Discover your wine style, one glass at a time

Category: Wine and food pairing (Page 1 of 3)

Innovative winemaking in Catalunya’s Penedès: Torres Gran Coronas Reserva

Have you ever been to Barcelona? If so, you’ve been just a hop, skip and a jump away from the Penedès winemaking region in Catalunya. Though it is best known as the home of cava (i.e. Spain’s version of Champagne), there is a huge range of amazing wines coming out of this region. Today we’ll be exploring its innovative winemaking, and tasting Familia Torres’ Gran Coronas Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon.

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Rosés are red? Love for Provence’s big red wines and Château Calissanne #winophiles

Ahh Provence. Those of you who know me well know that this is a region that is close to my heart, since half my family lives there. When it comes to wine, the area is best known for its rosés, but its reds should not be overlooked. Today, the French #winophiles and I are exploring these hearty red wines from Provence. I’ll be tasting Château Calissanne’s Rocher Rouge.

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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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What the heck is Côtes du Rhône Villages?

Did you know that Côtes du Rhône wines are some of the most popular blends in the world? And then there is Côtes du Rhône Villages. What’s the difference? Is one really better than the other? This month, as part of the French #winophiles meet-up, I set out to investigate Côtes du Rhône Villages. As in any legitimate experiment, this involves tasting some examples of the different classifications to see if the wines at the top of the “quality” pyramid really are tastier.

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Top summer wine picks under $25

How is summer almost over? The days are already getting depressingly shorter. Sunset at 7:30? No fair! It feels like we were all just getting the hang of summer living in COVID times. But despite this crazy year, we can’t stop the passage of time. So here are my red, white and rosé top summer wine picks (all under $25!) to send summer off in style:

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Vernaccia di San Gimignano and Tuscan memories of gluttony

The senses can be a truly powerful force. I recently opened a bottle of Vernaccia di San Gimignano and found myself in TuscanyRead on as I recount our last evening in Tuscany and the amazing farm-to-table meal at Fattoria Poggio Alloro.

Anyone else embarking on wine travel these days?

I love drinking a wine and being transported to far-off places through the sensations on my palate.

I’m talking about pulling the cork and being whisked away to a foreign land by the bouquet. You close your eyes and with that first sip you can hear the Mediterranean breeze whispering through the olive trees.

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