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…
Tag: wine
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…
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…
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