May 10 Wine Picks: Twin Peaks + Germany + Rosé

The next LCBO Vintages release will be on shelves across Ontario this Saturday, May 10th. There are 3 themes in this release, with the major theme focusing on wines from the Twin Peaks of South America - Chile and Argentina. Chile is known for it's Carmenère, and is increasingly mastering other French varietals. Thus, it's no surprise that of the 7 Chilean wines featured...

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2014 County in the City - Toronto

On April 3rd, I attended the 3rd Annual County in The City walk-around wine tasting held at The Berkeley Church in downtown Toronto. Having attended this event since it's inception back in 2012, I have found that my appreciation for Prince Edward County wines has grown - and for good reason. Two years ago, I did not have much appreciation for Pinot Noir, and after attending...

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Apr. 26 Wine Picks: Bordeaux + Sparkling Wine

The next LCBO Vintages release will be in stores this Saturday, April 26th. The main focus of this release is on wines from Bordeaux, with a particular emphasis on "great values" from the famed 2009 and 2010 vintages, as well as the challenging 2011 vintage. The secondary focus is on Sparkling Wines and is definitely the highlight of this release. Personally, I had a hard...

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Montes Alpha Carmenère Apalta Vineyard 2007 (Chile) - Wine Review

This red wine was purchased way back in March of 2010 from a Vintages release that focused on Chile. The story of that release was about the previous 10 years in Chile and how Chilean wine had exploded on to the global wine scene. This Carmenère was one of the Wines of the Month. I am certain there is a story behind why the 2007 vintage bottling was the last year that the...

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Malbec World Day Toronto

On April 15th, I attended #MalbecWorldDayTO that was co-hosted by iYellow Wine Club and Wines of Argentina at The Great Hall in the Queen West area in downtown Toronto. Malbec World Day is celebrated around the world every April 17th to commemorate the day when the President of Argentina Domingo Faustino Sarmiento officially made it his mission in 1853 to transform Argentina's...

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13th Street June's Vineyard Riesling 2011 (Niagara) - Wine Review

This gorgeous white wine was purchased from this Saturday's Vintages release (yup!) and hails from a vineyard named after one of the owners of 13th Street Winery. The vines for this wine were planted in 1999 and continue to produce excellent Riesling, as evidenced by this wine. However, there wasn't much produced - only 550 cases - so get your hands on it this weekend while...

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Apr. 12 LCBO Wine Picks: Appassimento + Easter

The next Vintages release will be on shelves across Ontario on Saturday, April 12th. Appassimento wines are the main focus of this release, while wines for Easter are highlighted in the small secondary feature. In case you didn't know, Appassimento is a winemaking technique that involves drying grapes and tends to produce naturally sweeter wines. There are 3 major styles...

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