Orestiadi Ludovico 2008 (Sicily) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is a lovely blend of Nero d'Avola and Cabernet Sauvignon that I purchased nearly a decade ago from the November 8, 2014 LCBO VINTAGES Release. Of course, it is long sold out by now, but you can grab the latest vintage of this wine (link in product code below) as it arrived in LCBO VINTAGES late last year, with some bottles still available for purchase...

Read More

Maycas del Limarí Reserva Especial Syrah 2008 (Chile) - Wine Review

For my first wine review of the year (and decade), I take you back more than a decade to this lovely 2008 Syrah from Chile that I opened tonight. It was purchased from the June 9, 2012 VINTAGES Release, when it was billed as the benchmark for Chilean Syrah. Viña Maycas del Limarí is part of the Concha y Toro portfolio of wine brands. Maycas, meaning "ariable lands" in Quechua,...

Read More

Nemeion Estate Réserve 2008 (Greece) - Wine Review

For tonight's wine review, I opened this lovely Agiorgitiko from Greece. I discovered this red wine at a Greek wine tasting event in May 2017 and found out that it was available for purchase at the Greece Destination Collection Store located on Danforth Avenue (in Toronto). On top of that, I found out that it was currently on promotion for under $17. On the first weekend after...

Read More

C.H. Berres Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett 2008 (Mosel) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a lovely Mosel Riesling Kabinett that I purchased from an LCBO VINTAGES Release in May 2012. This white wine used to show up quite regularly in LCBO VINTAGES. In fact, I enjoyed the 2009 C.H. Berres Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett back in 2013. However, this lovely white wine hasn't been in stores for a number of years now, so your best bet is...

Read More

CVNE (Spain) Wine Tasting with Maria Larrea

On a fine Sunday morning in May, I had the pleasure of tasting a few wines from Spain's historic CVNE wine company with winemaker María Larrea at George Restaurant in downtown Toronto. CVNE is actually an abbreviation of Compañía Vinícola del Norte del España, which translates to the Northern Spanish Wine Company. It was founded in 1879 by two brothers in the town of Haro...

Read More

Monte del Frá Tenuta Lena di Mezzo Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2008 (Veneto) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine was purchased nearly 7 years ago from the April 28, 2012 LCBO VINTAGES Release that featured wines from Veneto in its main theme. Let's see how it is tasting tonight... Tasting Note: MONTE DEL FRÁ TENUTA LENA DI MEZZO VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO SUPERIORE 2008 - DOC, Veneto, Italy (#272500) (D) - $15.95 Blend of 80% Corvina Veronese and Corvinone, and 20%...

Read More

Niagara Grape & Wine Festival 2017 - Day 2 of 2

Last September, I visited Niagara twice over the course of the month to partake in the 66th Annual Niagara Grape and Wine Festival. You can read all about the first day's activities here. The fun-filled second day began at Vineland Estates Winery where we were given a guided tour of the property and facilities by David Hulley. The tour began on the patio over looking the...

Read More

Niagara Wine Tasting - Get Fresh in the Valley 2017

On Saturday, April 29th, I travelled to Niagara Wine Country to visit some wineries I had never been to before, as well as participate in some of Twenty Valley's Get Fresh in the Valley food & wine experiences. The day began at Rosewood Estates Winery, an award-winning winery and meadery. And even though I had tasted the wines from this winery before, as well as driven...

Read More