Domaine Hamelin Beauroy Chablis 1er Cru 2012 (Burgundy) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine is this yummy unoaked Chardonnay from Burgundy, France. Domaine Hamelin was started in the 1840's by Gustave Hamelin when he planted 2 hectares of vines alongside his mixed farm. It is located in northwest Burgundy and about 2 hours southeast from Paris. The small, family-owned operation had been passed along from generation to generation. Today, the 6th and...

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Château Guillou 2012 (Bordeaux) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine is part of the November 28, 2015 VINTAGES Release and is most likely already available for purchase on some LCBO shelves. From the same producer as the 2011 Château Hauchat red wine that I tasted earlier this month, this Jean-Bernard Saby wine is produced by the 9th generation of the Saby family. Jean-Christophe and Jean-Phillippe are both oenologists and apply...

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Jean-Max Roger Cuvée G.C. Sancerre 2014 (Loire) - Wine Review

Opened up this excellent white wine from Jean-Max Roger last night ahead of it's release in VINTAGES this Saturday, November 28th. The Roger family descends from a long line of winegrowers from the village of Bué, dating back to the 17th century. In the early 1970's, Jean-Max Roger took over the 4 ha of vines left to him by his parents and expanded the estate to its current...

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November 28 VINTAGES Release: Finest Wines for the Holidays

The November 28 VINTAGES Release will be on LCBO VINTAGES shelves this coming Saturday and features as it's main and only theme very fine wines and spirits for the holidays. The selection includes many fine wines at very high price points - wines suitable as expensive gifts or for extremely special occasions. Of the 28 wines and spirits featured as part of this mono-thematic...

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Niagara Icewine Festival - Celebrating Another Year of Icewine Excellence

The Niagara Icewine Festival is around the corner and I have begun planning my next visit to Niagara in January, as should you. The 2016 Xerox Icewine Gala marks the 21st regional celebration of the truly Canadian icon: Icewine. What began as a gala event has evolved into three weekends of globally sought after Icewine experiences. From stunning formal affairs to outdoor...

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2015 Niagara Wine Festival Review

On September 26, I had the pleasure of visiting Niagara to sample a variety of food and wines as part of the Discovery Pass Experience and to celebrate the 64th Annual Niagara Wine Festival that takes place every September. Our tour began at Rancourt Winery for a delicious pairing of lobster bisque and their buttery 2013 Chardonnay Reserve. After fetching our pairing, we...

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Terredora Aglianico 2010 (Italy) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine was purchased almost 2 years ago from the November 23 LCBO VINTAGES Release. Even though Aglianico is one of the my favourite indigenous varietals from Italy, this is the first Aglianico I've opened at home since I started blogging in 2011. Tasting Note: TERREDORA AGLIANICO 2010 - IGT Campania, Italy (#602284) (XD) - $16.95 Black licorice,...

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CHANTILLY French Cream Liqueur (Ontario) - Review

I was offered the opportunity to taste a liqueur that was just released at the LCBO - just in time for the holiday season. The CHANTILLY French Cream is a cream liqueur that's made using all natural ingredients using a proprietary process that creates a lighter, smoother cream liqueur. It is made using fresh dairy cream, organic sugar and only natural flavours, without the...

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Château Hauchat 2011 (Bordeaux) - Wine Review

This fairly easy drinking red wine will be in VINTAGES on November 14th and is suitable for mid-week sipping. The Château Hauchat property was re-acquired by the Saby family in 1973. In 1989, current owner Jean-Bernard Saby purchased the property from his uncle. The Saby family has been making wine in the region for an astounding 8 centuries now. The property is located...

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November 14 LCBO VINTAGES Release: Top Wines for the Holidays

The November 14 VINTAGES Release will be on LCBO shelves this coming Saturday. This is a thick release that is using a more expensive perfect bound to keep the magazine together. It features a star studded lineup of wines for the holidays as it's main theme, while the secondary theme highlights crowd pleasing wines that are available in large format magnum (1500 mL) bottles. Thirty-two...

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PoggioVerrano Dròmos 2005 (Tuscany) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine is a very special red wine that'll be in LCBO VINTAGES on November 14th. This wine comes from Tenuta PoggioVerrano, located in the Maremma wine region in southern Tuscany. The vineyards are 27 hectares in size with rocky soils of calcareous and clayey nature, and height between 170 and 300 metres above sea level, and 15 kilometres from the Mediterranean Sea....

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Giacomo Mori Chianti 2012 (Tuscany) - Wine Review

Tonight's delicious red wine will be available at the LCBO soon, as part of the November 14 VINTAGES Release. The Giacomo Mori estate is located in San Casciano dei Bagni, at the southern edge of the Province of Siena and Tuscany in Central Italy. Eight of the ten hectares of vineyards were replanted in 1995 with meticulous attention paid to the selection of grape varieties,...

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PondView Lot 74 Red and White 2014 (Niagara) - Wine Reviews

Here are wine reviews of a pair of wines from PondView Estate Winery that were recently re-launched with a new, classic heritage label that is reminiscent of a time when farmlands in Niagara-on-the-Lake were referred to as nothing more than Lot numbers. Giuseppe Puglisi emigrated from Sicily (Italy) to Canada in 1965 and brought with him a passion for grape-growing and winemaking....

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Ontario Cabernet Franc Wine Tasting

On a rainy Sunday afternoon in June, I had the opportunity to taste 47 different Cabernet Franc wines from Ontario. The tasting event was organized by André Proulx and took place at Archive 909. Among those in attendance was Krista Lamb to reunite our #BlendedCru wine tasting group. The small venue was perfect for this tasting as we had the whole place to ourselves. The...

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