Discover your wine style, one glass at a time

Category: Sparkling

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

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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Top Ontario sparkling wines to ring in the New Year

Hanukah and Christmas are over, but there’s still one major holiday left: New Years! As per usual, we have no plans. But one thing is for certain: there will be bubbly. And it will likely be Ontario sparkling wine this New Year’s Eve, to continue supporting our local wineries. Maybe we’ll just drink bubbly all night long by the fire. It’ll be a stark contrast to last year, when we rang in the New Year barefoot, watching fireworks from the bow of a catamaran (not ours) in Grand Case, in St. Martin.

I suspect this year will be slightly more subdued.

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Best Ontario sparkling wines to celebrate the end of 2020 – Part One

It’s the time of year where we all start thinking about bubbles! Whether for gift‑giving purposes, or just to open in honour of surviving another day, there is a bubbly for every occasion. To that end, I have compiled a list of the top Ontario sparkling wines to get you through the holidays and celebrate the New Year. I think we can all agree that it’s time for this godforsaken year to come to an end already (don’t let the door hit you on your way out, 2020!).

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Niagara Wine Picks for October

People often tell me they don’t like Ontario wines.

I understand where they’re coming from. Many Ontario vines are babies in the grand scheme of things. They haven’t had time to settle into the terroir and establish themselves, so the wines they produce may not be at the same level as Old World wines that have been around forever.

That said, there are many wineries in Ontario whose vines have been around long enough to make absolutely stellar wines. Today I am sharing four stunning Niagara wines, one from each wine group (sparkling, red, white, and rosé!). Let this be a reminder to all the skeptics that it’s time to try Ontario again.

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Between the seasons – four Thanksgiving wine picks

Well folks, summer may officially be over, with ever shorter days and increasingly nippy nights, but it’s hard to tell with these lingering warm temperatures and only the beginnings of gorgeous fall views. And here in Canada, it’s somehow already Thanksgiving weekend! Not to worry, I’ve got your Thanksgiving wines covered, no matter what you’re eating! And all at less than $20 a bottle to boot!

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Spotlight on Benjamin Bridge, Nova Scotia

Though you maybe can’t tell from the title, this is Part 2 of a two-part series on Wining in Nova Scotia. Be sure to read Part 1!

Our first wine-tasting stop in the Annapolis Valley was at a winery that accepts visitors by appointment only and is not even visible from the road. Detailed instructions are necessary since it is totally unmarked. Armed with Google Maps and the directions I received from the winery by email, we still managed to get a bit lost. Continue reading

Thanksgiving Wining

Happy belated Thanksgiving friends!

Yes, I know that was a week ago, and the drastic change in weather has been quite a jolt to the system and makes it feel like it was a lifetime ago. A week ago, it was sunny and warm, with no jackets required. Today it was so cold I needed to pull out a toque (for those outside of Canada, that is a winter hat, as seen here) and boots. Not. A. Fan.

Let’s go back to last week then, shall we?

Not only was the weather beautiful, but it was the national holiday where taking the day off work is mandatory to stuff yourself full of turkey, stuffing, yams and, of course, wine. Continue reading

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