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Are you a Merlot fan, or do you find Merlot to be mundane? If you fall into the latter category, I think this Merlot might just change your perception. After two hours in the decanter, the 2016 Upper Bench Estate Merlot offers aromas of ripe blackberries, cassis, cherries, black liquorice and clove. The body is…
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What is a Super Tuscan? The term was apparently coined in the 1980’s and has been attributed to several people, including wine critic Robert Parker. It is kind of a catch-all term for wines that evolved from the frustration of winemakers in Tuscany; they were growing to resent the rules that governed and restricted their…
Continue reading Super Tuscan: 2017 Marchesi Antinori Il Bruciato
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Spring is less than a month away, which means that spring wine releases are just around the corner and I find myself reaching for white wines with increasing frequency. The 2018 Zenato Lugana San Benedetto is made from 100% Trebbiano and is an excellent pick to toast the imminent (at least here on the west…
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How do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? In my household, we use Valentine’s Day as a good excuse to make a nice meal at home and open an extra special bottle of wine, like the 2016 Terroir Series Pinot Noir from Alexana Winery. At the end of last summer, I had the opportunity to sit down…
Continue reading Alexana Winery: 2016 Terroir Series Pinot Noir
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What wine releases do you wait for each year? Each fall I keep an eye-out for the release of the Syrah and Portfolio from Laughing Stock Vineyards – ensuring that I acquire some to cellar. The founders of Laughing Stock Vineyards, David and Cynthia Enns, vicariously fulfilled many wine-lover’s dreams when they left the financial…
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I have been waiting, for what feels like ages, to take this photo. Our home has been undergoing repairs since mid-October, and we are finally at the point where we have flooring. Definitely an occasion worthy of an extra-special bottle of wine, and the 2016 CheckMate Queen’s Advantage certainly fits that bill. I first tried…
Continue reading 2016 CheckMate Queen’s Advantage Chardonnay
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Here is another wine that offers great quality-to-price ratio: the 2016 Tres Picos Garnacha is $25.99. This Garnacha is produced by Bodegas Borsao, which is located in Borja, in the north-east of Spain. Borja is in the province of Zaragoza, which is one of the three provinces that make-up the region of Aragón. Aragón is…
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What was the last wine you tried that made you go rushing back to the wine store for more bottles? For me, the 2016 Zenato Valpolicella Superior is one of those wines and, at $27.00, it fits into my New Year’s resolution to search out quality wines for under $30.00! If you’re in Ontario (or…
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One last post before the Christmas shenanigans begin! I’ve been drinking quite a bit of sparkling wine lately, including the CedarCreek Home Block Sparkling Brut which retails for $24.99 and is available at Save On Foods and a selection of speciality wine stores. The Home Block Sparkling Brut is made from 100% Muscat Ottonel using…
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One of the things that I love about Whispering Horse Winery is that they are not trying to be the Okanagan or the Napa Valley. Whispering Horse is located in Yarrow, BC and they are focussed on showcasing the uniqueness of Fraser Valley terroir using 100% estate grown grapes. The proprietors of Whispering Horse Winery…
Continue reading Whispering Horse Winery: Traditional Method Sparkling Wines