually be considered the Cab Sav’s father, with the mother being Sauvignon Blanc.  Not sure why in my mind I have assigned red grapes to be more masculine in nature with white grapes more feminine, no offense to anyone. The Cabernet Franc grape, flowers and ripens early and needs soils that drain well.  It ..read more

I may have French blood running through my veins, but my French pronunciations are pretty horrific, so every time I say the word viognier it comes out slightly different.  But according to google it is pronounced vee·aa·nyei. So now that we know how to say it, what can we expect when we drink it.  The viognier grape is an aromatic one, so as soon as you lift the glass to your mouth you will get a nice scent of peach, apricot, pear, honeysuckle and some nice spice notes.  It is often described as having an oily texture or feel in the mouth.   It is a ..read more

Que Syrah, Syrah.  What style will it be, for me. Ok, so enough of my horrible singing (lucky for you this is not a video post).  It is time to talk about the Syrah or Shiraz grape.    Shiraz was the first red wine I really loved.    My love of wine journey was a bit weird looking back:  Boones – White Zinfindels – Pinot Grigio – Shiraz and then everything else.   Why it surprises me that Shiraz was my first red love, is that it wouldn’t normally be the wine I would introduce new winos too right off the bat for red ..read more

Oh Chenin Blanc, how I have grown to really love thee.  My natural tendency is to lean more towards red wines.  But Chenins have renewed my love of white wine.    It is a versatile grape and is made into a variety of different styles; dry to sweet, still to sparkling, oaked to unoaked, and everything in between.  So, if a medium bodied, medium to high acid wine that can taste like citrus, tropical fruits like pineapple, green leaf with some smoke or minerality to it, sounds delicious to you then there is a Chenin out there for you. Chenin grape ..read more

The Zinfindel grape is in my opinion one of the most misunderstood grapes.  Many of you when you read the words Zinfindel immediately imagined a blush not dry (I hate to say sweeter wine) wine. Yes, those blush wines are available and made from the zinfandel grape, just with limited skin contact and shorter fermentation periods to keep residual sugar.   But those wines do not do the grape justice. Zinfindels make great dry, medium to full bodied red wine with nice tannins that don’t overpower the wine.    They are usually pretty high in alcohol, so they ..read more

…And really to all things bubbly.  What is the difference between a Champagne, a Prosecco and general Sparkling wine?  Well, the one thing they all have in common is bubbles.  Oh, so delicious bubbles.  That is really where the likeness may end.  There is five different ways a sparkling wine can be created, and the method can really impact the taste profile of the wine. Champagne/Traditional method/Method Cap Classique This is the most commonly known method.  It originated in the Champagne region, many years ago.  It is mad ..read more

The thick black skin on the Cabernet Sauvignon grape packs a punch, with deep colours, lots of tannins and scrumptious aromas in the resulting wines.  Cab Sav grapes do best in moderate to hot climates with dryer soils (they don’t like getting their feet wet, kind of like me).  They are pretty hardy and aren’t often susceptible to rot or pests and they bud late so frost isn’t usually a problem. Unlike the Pinot Noirs and Rieslings, Cab Savs are often blended.  They bring structure like tannins, acidity and aromatic fruit to the table which may help beef up some ot ..read more

Rieslings the lone wolf of wine.  It like the Pinot Noir isn’t often blended and Rieslings don’t often see oak so what you taste is the grape itself and the subtleties of the terrior (climate, soil, aspect, slope, etc.). An expressive grape it is, both in aromas and flavors. It is also a very hardy grape; it flourishes in the cool to moderate climates which is why Rieslings are Germany’s shining jewel of wine.  It ripens late in the season and is often susceptible to botrytis rot (also known as noble rot).  Why would rot be noble you ask?    I ..read more

Pinot Noir grapes stand on their own.  What do I mean, other than in Champagne, Pinot Noir grapes aren’t often blended with other grapes.  When you are drinking a Pinot you are drinking a Pinot.  Pinot Noir grapes themselves have thin skins which makes the colour and tannins less intense than in many of the other red varieties.  But just because they are thin, doesn’t mean they lack in body.    Pinots ripen early in the season and do well in the cooler to moderate climates with shorter growing seasons.  They are a pit finicky to ..read more