Wining with Mel

Discover your wine style, one glass at a time

Category: Educational (Page 1 of 6)

Discovering a new favourite appellation in the Centre-Loire

April 14, 2025 / / 0 Comments

My love for Loire Valley sauvignon blanc is no secret. To the point where I took time during my vacation last year to help harvest it. I am a dedicated fan. So when I have an opportunity to learn about much-loved appellations like Sancerre from the Centre-Loire, it doesn’t take much to convince me.

About a month ago, I received an invitation to attend a masterclass and walkaround tasting in Montréal, featuring the wines of the Centre-Loire. I hemmed and hawed about it for a while, since that is now a three-hour drive away after my move last year. But in the end, the idea of tasting a wide range of wines from a region I love won me over.

So on April 1, armed with podcasts and a playlist entitled Songs to Sing in the Car, off I went on a road trip to Montréal.

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Wining with Mel’s first time ever in Niagara!

October 31, 2022 / / 4 Comments

If there’s one thing that most people don’t know about me, it’s that besides a middle-school trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake to see a play at the Shaw Festival, I have never been to Niagara.

Shocking, I know.

What self-respecting Canadian wine writer has never visited the nation’s largest viticultural region??

With a milestone birthday coming up, it was time to remedy this travesty. I started dropping hints months ago about going to Niagara for the big event. So when my husband told me to pack a bag for a surprise birthday trip last weekend, I had my suspicions about where we were going.

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Baumann-Zirgel Crémant d’Alsace – Your New Champagne Alternative #winophiles

June 17, 2022 / / 1 Comment

This month the French Winophiles are delving into the sparkling world of Crémant d’Alsace, and I will be focusing in particular on two excellent examples from Domaine Baumann-Zirgel.

Last year I had the pleasure of tasting a myriad of samples from Alsace, thanks to the Alsace Digitasting. And while it totally rekindled my love for riesling, I was disappointed that due to sample bottling constraints, we weren’t able to try any Crémant d’Alsace, the famed traditional-method sparkling wine from the region. So I was thrilled when the Winophiles chose Crémant for this month’s topic, as it gave me a chance to make up for lost bubbly!

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Bottle of Mas de Pampelonne and sunset

Rosé all year with Côtes de Provence

January 15, 2022 / / 6 Comments

I was born in the south of France, and after moving to Canada, I went back every summer to spend time with my family in Provence. Looking back on those visits conjures up the scent of pine trees and the feel of the salty Mediterranean breeze on my skin while fishing with my grandmother, not to mention visions of tables laid out with a panoply of delectable dishes and multiple bottles of wine. Given my past, it’s no wonder I became a wine lover, with rosé as my all-time go-to.

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White and red bottle of Chapoutier Belleruche

The Wonderful World of Chapoutier in Côtes du Rhône

September 16, 2021 / / 8 Comments

I never turn down a chance to drink/taste/write about wines from the Côtes du Rhône. They are some of the most gorgeous, easy-drinking wines from France. So when I found out the French Winophiles were discussing this beautiful wine region in the South of France this month, I knew I had to participate. While some of my fellow Winophiles received samples, I went to the LCBO to grab a couple of my go-to (i.e. affordable!) Côtes du Rhône wines from well-known producer M. Chapoutier.

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