California native Martha Stoumen exudes warmth and joy, then bottles that adventurous, sunny spirit in her fun-loving, highly sought-after, natural wines. An outspoken champion of transparent winemaking, Martha Stoumen Wines are taking Northern California in an exciting new direction with lower alcohol, fresh and beautifully balanced wines that shine a spotlight on the grapes and…
RAW WINE Toronto: Similkameen Valley’s Scout Vineyard is Rooted in Minimalist, Farm-Driven Wines
The November 16th RAW WINE Toronto fair is your ticket to tasting amazing, naturally produced wines. One RAW WINE grower/winemaking team clearing Isabelle Legeron’s very high quality bar is Scout Vineyard, a wine farm on the southern border of the incredibly beautiful Similkameen Valley, in British Columbia. Launched in 2018, Team Scout includes Similkameen friends…
RAW WINE Fairs Come to Canada: Meet Isabelle Legeron MW, the Doyenne of Natural, Responsibly Farmed Wine
The annual RAW WINE Fair month – the world’s largest gathering of “low-intervention, organic, biodynamic, natural wine producers” – is making its debut in Toronto on November 16, 2022 and it’s sure to be a tasty celebration for local wine lovers. Toronto is the 6th wine loving city to join the RAW WINE tour, a…
Prosocial Social Media: The Crowdsourced Optimism of the Finger Lakes Wine Aficionados
While it kills me to shill for Mark Zuckerberg and the data-brokers at Meta, occasionally I come across a Facebook group that seizes the digital zeitgeist. One such community is the Finger Lakes (FLX) Wine Aficionados. A more prolific, passionate and welcoming group of wine lovers, you just won’t meet. These folks are huge proponents…
Crushing It: Meet Justin Hall – Proud Indigenous Head Winemaker at B.C.’s Nk’Mip Cellars
In June 2021, the sunny and oh-so-spirited Justin Hall became the new, head winemaker at Nk’Mip Cellars in the southern Okanagan Valley (pronounced in-ka-meep). What’s remarkable about this bit of news is Justin is a proud member of the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB), one of seven bands that make up the Okanagan Nation in central…
B.C. Winery Nk’Mip Cellars: A Remarkable Indigenous Success Story Driven by Trailblazing Chief
Wine writers love to wax poetic about wines that speak to a ‘sense of place’. Yes, it’s a bit of a tired maxim, one that’s often overused and steeped in hyperbole. But when you actually, truly DO find a wine producer who delivers on ‘place’, it’s a pretty big deal. So what does it mean?…
Niagara Wineries Rooted in the War of 1812
My interest in Niagara wine and the War of 1812, was fuelled by a tour ad I saw on the Ontario Wine Lover’s Facebook page. Dan Martin is the guy behind the ad. Dan is a retired history/philosophy/geography high school teacher from northern Quebec (aka Lower Canada :-). His love of military history is matched…
A War of 1812 Timeline: The Political, Cultural and Nation-Defining History Swirling in your Glass of Niagara Wine
If you’re a wine-loving history buff with a penchant for War of 1812 battle lore, then read on… In my last blog post I outlined the issues leading up to the War of 1812, wherein the Americans invaded – or at least attempted to invade – Canada. It was not America’s finest hour: most historians…
Vineyards of Wine & Blood: The US Invasion of Canada in the War of 1812 helped define Niagara Wine
“The bucolic appearance of these vineyards today belies the real bloodshed that went on here.” Fort George reenactment soldier Sure, Canada and the United States are BFFs now sharing the longest land border in the world (8,890 km), a Peace Bridge, a Rainbow Bridge, and bragging rights to the current US Vice President, Kamala Harris (yep, she grew…
Rosé eh? 10 Deliciously Diverse & Perfectly Pink Niagara Rosé Wines for Summer
Is there a wine more celebratory than Rosé? I suppose you could argue Champagne and sparkling wines wear that crown. But after the winter from hell that we’ve all collectively endured, I’d argue nothing signifies hope, patios and the promise of sunnier days ahead quite like pink wine. Rosé’s days as a lightweight ‘contenda’ –…
Avignonesi Winery: Leading Montepulciano’s Vino Nobile Regenerative Renaissance
Michael Lewis, one of my all-time favourite authors (Moneyball, The Big Short) says he knows he’s at the intersection of a great story and a great central character when his palms start to sweat. Usually, he adds, the story involves someone who doesn’t take the safe road. They follow some idealistic, quixotic path that inevitably…
‘The Summer Job’ Book Review: Can You Fake being a Sommelier?
How delusional – or perhaps, desperate – would you have to be to think you could fake your way through a job as a ‘world-class’ Sommelier at a Scottish fine dining hotel with not a lick of wine knowledge or real-world skills? For anyone who’s ever worked in hospitality, the answer to this question is…
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