Niagara Wine Festival 2012 - A Review

During the last weekend of September, I had the pleasure of visiting the Niagara Peninsula for the 61st Annual Grape and Wine Festival that celebrated this year's vintage harvest. This was my first time attending the big harvest festival in about 8 years, so I was excited to see what's changed during my absence. Discovery Pass in hand, we started off at Fielding Estate...

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Oct. 13 LCBO Wine Picks: Australia + Chile

The next Vintages wine release will be in LCBO outlets across Ontario on Saturday, October 13. The main feature in this release is on five impressive artisanal wineries from Australia. Four of these wineries have wines among my picks in this release. Australia is known for its Shiraz. But these four wines show that they are more than capable of producing outstanding wines...

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Casa Castillo Monastrell 2010 (Spain) - Wine Review

Purchased this red wine last week from the September 29th Vintages release. Made from Monastrell (as it's known in Spain), this varietal also known as Mataró or Mourvèdre in other wine regions. CASA CASTILLO MONASTRELL 2010 - DO Jumilla, Spain (#165621) (XD) - $13.95 Tasting Note: Meaty and fleshy plum aromas from the cork. Aromas of blackberry, violet, cedar oak, and...

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Rubaiyat Koshu Sur Lie 2009 (Japan) - Wine Review

This white wine is my first time tasting a wine from Japan and was acquired during the spring. It is meant to be opened young and can be purchased via private order from Savia Wine. RUBAIYAT KOSHU SUR LIE 2009 - Japan (XD) - $42 Tasting Note: Made with 100% Koshu fermented on the lees. Mild clean fruit aromas from the cork. Soft floral, lavender aromatics from the glass...

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Sept. 29 LCBO Wine Picks: Tuscany + Pinot Noir

The next Vintages wine release will be in LCBO outlets across Ontario on Saturday, September 29. This release focuses on Tuscan Traditions, which includes some very nice red wines at a very high price points. The Poggio Al Tesoro (blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc) and the Tenuta (blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese) are...

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Pascual Toso Reserve Malbec 2009 (Argentina) - Wine Review

Picked up this gem of a red wine while I was in Muskoka as I wasn't able to find it at an LCBO near me. It was purchased from the August 4 Vintages Release and there are quite a few still available. PASCUAL TOSO RESERVE MALBEC 2009 - Barrancas Vineyards, Mendoza, Argentina (#183897) (XD) - $19.95 Tasting Note: Earthy, mulberry and dark fruit aromas from the cork....

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Sept. 15 LCBO Wine Picks: Ontario Wines

The next LCBO Vintages release will be in stores across the province on Saturday, September 15. The theme of this release is on wines from Ontario, to coincide with the upcoming #LCBOgoLOCAL campaign that runs from mid-September to mid-October. A mini-theme of my picks this week includes 5 Chardonnays of various styles that includes 2 wines from Niagara, and 1 each from...

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