Wine Tasting in Prince Edward County - Oct 2017 (Day 1 of 2)

During Thanksgiving Day long weekend in October, after many years of procrastinating, I finally managed to get out to Prince Edward County for the first time - ever! Prince Edward County (a.k.a. The County) is located along the northern shores of Lake Ontario, west of Kingston. Tastings were spread out over two days. Since we were returning from a mini-vacation in Ottawa,...

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Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2016 (New Zealand) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a recent arrival to the LCBO, as it was part of the July 21 LCBO VINTAGES Release. It is produced by Wither Hills, a winery in New Zealand that takes its name from the landmark Wither Hills mountain range that borders their vineyards. It was founded as a small boutique winery in 1994 by (former) winemaker Brent Marris with a passion to craft the very...

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Wine Picks LCBO VINTAGES Release August 4, 2018: Eco-Friendly + Puglia + Campania

The upcoming LCBO VINTAGES Release on August 4, 2018 takes a look at Eco-Friendly Wines in its main theme, while the mini-theme compares the southern Italian wine regions of Puglia and Campania. All of these wines be on VINTAGES shelves across Ontario beginning this Saturday. We'll begin with the main theme that lists sixteen wines that are Eco-Friendly, including wines...

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Joseph's Estate Proprietor's Grand Reserve Cabernet Franc 2004 (Niagara) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is from Joseph's Estate Wines, a family owned and operated winery whose history goes back even further than when it first opened its doors in Niagara-on-the-Lake in 1996. Dr. Joseph Pohorly was born in Vineland, Ontario, to a farmer's son and learned how to grow grapes and other fruit crops. With time, he gained knowledge of the land, geography, and...

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Wine Reviews - June 24 Birthday Party

On Sunday, June 24, we threw a birthday party at Bombay Touch in Thornhill for my son who just turned a year old. I brought in my own wines for the occasion, spanning a fairly wide range of categories so that each guest could find at least one wine that would appeal to their palate. Wines styles included a dry rosé, a dry white wine, a sweet white wine, and a variety of...

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Backyard Vineyards Nosey Neighbour Cabernet Franc 2015 & EastDell Pinot Noir 2016 (Niagara) - Wine Reviews

Tonight's wine reviews are a pair of wines produced by Lakeview Wine Co., a division of Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Ltd. Based in Niagara-on-the-Lake, this large wine producer has many brands within their portfolio, including EastDell, 20 Bees, FRESH Wines, McMichael Collection, Dan Aykroyd, Lakeview Cellars, and more recently, Backyard Vineyards. The Backyard...

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Cantalici (Tuscany) Winemaker's Dinner at Mangia et Bevi

Last Fall, I had the pleasure of tasting the wines from Tuscany's Cantalici Winery with Winemaker Carlo Cantalici and Export Manager Angela Butini at Mangia et Bevi in the eastern end of downtown Toronto. After everyone arrived, we sat down at the long, communal-style dinner table and Angela and Carlo began telling us about their winery and taking us through the wines...

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