2018

Icellars Delivers a Stellar Portfolio

In late December I needed to get out of the city before Christmas. The day I spent tasting was having the rare opportunity to show someone new around wine country. Reflecting on the twelve years that I’ve been living in Ontario it’s remarkable to see the dramatic increase in quality...

Flat Rock for Fall 2019

Let me get straight to the point here – there are a couple of Pinot Noir’s from Flat Rock that deserve your attention.  2018 Flat Rock Pinot Noir – Vintages 1545 – $21.95 – **** – The entry level from Flat Rock continues to be a benchmark for quality. I...

Henry of Pelham - Fall 2019

It has been awhile since I’ve written about some of the bottles that have passed through my front door. And it’s really too bad – because there are some killer bottles that you need to know about. Let me start with going through some of the current bottles available from...

Featherstone - Fall 2019

It’s been an exciting year at Featherstone. The winery celebrated their 20th anniversary, and winemaker/owner David Johnson was named winemaker of the year at the Ontario Wine Awards. David had previously been named Grape King in 2003 – which I believe makes him the only winemaker to hold both coveted...

Lighthall Vineyards - Summer 2019

If you’re not a fan of Lighthall Vineyards you’ve probably never been there. Over the past few years, the challenge with visiting Lighthall has been how hard it is to get your hands on these coveted bottles. The wines would fly off the shelf the moment they were available for...

Wine Reviews - Hinterland - Summer 2019

It’s been far too long since I’ve given some love to the County. My much overdue visit took me to a few places – but one issue that seems to be an epidemic in the county is a shortage of wine. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad thing...

Meldville - 2019 Selections

I try to sneak my way into Legends Estates a few times a summer to see what Derek Barnett is up to. He makes his Meldville wines here – and it’s always fun to taste through the wines with Derek. The portfolio is on solid footing with his Chardonnay and...

Jim Barry - changing my mind about Australia

I don’t drink a lot of Australian wine in my house. Which is a bit strange now that I think about it. The first real wine that I loved was Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon – I started drinking that wine when I was 19 (okay maybe a year...

Beaujolais Nouveau 2018 Edition

I don’t think there are many people who love Beaujolais Nouveau as much as I do. In 2014 I celebrated the third Thursday of November in 2014 on top of the bar at “Le Barricou” in Paris pouring Nouveau into people’s glasses as the lined up for a drink. In...