International Cool Climate Chardonnay – i4C for short – starts Friday (July 17th). Of the 58 wineries on the list, an impressive 27 are from Ontario. (And, as long as we’re waving the Maple Leaf, it’s worth nothing that there are 4 B.C. wineries participating too – bringing the total of Canadian wineries up to […]
Ingrid Sapona
Videos from Broken Stone Winery and Hubbs Creek Vineyard
In June when I was in Prince Edward County I stopped at some old favourites and some that I hadn’t been to before — including Broken Stone Winery and Hubbs Creek Vineyard. At both I was lucky enough to catch the winemaker/owners who were gracious enough to speak on video. Click here to see Tim […]
That time of year…
Summer weekends … so much to see and do… and what better way than to start the day at a fabulous farmers’ market. This morning I headed over to one of Toronto’s best markets: the Evergreen Brick Works Farmers’ Market off the Bayview extension. I never go to markets with much of a shopping list. […]
Evidence of Prince Edward County’s Record Cold in May
A couple weeks ago visiting wineries in Prince Edward County I got the chance to see – first hand – the impact of the cold snap that hit on May 22-23. Our first stop was Hillier Creek Estates. As we drove in my friend wondered whether the vines planted out front were new, as they […]
Lost in Translation?
A couple weeks ago I was at a German wine tasting sponsored by Wines of Germany. It featured 36 wineries from most of Germany’s major wine regions and showcased winemakers of the so-called next generation – those under 35-years-old. The afternoon had a more than a few surprises for me – the biggest of which […]
2015 Ontario Wine Awards
The 2015 Ontario Wine Awards were announced earlier this month. The OWAs were started by Tony Aspler in 1995 to showcase Ontario VQA Wines. There are 25 different categories judged and this year 79 Ontario wineries entered. In addition to the separate categories they choose an overall red and white wine of the year, as […]
When in Stuck in Traffic … Get Off the Highway and Enjoy!
Sunday a friend and I headed to Niagara-on-the-Lake for Sip & Sizzle. It was a beautiful day and I had the list of participating wineries and a bit of a plan about which we might stop at. My friend picked me up at 11:30 and we headed out. From here it normally takes just under […]
Sip and Sizzle May 2015
Sip and Sizzle is an annual passport event that over two dozen wineries in the Niagara-on-the-Lake hold in May. As the name implies — the idea is to inspire folks for the summer barbeque season with a sample of something from the grill and a great Ontario wine. I love the idea and this year […]
Food and Wine (Mis) Match
In the food and wine world, there’s a lot of talk about food and wine pairings. For those less into the food and wine scene, such talk can cause serious eye-rolling. I’m not particularly ridged about trying to match foods and wines. I listen to the experts and take their suggestions under advisement, but I […]
Somewhereness… Something Special
A group of a dozen Ontario wineries have banded together into a group they call Somewhereness. The name is meant to invoke the idea of the special qualities attributable to terroir and the wineries in the group pride themselves on their stewardship and quality. The wineries in the group are: 13th Street Winery, Bachelder, Charles […]