Niagara New Vintage Wine Festival 2015: Day ONE Review

During the weekend of June 20th and 21st, I was in Niagara taking in the 19th Annual New Vintage Festival. As part of the weekend's festivities, I enjoyed culinary creations using the first produce of the season, locally sourced ingredients and paired with Niagara wines. Saturday evening, I also had the pleasure of attending the TD Tailgate Party. We began our tour Saturday...

Read More

Château de Treviac 2012 (Midi) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine is a sneak preview and will be on LCBO VINTAGES shelves on August 8th. Château de Treviac is the property of young and dynamic winemaker Arnaud Sié. The property itself is located in Talairan, which lies between Carcassonne and Perpignan, just off the coast of the Balearic Sea and north of the Spanish border in the Corbières appellation of Languedoc-Roussillon...

Read More

July 25 LCBO VINTAGES Release: Chilled Wines + Argentina + Greece

The major feature of the July 25 VINTAGES Release is titled "Chill Out" and features 20 refreshing summer wines that should be chilled for ideal enjoyment. Also included in this release are mini-themes on wines from Argentina and Greece. Obviously, all white wines should be served chilled, with some chilled more than others. The white wines I can recommend from the "Chill...

Read More

Lavau Côtes du Rhône Villages 2011 (France) - Wine Review

Formerly of St. Emilion, the Lavau Family has been in winemaking for several generations. In 1964, they settled in the Rhône valley and now have 3 cellars and work with over 300 grape growers. This partnership with grape growers has allowed Benoit and Frederic Lavau to select the best terroir and the best grapes for each of their blends. The grapes for this wine were hand-harvested...

Read More

31 Days of German Riesling: Media Wine Tasting + Contest

On Monday, July 13th, I was thrilled to attend a media exclusive tasting at the iYellow Wine Cave to celebrate The 31 Days of German Riesling. In all there were 8 German Rieslings available for tasting, including a Sparkling Riesling. There were also wines made from Rivaner, Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), and a pair of Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) wines. All of the wines were...

Read More

Reichsgraf von Kesselstat Kaseler Nies'chen Riesling Kabinett 2006 (Mosel) - Wine Review

Opened up this beautiful white wine last night. It was purchased from a VINTAGES release last August. For sweet wine lovers, stay tuned for future vintages as this is a consistently great wine! REICHSGRAF VON KESSELSTAT KASELER NIES'CHEN RIESLING KABINETT 2006 - Pradikätswein, Mosel, Germany (#940809) (M) - $19.95 Tasting Note: Orange citrus and peach aromas from...

Read More

July 11 VINTAGES Release: Spain + Cool-Climate Chardonnay

The July 11 LCBO VINTAGES Release will be on shelves this coming Saturday. The main theme of this release features 18 food-friendly wines from Spain, including quite a few that are new to VINTAGES. The mini-theme coincides with the upcoming Cool-Climate Chardonnay Celebration (i4c) in Niagara and highlights 10 "cool" Chardonnays from around the globe. From the 18 wines...

Read More

Lunch at Farmers' Table @Southbrook

On my latest visit to Niagara last month, I had the pleasure of having lunch at Farmers' Table @Southbrook, a brand new restaurant by Southbrook Vineyards located on their property and attached to the winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Having driven by Southbrook many times, this was actually my very first visit to the winery - a modern building with clean lines, and an open,...

Read More