Dinner at Peller Estates

Last Fall, I was fortunate to win the "Dinner for Two at Peller Estates Winery" contest held by DINE Magazine. The prize was a 5-course Tasting Menu with Wine Pairings. Since I knew I would be Niagara for the Icewine Festival, it was only fitting that I make what was already going to be a fantastic weekend even better by enjoying this great prize at the same time. On January...

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Muskoka Lakes Winery Framberge (Ontario) - Wine Review

Opened this wine on Superbowl Sunday night to match the red on the 49ers uniform - I was cheering for the 49ers because of my affinity to the Bay Area (not sure what I would have done if I had an affinity to the Ravens). This dessert wine was purchased this last summer when I visited the Muskoka Lakes Winery. It's made using raspberries and cranberries and has a relatively...

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Beringer California Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 (USA) - Wine Review

Since I didn't have any Italian red wines that were quite ready to drink now, I decided to open this very fruit-forward Cabernet Sauvignon to pair with homemade Margherita Pizza last week. This red wine was received as a gift over the holidays. It's from the LCBO General List and is readily available. BERINGER CALIFORNIA COLLECTION CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2011 - California, USA...

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Feb. 2 Wine Picks: New World Signatures

The next Vintages release will be in LCBO outlets across Ontario on Saturday, February 2. In this release, the main feature is on signature varietals from New World wine regions, with two varietals chosen from various wine regions throughout the New World. From Ontario, no doubt, our top two varietals are Riesling and Chardonnay. If there was a third varietal to be selected,...

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Dopff & Irion Vorbourg Pinot Gris 2009 (Alsace) - Wine Review

I am a bit embarrassed to say that this is the first bottle of wine I opened from my collection for the first time in 7 weeks. It was purchased from the November 10 Vintages release and I must say, this was an excellent choice... (It's still available at the LCBO, if you're interested). DOPFF & IRION VORBOURG PINOT GRIS 2009 - AC Alsace Grand Cru, France (#292227) (M)...

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B.C. Wine Tasting on Twitter - #ONtastesBC

I had the opportunity to taste these 6 wines for the #ONtastesBC Tweet-Up held on January 24 at 8pm EST. It's a shame that we do not get more wines from our sister province out West. Part of this promotion, as well as the feature in the current Vintages magazine, is to help spread the word and bring more B.C. wines into Ontario. As a consumer, I am also hoping that this will...

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2013 Niagara Icewine Festival Review

Last weekend we enjoyed another very good (and sweet!) weekend in Niagara for the 18th Annual Icewine Festival. Our small group visited 4 wineries on Saturday in Niagara-on-the-Lake, then headed to the Icewine Village to check out the very large ice sculpture and taste some more Icewine and treats. Our group started off the tour at Niagara College Teaching Winery to sample...

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