Falernia Reserva Syrah 2009 (Chile) - Wine Review

This very nice Syrah from Chile was purchased from the October 13 Vintages Release and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. If you're interested, this red wine is still available in the Vintages section at the LCBO. FALERNIA RESERVA SYRAH 2009 - Elquí Valley, Chile (#208371) (XD) - $16.95 Tasting Note: Intense aromas of blueberry, raspberry, vanilla and hints of coffee. Medium-bodied...

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Rosewood Estates Tasting at The Chef's House

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the Rosewood Estates Winery Portfolio tasting hosted at The Chef's House in downtown Toronto. Rosewood is a family-operated winery and meadery based in Beamsville Bench. Leading the Sales & Marketing for Rosewood and presenting the afternoon's event was Krystina Roman. Given Rosewood's family roots in beekeeping,...

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Nov. 10 Wine Picks: Holidays + Piedmont

It's been a hectic couple of weeks, so I have to keep this short with the release just a couple of days away. The next Vintages wine release will be in LCBO outlets on across Ontario on Saturday, November 10. The main feature in this release is on wines for the holidays, such as for festive family dinners and gift-giving. The secondary feature is on wines from Piedmont,...

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Château de Galifay Cairanne 2010 (France) - Wine Review

This red wine is from the fabulous 2010 Southern Rhône vintage and consists of approx. 90% Grenache and 10% Syrah. It was purchased from the Sept. 1 Vintages release. CHÂTEAU DE GALIFAY CAIRANNE CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2010 - AC, Rhône, France (#290080) (XD) - $17.00 Tasting Note: Plum and cherry wood aromas from cork. Very nice lavender, violet and toasty wood and licorice...

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Oct. 10 - Cheese & Wine Tasting with Natalie MacLean

On the evening of October 10, I had the pleasure of tasting some fabulous Canadian cheeses and pairing them with Ontario wine. Hosted by Natalie MacLean on Google+ Hangouts, I was joined by 9 others where we discussed the various cheeses and wines. Here is the video recording: Details of the cheese, wine and participants can be found here. Here are my impressions of...

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Oct. 27 LCBO Wine Picks: 2009 Bordeaux

The next Vintages release will be in LCBO outlets across Ontario on Saturday, October 27. The main feature in this release is on the critically-acclaimed 2009 Bordeaux vintage - once hailed as the "Vintage of the Century". However, looking at the 16 red Bordeaux wines in this release, I was a little underwhelmed with the offerings - I was expecting greatness! I was more...

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Wine Reviews - 2012 Niagara Wine Festival

Here are my wine reviews from my recent visit to the Niagara Peninsula for the 2012 Niagara Grape & Wine Festival. As usual, I tasted some very tasty and exciting wines. Some of the highlights were Fielding's Chosen Few, Vineland's St. Urban Elevation, nearly everything from Niagara College Teaching Winery, Featherstone's 2011 Cab Franc and Onyx, and Tawse's Chardonnays and Cab Franc Icewine. Some of these wines can be found at the LCBO, while...

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