I often get asked why I don’t recommend more Aussie wines. “People seem to find their own way into that section” or “people need other wines in their life” are my usual answers. When Aussie winemakers deliver something other than crowd-pleasers I’m delighted to spread the word. Such as the wonderful trio under the Long [...]
Fielding in the latest local winery to produce a white blend combining a light, tart feeling with exotic, Muscat flavours. Refreshment with a tease. Simplicity wiht a shot of glamour. See what a little Gewurztraminer and barrel fermented Chardonnay can do for the usually conservative Pinot Gris. I think that Ontairo is on to something [...]
Wine School on the Web
Drink your way through Billy’s Best wine book – a bottle or two at a time. Follow the instructions and you’ll be a wine wizard by Easter. New lessons are posted every week, typically Wednesday. Looking forward to hearing about your ‘homework’!
Lesson #6 EXPERIENCE NICE
Nice is the most wrongly used wine [...]
THE LOW DOWN: The feature wine country for the March 6th Vintages release is Chile – so it’s going to be a mixed feelings release due to the tragic earthquake. While there might not have been loss of life at the wineries, there is talk of substantial loss of wine stocks. This is an unfortunate [...]
‘STEAK DINNER’
Hillebrand’s Trius Red is now in its 20th vintage – a legend in local wine. It’s produced from the Bordeaux grape varieties (Cabs and Merlot) and I like how it manages to feel both stylish and crowd-pleasing. Fancy but not pretentious. The Canadian way. The early vintages of Trius were made by a French [...]
‘A COLD GLASS OF SOMETHING COLD & FUN’
This is the wine to have open in your fridge for short episodes of Olympic watching. The spicy, zesty quality of Gewurztraminer delivers an instant lift – a shot of fun. And Jackson-Triggs is the official wine sponsors of the games. Everyone wins.
JACKSON-TRIGGS 07 Gewurztraminer, VQA Niagara 526269 [...]
‘PREMIUM SIPPING REDS’
Here’s a thought. If we’re watching our athletes competing against the best why shouldn’t we be sipping on some of our best wines? TV watching is usually associated with low quality drinks, but it doesn’t have to be. Why not multi-task – double the fun – with interesting wine experiences?Not the super-expensive, but [...]
‘THE POWER OF THE UNDERDOG’
While it would be ‘cool’ to match local wines with each Olympic sport I’m not doing it because I didn’t get the contract. Nobody did. Besides it’s probably illegal to mention wine on sports programs. A TV producer once told me that I couldn’t be shown pouring or drinking the wine [...]
THE LOW DOWN: My favourite wines from the previous two releases were Côtes du Rhône, and now this release features that region (the southern Rhône). Yippee!! My five picks this week are out-and-out charmers. So warm and cuddly you may not want the winter to end.
I’m also recommending a pair of New World rich reds [...]
