Tastes of Chile + BC Crafters: August 6 Vintages Wine Release

The next Vintages Release on Saturday, August 6 focuses on the tastes of Chile. It's great to see the secondary feature of this release highlighting 5 of our friends from out west (we don't get enough wines from our fellow countrymen & women in British Columbia). However, most of the wines from B.C. in this release are extremely pricey and don't provide great value. Lots...

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2008 Zuccardi Q Tempranillo (Argentina) - Wine Review

Last night's wine was purchased from the June 25 Vintages Release, which had a major focus on wines from Argentina. ZUCCARDI Q TEMPRANILLO 2008 - Santa Rosa Vineyards, Mendoza, Argentina (#973503) - $19.95 Tasting Note: Made with grapes from 40 year-old vines. Aromas of red berries, blackberry join the flavour profile with lots of pepper/spice, and a touch of cola. Letting...

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How to Host Your Own Wine Tasting

I find myself slightly envious of those who live downtown, surrounded by an endless supply of restaurants, patios, and other potential dining opportunities. Need a glass of wine? Just text a friend and hook-up in, say 20 minutes at the bistro around the corner. On occasion though, even these folks ask themselves: What would it take to host a wine tasting in my own home? I’ll...

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2009 Château Ste. Michelle Chardonnay (Washington) - Wine Review

I've always been a fan of wines from Washington State. It's a shame we don't get many more offerings from Washington here in Ontario. This fine wine was purchased last month. CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE CHARDONNAY 2009 - Columbia Valley, Washington, USA (#232439) - $17.95 Tasting Note: Grapefruit, lemon, herbal, mineral/stone aromas. Buttered popcorn, green apple flavours. Oak...

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Signature Italian Grapes + Chardonnays: July 23 Vintages Wine Release

Saturday, July 23 is the next LCBO Vintages Release. This week's release focuses on the signature grape  varieties from Italy, as well as (expensive) Chardonnays from cool-climate regions such as Ontario, Oregon, South Africa, and Côte de Beaune (Burgundy). Overall, there are lots of good, refreshing whites from the Italian feature, and slim pickings for sub-$20 Italian...

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2009 Rose Hill Private Edition Cabernet Merlot (Niagara) - Wine Review

It was a busy (and fun) weekend, with my cousin's wedding (some of you may have noticed my tweets from the reception Saturday night). Here is the red wine that was served on each table and at the bar. There was also a Rose Hill white wine (I believe a Chardonnay), that I did not taste. ROSE HILL PRIVATE EDITION CABERNET MERLOT 2009 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada Tasting...

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2006 The Garden Path Shiraz/Cabernet (Australia) - Wine Review

Purchased this one back in November of 2010, and could have cellared it for a couple more years, but felt like opening it tonight. THE GARDEN PATH SHIRAZ/CABERNET 2006 - Langhorne Creek, South Australia, Australia (#199539) (XD) - $17.95 Tasting Note: Mint, cassis, black currant, oak, earth/barnyard aromas. Black currant and blueberries on the palate. Ripe tannins. Fleshy,...

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