July 5 LCBO Wine Picks: New Zealand + Spain

The main focus of the next LCBO Vintages release is on summery wines from New Zealand, while stylish Spanish wines are the secondary focus. All of these and other delightful wines will be in LCBO outlets across Ontario on Saturday, July 5th. The timing and major focus of this release is perfect as the weather finally feels like summer. It's also evident as my number of...

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June 21 LCBO Wine Picks: Grape Expectations + Canada Day

As I write this from sunny California after having spent the better part of Monday touring and tasting in Napa, back home, the next LCBO Vintages release will be on shelves on Saturday, June 21. This edition is titled "Grape Expectations" and focuses on 17 grapes and where they are grown best. This is broken down into two parts - 9 grapes which were transplanted from their...

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Southbrook Canadian Framboise (Ontario) - Wine Review

This is the final post (at least for now) in my series of wine reviews from Southbrook Vineyards. The Canadian Framboise was one of the Southbrook's very first wines - with Mother Nature lending an almost fortuitous hand. It was the summer of 1992, and it rained nearly every weekend. This resulted in customers staying away from the pick-your-own raspberries patch. Bill...

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Spring + Summer Wine Evening at Pukka with Peter Boyd

Last month, I attended Pukka's first-in-a-series of wine evenings planned for this Spring and Summer. Located in the Bathurst & St. Clair area in Toronto, Pukka is billed as a "Modern Indian Restaurant" and very forward-thinking - both of which were quite evident on this evening. Leading our small group of 14 was Sommelier Peter Boyd, who has 30 years experience teaching...

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Southbrook Triomphe Chardonnay 2012 (Niagara) - Wine Review

This is the 3rd wine sample I'm reviewing from Southbrook Vineyards (here are reviews of their Triomphe Cab Franc Rosé and Triomphe Cabernet Sauvignon). All the grapes for this certified organic Chardonnay were sourced from 3 different estate vineyards within Niagara-on-the-Lake. It was released in Vintages last February and there is currently good inventory remaining...

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June 7 LCBO Wine Picks: Authentic Oz + Italian Whites + Father's Day

The next Vintages wine release will be in LCBO outlets across Ontario on Saturday, June 7th. This edition focuses on "authentic" Australian wines, with the emphasis solely on Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay. The secondary feature is on regional white wines from Italy. Overall, the selection of 14 Aussie wines featured are very good. At the top of the list is...

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