Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 (Niagara) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine is the second in a series of wines from Southbrook Vineyards (first up was their Triomphe Cab Franc Rosé). This red wine is certfied organic and biodynamic. In fact, the entire Triomphe line of wines has been certified organic since 2010. Furthermore, Southbrook was Canada's first certified biodynamic winery. As this wine is a Vintages Essentials product,...

Read More

Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet Franc Rosé 2012 (Niagara) - Wine Review

Last night's wine is the first in a series of wines that I'll be reviewing from Southbrook Vineyards. The roots of this winery began as a farm in the 1860s at the head of the Don River by the Patterson family. William Redelmeier, who is the grandfather of current owner Bill Redelmeier, purchased Don Head Farms in 1941. In the 1980s, Bill and partner/co-owner Marilyn evolve...

Read More

Win Discovery Passes to 2014 Niagara New Vintage Wine Festival

Join the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival for the 19th Annual New Vintage Festival this June. I attended this event in both 2012 and 2013 and had a great time each visit! A family wedding followed by some much needed vacation time will prevent me from attending the Niagara Wine festival with the best weather this year. Wine Country in Ontario presents a calendar of year...

Read More

May 24 LCBO Wine Picks: Rhône + Crisp Whites

The next LCBO Vintages release will be on shelves across Ontario on Saturday, May 24th. This edition's main focus is on wines from Rhône, while the secondary focus is on crisp white wines - as summer is just around the corner. Sixteen wines were featured in the Rhône roundup, and a quarter of them made my wine picks. The Valériane is a blend of 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah,...

Read More

Fleur du Cap Chardonnay 2012 (South Africa) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine is a barrel-fermented Chardonnay from Fleur du Cap in South Africa. It's interesting to note that fermentation of 20% of this wine started in tank and was completed in French (80%) and American (20%) oak barrels, while the remaining 80% was fermented in tanks on French (50%) and American (50%) oak staves. At $12.80, it's a pretty good buy from LCBO General List...

Read More

Inception Deep Layered Red 2011 (South Africa) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine is a new wine that is about to be launched across Canada in the coming days. This wine will be launched first in Canada before being made available in other markets. I was given the opportunity to sample it prior to its official launch at the LCBO in Ontario. The Shiraz and Mourvèdre grapes were handpicked for this blend. All three grapes were fermented...

Read More

Burgundy Wine Tasting

Last month, I attended an exclusive Bourgogne (Burgundy) wine tasting at Victor Restaurant. The tasting was led by John Szabo, Master Sommelier and Principal Critic at WineAlign. Joining him was François Labet, Chairman of the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) Marketing and Communication Commission. Wine is a way of life for François. His family has been deeply entrenched in...

Read More

May 10 Wine Picks: Twin Peaks + Germany + Rosé

The next LCBO Vintages release will be on shelves across Ontario this Saturday, May 10th. There are 3 themes in this release, with the major theme focusing on wines from the Twin Peaks of South America - Chile and Argentina. Chile is known for it's Carmenère, and is increasingly mastering other French varietals. Thus, it's no surprise that of the 7 Chilean wines featured...

Read More