Unencumbered by tradition, courageous Quebec winemakers are taking cool climate winemaking to new heights with an exciting mix of hybrids, vinifera and blended fruit styles. I’m just back from an incredible four-day road trip to Quebec’s Eastern Townships to visit friends and search for sparkling wine. Why sparkling you ask? Because La Belle Province is…
Category: Beginnings
Niagara Wineries Rooted in the War of 1812
My interest in Niagara wine and the War of 1812, was fuelled by a tour we took to the Niagara Falls History Museum. The museum connects the history of Upper and Lower Canada to: a) the long-standing rivalry between Great Britain and France which was inescapably entwined in our relationship with the young United States,…
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…
Bordeaux’s Château de Reignac: a Case Study in Risk and Reward
If you’re of a certain vintage – or a student of advertising – you may be familiar with the seminal 1962 advertising campaign for Avis. The car rental company summed up their ‘customer promise’ in the pithy advertising tagline “We Try Harder”. Of course, consumers everywhere wondered try harder than whom? Without saying as much,…
Wine-making Canadians in Napa – Meet Ray Signorello Jr.
Over the holidays, I had the pleasure of reading Canada’s #truepatriotlove poster boy, Mike Myers. His memoir, Canada, is the former SNL funnyman’s unabashed love letter to Canada and his critical take on what traits define our country. A “bastion of progressive ideals”, “a country where I am my brother’s keeper”, the “heartland of civility”…
Coming Jan 1/18: Cannabis Infused Sauvignon Blanc from one “Bad-Ass” California Winery
“This is the first-ever marijuana infused wine,” announces the weed-wine pitchman with a revolutionary fervor that makes my fellow wine writers at the Santa Rosa Wine Bloggers Conference lean in. “Our company is called Rebel Coast and we’re winemakers,” he continues, proudly displaying his green wine. Flowers of the marijuana plant are heated to activate…
My Bucket List Visit to Napa Valley’s Chateau Montelena: After the Fires
A visit to legendary Chateau Montelena has been on my bucket list since I learned about The Judgement of Paris – the seminal 1976 blind tasting event that pitted new-kid-on-the block California wine against the great wines of France. If it sounds like an epic battle, that’s because it was. At the time, it was…
In Search of the World’s Best Pinot Noir
Blind tasting can be a challenge for even the best tasters out there, especially if the wine producer doesn’t follow the rules of “typicity”. Typicity is when the winery produces a wine based on conventional practices or styles established for a particular varietal. For Riesling from Alsace, for example, that means producing a wine…
A Must Read Blog 