Niagara Icewine Festival Review 2016 - Day 2

After a full day of food & wine tasting on Saturday, our wine tour through Niagara continued on Sunday, January 24th with a pair of stops in Niagara-on-the-Lake and finishing out on the Escarpment. The first stop was Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate Winery, where we once again arrived just as the doors opened at 11 a.m. Our host then led us upstairs to the fabulous Estate...

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Win Tickets to 2016 Austrian Wine Fair in Toronto

On April 14 in Toronto, over 30 vintners present up to 165 wines at the Austrian Wine Fair in cooperation with the Austrian Wine Marketing Board and the Austrian Trade Commission. Traditionally known for its white wines, did you know that a third of Austria’s vineyards are made up of red wines? ‘Austrian Wines - A Taste of Culture’ is a public tasting event that is open...

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EastDell Estates Black Label Cabernet Merlot 2013 (Ontario) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine is the 2nd in my recent series on wines from EastDell Estates (the first wine being the 2014 EastDell Estates Black Label Viognier that I tasted last week). The 2013 vintage season was an interesting year in Niagara with some significant weather variations throughout the growing season. Temperatures were close to normal, while precipitation ranged from normal...

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Win Tickets to 2016 County in the City presented by WineAlign

The 5th Annual “County in the City” presented by WineAlign takes place on Thursday, April 14, 2016 at Berkeley Church (Toronto). Sample more than 70 different wines from at least 14 wineries from Prince Edward County - one of the world’s fastest growing wine regions. Many small-batch and family-owned wineries will showcase their pride and joy - including new vintages and specialty...

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EastDell Estates Black Label Viognier 2014 (Ontario) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine is a delicious Ontario Viognier that is already available at the winery, but will also be released into VINTAGES on April 2nd. EastDell Estates was founded in 1999 and sold to current owner, Diamond Estates, in 2005. The EastDell logo depicts a blue heron, which has a natural migration path across their vineyards. I'm generally not one to comment on labels,...

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April 2 VINTAGES Release: Europe vs New World

The mono-themed April 2, 2016 VINTAGES Release will be on LCBO shelves across Ontario this coming Saturday. It is titled "Double Exposure" and compares the original European wines with their New World renditions. Of the 18 wines featured, 6 wines are included among my wine picks and the majority of these are (somewhat surprising to me) from the New World. First up is a...

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Domaine Millet Chablis 2014 (Burgundy) - Wine Review

Opened up this clean, delicious Chablis (Chardonnay) last night and it paired well with one of my favourite Indian dishes - large shrimp with onions and tomatoes. The story of Domaine Millet begins when farmer Philippe Millet settled a piece of land called "la Ferme de Marcault" in the mid-1960's and since some of those lots where he cultivated cereals were eligible for AOC...

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