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LCBO Elsie Awards
House cleaning, a.k.a. skimming the fat from the stock seems to be on Rob Ford’s Toronto city hall agenda as staffers continue to resign and be dismissed of their duties. Premier Kathleen Wynne says “I...
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Cooking 3,900 meals for 1,300 Ultimate athletes. Clothing optional
I am thoroughly and utterly exhausted. Outta gas. Kaput. Every bone in my body aches. Cuts, bruises and burns cover my hands and wrists. Put a fork in me. I’m done. That’s what cooking 3,900 meals to...
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‘It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll’ (but I like wine)
It’s all about the rocks and stones, in music and wine. Witness songs of raw power, laid wide open, where the squeaks of chord changes, the twang of a plucked bass and the bee bop of a snare hang out...
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Money back guarantee wines
Ever opened a bottle of wine, had a sip or two and decided you just didn’t like it? Happens all the time, right? The thing is, in most cases you can return that wine, especially if it was purchased at...
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Showcase Showdown: Rosewood Sémillon
Humbled once again. After tasting through five vintages of Rosewood Sémillon, there are two things I now know for certain. It’s impossible to guess the exact value of prizes in the showcase showdown...
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Good time wine and a beer for Father’s Day
But we’ll get together then, dad We’re gonna have a good time then Father’s Day demands an obvious directive to reconnect but what does dad really want on Sunday? Maybe he wants to watch the U.S. Open...
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Wine dividends, medals and twisted corks
Around this time last year the LCBO boasted about record profits, sales increases and an unprecedented $1.55 billion dividend flipped into the provincial government’s coffers. My May 17, 2012 column...
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Are you wine experienced?
Wine knowledge, or gaining an understanding of wine, is like marriage. You have to pay close attention to detail, be open-minded, have patience and persistence, hang in there and endure the long haul....
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Working wines for the Canada Day weekend
June has been long, wet, arduous and full of promise. Exhausting too. It began with a cooking ordure show for 1,300 Ultimate athletes. There have been food and wine tastings all over Ontario. The...
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Finding the wine pulse of the Finger Lakes
New York’s Finger Lakes is the largest wine growing region in the state, located along and adjacent the south-north flows of Keuka, Seneca, Cayuga and Canandaigua. The pastures perched nearly 1000 feet...
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A sound return to North Fork wine
Just under I year ago I trekked to the western reaches of the North Fork wine region of Long Island, N.Y. I visited a few wineries on a spit of land between Long Island Sound and Peconic Bay, an area...
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Hot weekend wines and cool Chardonnay
My skies of late have espied no dark clouds and no rain. While torrential storms and unprecedented flooding hit Toronto last week I was fortunate to be basking in six days of Vancouver sun. I returned...
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Gimme Shelter Island, Fenway Park and North Fork wine
There is nothing quite like a good road trip. No matter the intended destination, a journey through heartlands, heaving cities and bucolic paths stir, enrich and develop the final stew. A roadhouse in...
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B.C. wine: From Vancouver to your table
On a recent West Coast swing I sampled wines from British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley without ever leaving the city of Vancouver. A bicycle was all I needed to find Salt Tasting Room in Blood Alley. A...
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B.C. wine part two: Eat, drink, love Vancouver
L’Abattoir, 217 Carrall St., Gastown, Vancouver, BC V6B 2J2 (604) 568-1701 Some restaurant experiences leave a mark. A night at L’Abattoir inks an indelible, permanent tattoo. Located in the heart of...
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Alternative wines for the August long weekend
A word of advice if I may. Grab hold of the coming long weekend and put it in your pocket. Take full advantage of the time you have with family and friends. Eat corn. Local ears will never be as...
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‘I4C’ a future filled with Chardonnay
In July of 2011, the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Association held their inaugural event, the celebration, the fourth “C.” On the weekend of July 19-21, 2013 the third Cool Climate Chardonnay...
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New white wine love for ‘The Savvy’
There’s this grape I want to tell you about. Sometimes there’s a grape. I won’t say a gambler but certainly an opportunist. I’m talking about “The Savvy,” that green-skinned grape variety from...
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A midsummer night’s chill red wine
Just about this time last summer I suggested to chill red wines for another hot weekend. The recent moderate weather might be considered just cause to negate such a de facto refrain but look ahead to...
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A paradox of wine accents
Wine and language, two very complex organisms, first and foremost predetermined by the land from which they’ve come. Soil and birthplace. Climate is so very important too, in ripening fruit and...
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