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Wine Travel – keeping it local in 2020

September 3, 2020 / Mel / 3 Comments

Happy September everyone! As you know, these days I’ve been fighting the travel bug by doing my wine travel through my palate. This wine travel idea inspired me to write an article for my neighbourhood magazine. It’s obviously written for a local Ottawa audience, but since most of you don’t live in the area, I’ve copied the article below (and added some pretty pictures), just for you. Enjoy!

Top summer wine picks under $25

August 24, 2020 / Mel / 0 Comments

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:

Gobsmacked Cyclops Love
CR5 Gold
Lafage Miraflors rosé
Trail Estate baco noir

View of San Gimignano from Fattoria Poggio Alloro

Vernaccia di San Gimignano and Tuscan memories of gluttony

July 26, 2020 / Mel / 4 Comments

The senses can be a truly powerful force. I recently opened a bottle of Vernaccia di San Gimignano and found myself in Tuscany! Read 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.

Vineyards on a hill by the sea — Roussillon vineyard by the Med. Photo credit: Vins du Roussillon Facebook page

Adventures in Roussillon white wines #Winophiles

July 17, 2020 / Mel / 23 Comments

Today I am joining the French Winophiles, a group of wine bloggers from around the world who love fermented French grapes, in their monthly virtual meet-up. Saturday morning’s discussion over on Twitter will focus on white wines from Roussillon, France’s southernmost winemaking region. Read to the end for more details.

A personal connection – or not

Being a Canadian/French dual citizen, I often consider myself quite familiar with France and its geography. And when I first heard that this month’s Winophiles chat would be on Roussillon, I thought “Great! I know that region and I’ve been there quite a bit in the last few years.” Except that once I started doing some research, I realized that it might not be the case. Continue reading