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…
Tag: Canada
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…
Locals Drink Local: The Hidden Gems & Must Try Wines of Prince Edward County
There was a great advertising campaign in 2017 for the high-speed Eurostar train that connects London to Paris. The message read: “Ask a local, not your phone.” The campaign encouraged travellers to ditch their technology and tap the local knowledge and passion of the community. Paris isn’t in the cards for most Canadians living a post…
Bottled Optimism: The Exceptional Wines of Prince Edward County
In a perfect world (audible sigh), I’d be lounging on an outdoor patio chair at (say) Waupoos Winery, in Prince Edward County (PEC) with a beautifully chilled Rosé, enjoying spectacular views of Lake Ontario with friends and family. We’d laugh, we’d high-five, and we might even steal a sip or two from each other’s glass…
Takin’ it to the Street: Pandemic-Weary, Quarantined Neighbours Drink & Review Canadian Wine
The other day I was walking my dog – observing physical-distancing best practices (!) – when I came across a neighbour’s bag of empty wine bottles parked beside the recycling bin. As a market researcher, I simply could not keep walking. This was a deliciously nerdy, ethnographic research study in a bag and it was…
Wines that are Better for You & the Environment. Meet Canadian Environmental Steward – Ann Sperling of Southbrook Vineyards
“Prescience” comes from the Latin verb praescire, which means to know beforehand, to have foresight. Prescient organizations often have leaders who – as the brilliant Queen’s University marketing professor Ken Wong says – aren’t afraid of leadership. “They recognize the ultimate competitive value is to be the best you.” Needless to say, to lead with…
Culmina Family Estate Winery: The Triggs of the Trade
I don’t think it would be a stretch to describe Culmina’s Sales and Marketing Manager, Sara Triggs as a tour de force. Like Gordon Fitzpatrick who you met in my last post – Sara is a second-generation winemaker, and like Gordon, a descendant of Canadian winemaking royalty. Sara’s parents are Don and Elaine Triggs (see…
Second Generation Winemaking Families: Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards Sparkle
Kiefer Sutherland, Kate Hudson, Angelina Jolie, Rashida Jones…….Sara Triggs? Gordon Fitzpatrick? What do they have in common? Some serious star power and a lot of familial fame. In the next two posts, you’ll meet the sons and daughters of industry legends who have stepped out of their parent’s shadows to carry on a family tradition….
2018 Experts’ Tasting Profiles Niagara Peninsula’s Stunning Range of Cab Franc
For too long, Cabernet Franc has been the “other” Cabernet. Too green, not enough power, too little backbone, they’d say. Yes, it’s the vineyard workhorse, yes, it offers the best disease resistance, yes, it’s cold hardy, earlier ripening and the trusted player in the blend line-up, but rarely…. rarely, was that enough to make Cab…
CheckMate: Anthony von Mandl’s Master Class in Terroir Curation
Checkmate Artisanal Winery: 4799 Wild Rose Street, Oliver, Okanagan Valley, BC CheckMate doesn’t boast a high-end, architecturally inspiring winery – yet. What it has, instead, is a chessboard of ten, site-specific, small-lot vineyards in the southern region of the Okanagan Valley that provide a fabulously distinct range of Chardonnay and Merlot fruit. If you are a…
Anthony von Mandl’s Kelowna Triple Threat: Mission Hill, Cedar Creek & Martin’s Lane Wineries
If you live inside (or outside) of Canada there’s a good chance you have limited experience with the full breadth of Canadian wine…and by limited I mean not much at all! Protectionist provincial politics, byzantine interprovincial shipping laws, and the generally glacial pace of change in industry regulations mean we have an utter dearth of…
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