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- news
A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1025: Thirty Bench Rieslings, a Birthday Bottle and a Concert
Monday. June 22nd: Dinner: chicken pasta with a bottle of Cono Sur Bicicleta Reserva. Tuesday, June 23rd: Dinner: Lamb chops with a bottle of Creekside Laura’s Blend 2022. Wednesday, June 24th: No wine. Thursday, June 25th: Winemaker Emma Garner invited … Continue reading →
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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1024: My First 100-Point Canadian Wine and Two Massive Tastings
Monday, June 15th: Andrzej Lipinski invited me to Big Head for a tasting of his newly bottled 2023 wines. Lipinski Chenin Blanc Sparkling 2023 ($65) Pale straw in colour; biscuity, reductive nose of apple; medium-bodied, crisply dry, elegant, beautifully balanced, … Continue reading →
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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1023: A Wine-Filled Week
Monday, June 8th: Tasted six wines from Hester Creek from Oliver, BC. Hester Creek Ti Amo 2025 A blend of Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and Muscat. Pale straw-ivory in colour with a gentle mousse of fine bubbles; aromatic nose of melon … Continue reading →
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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1022: Salmon, Oysters and Crocodiles
Monday, June 1st: Opened a bottle of Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay 2024 from New Zealand – the first from a case. What a great wine. Happy I bought a dozen. Tuesday, June 2nd: Dinner: roast chicken with Peller Estates JEP … Continue reading →
- news
A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1021: An Embrace, a Farce, a Launch and a Competition
Monday, May 18th: Dinner: shrimp in cream sauce with rice. And a bottle of Riverlore Sauvignon Blanc 2025. Tuesday, May 19th: Dinner: chicken wings with a bottle of Stratus White 2010. Wednesday, May 20th: My choral practice, so I had … Continue reading →
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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1020: London and a Dinner Party for the Ages
Sunday, May 10th: London. Deborah and I are staying at the house of our friend Livia Prior in Hampstead. We took her to dinner at a local Lebanese restaurant, coincidentally named Oliviya. We started with Chateau Ksara Blanc de Blancs … Continue reading →
- news
A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1019: Tuscan Anniversary Trip
Monday, May 4th: This is the 20th year of the Pauwels-Aspler food & wine tour in Europe. Deborah and I flew to Florence airport to rendezvous with our group for the bus transfer to Siena. Our initial base was the … Continue reading →
- news
A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1018: Strewn, Stonebridge and a Marathon Gamay Tasting
Monday, April 27th: Tasted the following Strewn wines: Strewn Sparkling Blush (Charmat process) Equal parts Cabernet Franc and Riesling. Deep coppery-pink in colour; lightly floral nose of strawberries. Petillant, medium-bodied, dry, strawberry and yellow cherry flavours; well-balanced and easy drinking … Continue reading →
- news
A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1017: Hester Creek, Winemaker’s Cut and a Winemaker’s Dinner
Monday, April 20th: Here are the notes on the Hester Creek wines I tasted last week, which are now released. Hester Creek Character White 2025 (Okanagan Valley) A blend of Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris. Pale straw in colour; aromatic, spicy, … Continue reading →
- news
A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1016: Harlan Estate, Hester Creek, and Stone Eagle
Monday, April 13th: A meeting at Ted Van Geest’s house regarding the Niagara wine project we’ve been working on. Ted always brings out good wines: Cloudsley Cellars Pinot Noir 2017 and Hidden Bench Roman’s Block Riesling 2017. Tuesday, April 14th: … Continue reading →
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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1015: Magnetic Hill and Grapes for Humanity Auction
Monday, April 6th: Tasted the following wines from Magnetic Hill Winery in Moncton, New Brunswick. They have a second label, Loose Wire. Magnetic Hill Terroir Generator Osceola Brut Sparkling 2022 (Osceola Muscat, also known as Muscat de Swenson, is a … Continue reading →
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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1014: Seder Night
Monday, March 30th: Spent much of the day getting papers together for the renewal of my British passport. Tuesday, March 31st: A meeting at Ted Van Geest’s house (a two-minute walk) to discuss a project for the Ontario wine industry. … Continue reading →
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Grapes for Humanity Announces 2026 Fine Wine Auction
Featuring over $1 Million in Rare Wines, Dream Lots, and Unforgettable Experiences With wine donations up more than 200%, the April auction will support climate action alongside Grapes for Humanity’s core pillars of health, education, and humanitarian relief Toronto, ON … Continue reading →
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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1014: GoldHill/Charisma Wines
Gold Hill Winery, located in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, produces the “Charisma” line, known for being approachable, fruit-forward, and well-priced, including Pinot Noir Rosé, Cabernet Merlot, Malbec, and Pinot Gris. Monday, March 23rd: Dinner: Lamb chops with Aliança Bairrada Reserva … Continue reading →
- news
A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1013: A Sunshine Week!
Saturday, March 14th: Deborah and I drove to the Park ‘n’ Fly at Pearson Airport to take a Porter flight to Cancun. We stopped for a quick lunch at Vino Volo – a sandwich and a $19 glass of wine. … Continue reading →
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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1012: A Week I’d Rather Forget
This has been a terrible week so I’m not going to document it, other than to write that a dear friend, who took our wedding photos and shot all the images for my The Wine Atlas of Canada, passed away … Continue reading →
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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1011: Spanish Pig-Out and Pinots Envy
Saturday, February 28th: Our old friend Barry Brown came to visit for a couple of nights. Barry is the founding president of the Spanish Wine Society in Toronto and he brought along an impressive array of Spanish foods purchased at … Continue reading →
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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1010: Collab Wines and a Farewell to an Artist
Monday, February 23rd: Dinner: Blackened scallops with grilled peppers, with Trillium Cellars Chardonnay 2019. Tuesday, February 24th: Dinner: Beef and Short Rib Lasagna with Southbrook Cabernet Franc 2001 (mildly corked, unfortunately, but drinkable.) Wednesday, February 25th: Magdalena Kaiser dropped by … Continue reading →