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’ –…
Category: Wine Talk
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…
The Regenerative GM: My Q&A with Tablas Creek’s Chief Terroir Officer Jason Haas
Earth Day is Thursday, April 22 and I can’t think of a better wine standard bearer, vineyard bon-vivant, herd-boss and planetary steward than Jason Haas (not to be confused with Adelita the Spanish Mastiff – the real herd-boss). You met Jason, the General Manager and Partner at Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles in my…
The Regenerative GM: Tablas Creek Vineyard’s Inspiring Circle of Life
When I called Jason Haas, the spirited, (staggeringly!) prolific General Manager at Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles, California it was ostensibly to talk chalk. If you’ve driven the dry, winding, oak-strewn roads of the western Adelaida wine district of Paso Robles (I worked harvest there in 2017) you know there’s a white, dusty cloud…
‘Rock and Soil’ Star: Winemaker Cathy Corison Digs Deep
I recently listened to down-to-earth rock star Alecia Moore – aka Pink – talk about how everything in her Santa Barbera vineyard made perfect sense after she dug her first soil pit. “I wanted to know why a vine here is vigorous, and next to it, not at all. Why some vines are healthy and…
Tasting Notes: the DRY Riesling Challenge – Niagara to FLX
Before we ‘taste’, let me be clear. I love all styles of Riesling. That said, it’s fair to say my previous purchase behaviour puts me squarely in the German feinherb camp (~10 – 20 grams/Litre Residual Sugar – RS). Feinherb – for those new to the Riesling game – is a German descriptor for a…
Searching for DRY Riesling: my Niagara to Finger Lakes 8 g/L RS Wine Challenge
I have a friend who might best be described as a wine aficionado. He likes the good stuff but he also likes good value. And he’s seriously miffed at the price of most international, award-winning wines. I suggested he drink local. He meh-ed. Do you like Riesling, I challenged. Yes, he said. But it has…
Breaking News: Pandemic Extends Hot Mulled Wine Season – Recipes from Near and Far
Yes, this pandemic sucks. But winter doesn’t need to…. not when a hot pot of mulled wine and simmering aromatic cheer can transport you to exotic markets and faraway places. Here in cool climate wine country (Ontario), we are surrounded by an international community of friends, all of whom tout a killer recipe for hot,…
Wine that’s Creating Positive Change: the Stratus and Evergreen Sustainable Wine Collection
What’s the perfect pairing? In the food and wine business, we like to say ‘what grows together, goes together’. Some examples? Spring strawberries and rhubarb (the best sweet/sour pie pairing ever), savoury Beef Bourguignon and red Burgundy (classic earthy flavours and aromas) and crisp, minerally Sancerre and creamy Crottin de Chavignol cheese (quintessentially Loire). While…
Part 3 – Sentient Wine and Beer brands Amp up Organic and Sustainability Messaging
Well that’s pretty much a wrap for September. How did you celebrate National Organic Month? If you’ve had the chance to read my last two blog posts (part 1, part 2), you’ll know I’ve spent the last few weeks thinking about why we buy and the factors shaping our 2020 consumer behaviours. There’s nothing more…
Part 2 – Sentient Wine and Alcohol Brands Amp up Organic and Sustainability Messaging
What’s more motivating? Better for Me or Better for the Planet? Understanding why we buy is one of the great 21st century marketing challenges. Neuromarketers say 90+% of the purchase decisions we make are governed by our subconscious, shaped by emotional drivers and motivations we don’t even know are at play. Those Levi’s jeans, that…
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