Category: Uncategorized

After enjoying the lovely 2023 Skouras Cuvée Prestige Agiorgitiko / Moscofilero Rosé last year, tonight’s rosé wine review is the latest vintage of this terrific wine that arrived at the LCBO earlier this month as part of the feature story on Mediterranean wines in the July 5th LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection. It is produced…

Here are my top wine picks from the July 19, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection, where BBQ Wines is the feature story of the release. The mini-theme highlights a trio of wines from Nova Scotia, while also included in this release is a new selection of Online & Flagship Exclusives (OFE). There are 102…

By Rick VanSickle What’s more important to you as an Ontario wine lover, where the grapes come from or who made it? Also in this Ontario Wine Report: Gold medalist Hayley Wickenheiser named guest speaker at the GGO’s Celebrity Luncheon, plus our picks from Saturday’s Niagara wine release at Vintages stores, including Black Bank Hill,…

  2024 Unoaked Chardonnay River Stone Oliver, BC $24.90 From their Good Neighbours series. Made with grapes that came from the Columbia River area of Washington State.  Lemon yellow with a hint of green and medium-minus intensity.  The nose opens with lemon, apple, mandarins, nectarines, almonds, melon, and wet stones.  Good balance with medium-plus body.  …

Surge in Ontario wine sales tied to patriotic sentiment amid U.S. trade tensions, say Brock University experts As sales of Ontario wines surge and the “Buy Canadian” movement gains momentum, experts from Brock University say there’s never been a more critical time for wineries to embrace and promote their Canadian identity. Since the LCBO removed…

Tonight’s white wine review is an excellent, certified sustainable Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa that arrived at the LCBO as an Online & Flagship Exclusive in the June 21 LCBO VINTAGES Release Collection – with bottles still available for purchase. It is produced by Southern Right, a winery that was founded by Anthony Hamilton Russell…

By Rick VanSickle Why, yes there is a giant fork at the edge of the vineyard at the Good Earth Food and Wine Company in Beamsville. It’s symbolic of the symbiotic relationship between fresh, local chef-inspired food and the wines that pair so perfectly with whatever chef executive chef Andrew Thorne is preparing. Ilya Senchuk,…

From speakeasies to buvettes, these are standout places to sip, snack, and linger over a great glass in Québec City Québec City may be steeped in history, but its wine scene is anything but stuck in time. From moody speakeasies to polished bistros and candlelit hotel bars, this list isn’t about a “top 10”—it’s about…

Hester Creek Riesling and Rosé Hester Creek Riesling 2024 Columbia Valley Collection Pale straw in colour with a lime tint; spicy, minerally, lemon-lime bouquet; dry, light-bodied, lime and green apple flavours with bracing acidity and a honeyed note in mid-palate; well-balanced, with a long finish. (90) Hester Creek Rosé Noir 2024 Columbia Valley Collection Pale…

Have you ever dreamed of travelling to Italy, touring the rustic countryside, drinking wine, eating pizza, and practising your newly acquired Italian language skills?  No need to call your travel agent, just set a course for West Kelowna and the Westside Wine Trail (https://www.thewestsidewinetrail.com/wineries) where Ciao Bella invites you to discover ‘La Dolce Vita’. Ciao…