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By Rick VanSickle Karl Kaiser’s legacy is already cemented in Canadian wine history, but his daughter Andrea wants to make sure it stays that way. In 1974, Kaiser and his partner Donald Ziraldo co-founded Inniskillin Wines, Canada’s first estate winery, and then went on to acquire the first winery license since Prohibition in 1975. Sadly,…

Arriving in Bucharest Thursday, October 16th: Flew from Toronto Pearson Airport to Heathrow and then on to Bucharest for the start of our two-week Danube River cruise on Ama Waterway’s ship, Amabella. Booked into the Grand Hotel Continental (56 Calea Victorei) and explored the neighbourhood. Our first impression was the amount of graffiti on public…

Reading Time: 3 minutes Here’s What’s Actually on the Market in 2025 The market for buying a fully operational BC winery remains tight in 2025, but the landscape is shifting. Several high-profile listings from the past few years have been sold or withdrawn, while a new set of quiet, boutique, and often confidential winery opportunities…

Reading Time: 3 minutes Industry leaders say the BCLDB’s misinterpretation of the Vintage Replacement Program is adding an 89% markup to fully BC-grown wines, threatening small and mid-sized producers already hit hard by the 2024 freeze. The freeze wiped out large tracts of the Okanagan Valley crop, forcing many producers to rely on imported grapes…

Reading Time: 5 minutes Blasted Church Big Bang Theory, Hatfield’s Fuse & Pinot Gris Blasted Church has never been shy about breaking a few commandments, and their latest trio of 2024 wines follows suit. Big Bang Theory, Hatfield’s Fuse, and Pinot Gris roll out with the same playful irreverence the winery is known for—yet behind…

Low-alcohol trends, nostalgia, and TikTok flair are bringing wine cocktails back to the bar The comeback of classic wine cocktails is in full swing as more consumers are reaching for lower alcohol pours. Simple, no fuss recipes are also gaining traction pointing to convenience and affordability as key factors in drinking trends today. This has…

In addition to the weekly wine review and the various other, usually wine-related, articles I write for My Van City, I am going to include a new one that will appear from time to time.  I’m calling it, ‘From the Cellar’. It will be similar to the wine reviews, except that it will feature wines…

Since the SAQ removed American wines from its shelves, Terry Pomerantz, a great admirer of Californian red wines, has taken the opportunity to explore the infinite universe of European red wines. 1. Paradella Patrimonio (Corsica) Barrel-aged in Radoux Blend barrels for 12 to 22 months, the Paradella Patrimonio is a premium red that stays true…

Tonight’s white wine review is a delicious Sauvignon Blanc from Margaret River in Western Australia that made its debut at the LCBO in last month’s LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection on October 11th. It is produced by Miles From Nowhere, a wine brand established in 2007 by Franklin & Heather Tate. Franklin began working in…

Photo: Winemaker Ryan de Witte (courtesy Rust Wine Co.) Rust Wine Co. is a sister winery to Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery but has concentrated on different varietals to set itself apart. These included a quartet of Syrah wines and a Zinfandel. Unfortunately for Rust, the January 2024 freeze devastated the winery’s sources of Syrah and…