Profiles

O’Leary Wines – Reserve

We have a few celebrities who threw their hat into the ring early when it came to making Canadian wine. The main three were Wayne Gretzky, Mike Weir, and Dan Akroyd. I don’t doubt for one minute that there is a passion from these individuals to making wine. A couple...

Pondview Lot 74

Both of these wines are approachable and easy drinking. Made to pair with food and unpretentious. I realize I have been saying this a lot lately but not all wines are meant for the cellar sometimes you just want something crowd pleasing and affordable. Lot 74 fits the bill. 2014...

2012 Chateau des Charmes Equuleus

2012 Chateau des Charmes Equuleus – $40.00 – ****1/2 – Simply put this wine is fantastic. This is a perfect indicator of the quality of the 2012 vintage with a wine that is both approachable right now (with some decanting) and will make a great addition to a budding wine...

2014 Quinta Da Aveleda Vinho Verde

2014 Quinta Da Aveleda Vinho Verde – LCBO 89995 – $10.95 – Bright, crisp and easy very easy drinking. This wine has aromas of slight floral underneath pink grapefruit with lime. My favorite thing about this wine is the slightly oily texture that fills your mouth on the finish. I would...

Peller 10 Below Icewine Lounge

I recently visited Peller estates because I got an invitation to check out the 10 Below Icewine Lounge. When I arrived at Peller I wasn’t sure what to expect. The word lounge conjoured up an image of a private tasting room with couches dedicated exclusively to Icewine. My mental picture...

Flat Rock – New Wines that Kick Ass!

I have just finished tasting through some of the new wines from Flat Rock that will be hitting the shelves of Vintages in the near future. Seriously though, these are wines we should all be excited about. We have spend so much time talking about 2010 and 2012 as hot...

Kaiken Wines

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to meet Aurelio Montes the winemaker at Montes wines in Chile. He is also making wines at Kaiken in Argentina. A Caiquen is a bird that migrates between Chile and Argentina by passing over the Andes. The wines I tasted in the spring...

Hinterland 2012 Les Etoiles

2012 Hinterland Les Étoiles – $39.00 – Winery Only – ****1/2 – This is not going to last at the winery for long. Before reading this review any further go onto the Hinterland website (http://www.hinterlandwine.com/) and order a few bottles of this. Simply put this is the best vintage of...

Kacaba Syrah – The Beauty and The Beast (Oct 2015)

I guess I should stop calling myself a Syrah doubter. I don’t think that everyone should make it, or have it planted in Niagara but there are a few wineries who are consistently doing it well. Kacaba would be one of those wineries. 2013 Silver Bridge Vineyard Syrah – $29.95 – ****+...

2011 Hinterland Blanc de Blanc

2011 Hinterland Blanc de Blanc – $39.00 – Winery Only – ****+ – On the Hinterland website you are asked to refrain from enjoying this wine for six months after September 4th, 2015 (so March 4th… I think). Frankly I didn’t have the patience. I wanted to see what this...

Sprucewood Shores (Sep 2015)

2013 Lady in Red – LCBO 266486 – $14.95 – This is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It is uncomplicated, unpretentious and easy drinking. This is a beautiful expression of the Lake Erie North Shore terroir. The fruit is very ripe – lots of Strawberry, Raspberry,...

2010 Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin (Sep 2015)

I look forward to each vintage of the Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin. This is straight up one of the best Canadian wines on the market and every vintage has been exceptional value. I am not in a position where I can spend a couple hundred bucks on Premier Grand...