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Wine begins to flow across Canadian provinces
When Canadian premiers met this summer in Niagara-on-the-Lake, British Columbia’s Christy Clark had every intention of sending a message to Ontario’s Kathleen Wynne: free my grapes and consider...
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Looking for love from Labour Day long weekend wines
As the final long weekend of the summer approaches, Canadians are stocking up. The fervent feeding frenzy that takes place leading up to Christmas and even more so, New Year’s, is certainly the high...
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Would you drink only Canadian wine for a year?
The proposition is tougher than you think. “You may only purchase or open Canadian Wine for the duration of the challenge….for 365 days beginning on September 1st, 2013.” Only Canadian wine for a whole...
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Low alcohol wine for the High Holidays
A quick bit of Jewish 101. Tomorrow night is a Jew’s big night. There will be a great feast. Apples and honey will grace every table. The big meal will be followed by much sweet indulgence. Rosh...
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Ontario wines shine on
After spending the last two days tasting through 150 plus wines as a deputy judge for WineAlign’s World Wine Awards of Canada 2013, a reprieve is in order. Today I shift gears, shut off the global wine...
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Ancient, state of the art Spanish wine
Argument suggests that the cradle of wine civilization, borne of Levant and of Mesopotamia should rightfully translate to talk of global influence and relevance as emanating from Greece and the Middle...
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Red earth, white wine and September sparkling fire
The weekend brought us autumn. A certain type of exhaustion creeps in when summer turns over, especially after two weeks of early September, hectic activity. So I sipped my weekend wine, let the ghosts...
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Select tasting through years of the Stratus Red and White
Imagine this scene. It’s the year 2000 and all of the Stratus single varietal white wines have been bottled. J-L (Jean-Laurent) Groux and partner in wine at the time Peter Gamble are discussing the...
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Fall is the time for Tuscan wine
Tuscany. Entrenched in place as one of the most storied, time-tested and traditional wine regions of the world. For right reason, thanks in great measure to the chimerical, paragons of Brunello, Vino...
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Good look ahead at Canadian wines for Thanksgiving
The equation is simple. Long weekend plus Canadian wine equals vinous acumen. The holiday is Canadian Thanksgiving. A weekend to celebrate the harvest, all that was once and will again be good. Some...
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A Sancerre Thanksgiving
October is a very busy month in the world of fermented grapes. The local harvest will (almost) entirely see to its conclusion and winemakers will breathe a communal and proverbial sigh of collected...
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A Chile wind is blowing
The time of year when night bleeds into day. October winds blow colder and trees shed their skin. Fallen leaves cause urban sight lines to tighten with vertigo-effect like an intense, paranoid dolly...
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Top wines shine at Taste Ontario 2013
Taste Ontario is a special event. The VINTAGES prescribed gathering of Ontario wine, the makers and the marketers should never be missed. The Royal Ontario Museum is a terrific setting for such a...
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He spits, he scores: World Wine Awards of Canada results
Drinking, by definition, includes consuming and that would obviously be counterproductive to the wine evaluation process. So, wine writers and critics spit for their living. Why would anyone buy a wine...
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Free my Canadian grapes and other love songs
The discussion is no longer reserved for wine geeks and industry professionals. People are not just talking about wine law, they’re joining the band. The waves of interest may oscillate in the chatter...
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Momofuku meet Henriot
A Stratus pairing last Spring defined modernity incarnate. Dinner at David Chang’s Má Pêche in NYC’s Chambers Hotel introduced me to “dishes as colourful canvasses, never over-painted nor as...
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Ten more reasons to pour a glass of wine on Halloween
If you missed or would like to be reminded of last year’s top ten list, care to tempt a fate of Sisyphean dread or comedic retribution, read on: Top ten reasons to pour a glass of wine on Halloween....
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Nine big November best buy wines
Like it or not, the first week of November demands that we begin planning for the holiday season. The wine industry’s senses in Canada are highly acute to the preparations, as witnessed by the...
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Much ado about Napa
I would be lying if I said that I’m not a fan of Napa Valley wine. If you read hidden meaning into that statement it’s not because I dislike that to a red, so many examples are gorgeously voluptuous...
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Is $17 your wine sweet spot?
Anyone who has stood staring at a wall of bottles can relate. Those moments in the liquor store, trying to pick a bottle of wine, not being able to make a decision. Related – Nine big November best buy...
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