Profiles

Tantalus – July 2016

I had the pleasure of visiting Tantalus at the end of August. It was just the beginning of veraison. I got to walk the vineyards and pick out the few berries that had started to turn red. It was clear that the Okanagan valley had gotten an early start on...

Megalomaniac (Aug 2016)

It has been a little while since I visited Megalomaniac. I still maintain that Frank Cabernet is one of the best value wines in the province. I did need to make time to stop by as many of the 2012 wines have been released. It should also be noted that...

Sperling Vineyards (July 2016)

One of my first stops in the Okanagan was to Sperling Estates. I have long been a fan of Ann Sperling’s work at Southbrook. So, as soon as I knew I was heading out west my first point of order was to make sure I got a chance to visit...

The Hatch Winery

The next few weeks on ww.andrewinereview.ca will be dedicated to profiling the wineries I had the opportunity to visit on my summer road trip. I travelled through the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia and down to the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Over the course of 9 days I tasted over...

Cuddy Wines by Tawse

After five years of free beer in the dressing room you get tired of it. So the logical step (obviously) is to move to Grand Cru Bordeaux. This is what Jim Cuddy told me when I recently connected with him to talk about his new wines released through Tawse. In...

Icewine and Fried Chicken

Let’s just say this is a continuation of my attempt to indoctrinate everyone about the proper way to drink Icewine. Can we all say it together now … Icewine does not belong with dessert. Earlier this summer I had the opportunity pair up Riesling Icewine with one of my favorite...

2013 Stratus White – 2015 Charles Baker Ivan Vineyard Riesling

2013 Stratus White – $38.00 – ****1/2 – The 2012 version of this wine was one of the most memorable wines I tasted through last year. I opened this bottle with great anticipation. I was not disappointed. This is a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Viognier. Stratus White...

New Zealand – It’s more than just Sauvignon Blanc

I think at this point everyone is very familiar with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. I have to tip my hat to the Kiwis for taking something and adding their own signature to it. Personally, I have grown a little tired of drinking only NZ Sauvignon Blanc. I have joked that...

2013 The Foreign Affair Apologetic Red

2013 Foreign Affair Apologetic Red – Vintages 471516 – $69.95 – ****½ – The label is adorned with the word sorry. The wines from the Foreign Affair are all crafted as a love letter to Canada and to Italy where owner Len Crispino fell in love with the appassimento style...

Columbia Crest

I recently had the chance to taste through a few new wines coming to the regular list at the LCBO. As it stands right now California makes up 89% of the total production of wine coming from the United States with Washington state coming in a distant second at 4%....

2014 Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Baco Noir

2014 Henry of Pelham Speck Family Reserve Baco Noir – Vintages 461699 – $24.95 – ****+ – Can Baco be refined? One of the reasons I love Baco from Henry of Pelham is that is comes a little rough around the edges. So it’s interesting to get a bottle with...

2014 Spier Merlot

2014 Spier Merlot – LCBO 454827 – $12.95 – ***½+ – Straightforward and easy drinking. This is a bottle to enjoy with good company and a burger. I realize that for most people watching a football or baseball game calls for beer, but this is the sort of wine that...