Greek Wine Party at iYellow Wine Club

On May 5th, I had the pleasure of attending a Greek Wine Tasting Party hosted at the iYellow Wine Cave. The evening was filled with Greek fare such as olives, cheese, dessert, and other traditional Greek foods that were served alongside more than 30 Greek wines. In attendance were principals of the wineries, including winemakers, who made the trek all the way from Greece....

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Montebuena Cuvée KPF 2012 (Spain) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine is another sneak preview of a wine that will be returning to LCBO VINTAGES on June 13th. The wine is made by Bodegas y Viñedos Labastida as part of the Unión de Cosecheros of Labastida co-operative that was formed in the mid-1960's. As can be expected, the co-operative has gone through a number of enhancements to its facilities since then, including using...

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May 30 LCBO Wine Picks: Southern Rhône + New World Pinot Noir

The next LCBO VINTAGES release will be on shelves this Saturday, May 30, 2015. The co-themes of this release, with 12 wines apiece, are wines from Southern Rhône and New World Pinot Noirs. Of the 12 wines featured from Southern Rhône, three made my list of wine picks. Among them is an always reliable and dry (i.e. not sweet) Tavel Rosé comprised of Cinsault, Grenache and...

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Talamonti Trabocchetto Pecorino 2012 (Italy) - Wine Review

Tonight's white wine was purchased from the July 5th LCBO VINTAGES release last year with the intention of opening it during my daughter's 1st birthday party. Like many white wines, it is not meant to be aged. Let's see how this is... 3 years after vintage. TALAMONTI TRABOCCHETTO PECORINO 2012 - IGP Colline Pescaresi, Abruzzo, Italy (#372474) (XD) - $15.95 Tasting Note: 100%...

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16 Mile Chardonnay Niagara - Wine Reviews

Tasted these wines from 16 Mile Cellar last week with André Proulx and Krista Lamb as part our monthly #blendedcru tasting (if you would like to submit wines for a future tasting, please contact me). André gave us the story behind this winery and the naming of the wines, which I found to be very interesting. However, I won't repeat much of the story as I believe it to be somewhat...

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Argyros Santorini Assyrtiko 2014 (Greece) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine is from Estate Argyros and follows a family tradition dating back to 1903. The grapes for this wine were cultivated from a private vineyard that is 50-60 years old and located in Episkopi Gonia, in the central part of the island of Santorini. This wine will be available in LCBO VINTAGES on June 13th. ARGYROS SANTORINI ASSYRTIKO 2014 - PDO Santorini, Greece...

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Summer in Wine Country Starts in the Vineyard

Join me and the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival for the 19th Annual New Vintage Festival this June. I attended this event in 2012 and 2013 and enjoyed the food and wine each time (I missed it last year as I was out of the country). Wine Country in Ontario presents a calendar of year-round events and none is as highly anticipated as the Annual TD Tailgate Party. The 6th...

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May 16 LCBO Wine Picks: Australia + Fresh Whites

The next LCBO VINTAGES release will be on shelves across Ontario this Saturday, May 16th. Hot on the heels of Europe's Primum Familiae Vini (PFV) feature last month is Australia's First Families of Wine (AFFW), the primary focus of this release. AFFW was formed in 2009 by 12 of the most iconic family-owned wineries in Australia. Ten of the twelve wineries are represented...

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Thalia Sauvignon Blanc - Vilana 2014 (Greece) - Wine Review

Another summery-type of day calls for a summery-type of wine. Tonight, it's yet another wine from Greece that is a white wine blend of Sauvignon Blanc and the local varietal Vilana. Vilana is mainly found on Greek's largest island - Crete. And even though Crete is dominated by red grapes, Vilana is the most planted white grape on the island. This varietal is quite difficult...

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Eradus Sauvignon Blanc 2014 (New Zealand) - Wine Review

It's a fine spring day here in Toronto and calls for a nice, spring-like wine. Tonight's wine is this lovely Sauvignon Blanc that hails from the Awatere (Aw-wah-tree) Valley within the Marlborough region, located on the South Island of New Zealand. This is the latest vintage of this wine and will be available in the next VINTAGES release - May 16th. ERADUS SAUVIGNON BLANC...

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