The Chronicle
Latest dispatches
23 results across all types
- news
The Crush on King
Dedicated followers of the Ontario wine industry will remember Stoney Ridge Estate Winery in Vineland, where Winemaker Jim Warren worked his magic. Today, the facility is a winemakers’ collective where vintners can make or finish their wines without the expense … Continue reading →
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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1029: Ballgame, Theatre and an Estate Dinner
Monday, July 20th: Visited my dentist. Great guy but I hate dental visits. This time to mend a broken front tooth. He discovered a small cavity in another tooth, which means another visit on Wednesday. Dinner: beef stir fry noodles … Continue reading →
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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1028: Juice and Back to School
Tuesday, July 14th: A tasting of The Juice Wine Company portfolio at the Crush on King with co-owner Angela Aiello. Juice Wine Company Chardonnay 2024 ($33) Straw colour, fresh bouquet of Granny Smith apple; medium-bodied, dry, Chablis style, with a … Continue reading →
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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1027: Township 7, Honky Tonk Heroes and Shades of Syrah
Monday, July 6th: Tasted the following wines from Township 7 (Naramata Bench in the Okanagan Valley): Township 7 Seven Stars Aurora 2022 (Blanc de Noirs – 100% Pinot Noir) Pale straw in colour; active mousse of tiny bubbles; toasty, leesy … Continue reading →
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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1026: Street Legal in London Now!
Monday, June 30th: My British passport arrived – after weeks of agonising back-and-forth over documents with His Majesty’s Passport Office. Other arrivals today: our friend Zoltan from Bucharest and his travelling companion Dr. Enno Lippold, whom I knew from his … Continue reading →
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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 →
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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 →
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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 →
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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 →
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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 →
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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 →
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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 →