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Here are my top wine picks from the August 16, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection, with digital edition here. The feature story of the release is titled “Summer Smart Buys”, while the mini-feature focuses on the exciting wines from Greece. In all, there are 105 products included in this release, with a whopping 25…

Insights, standout wines, and personal moments from Niagara’s International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration 2025 This July, some of our editors and contributors attended the 15th anniversary edition of the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration—better known as i4C—in Ontario’s Niagara wine country. With more than 60 participating wineries and hundreds of cool climate wines from Canada…

Photo: Jeff Del Nin, Quails’ Gate senior winemaker Quails’ Gate Estate Winery created the Plume label in 2009 for two wines, a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon, that it was making in Napa and subsequently in Sonoma, exclusively for sale in Canada. Quails’ Gate has always reserved the Quails’ Gate label just for wines made…

Tonight’s red wine review is a lovely Tempranillo from Rioja that arrived at the LCBO last month as the Wine of the Month in the July 19th LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection. It is produced by Bodegas Burgo Viejo, a Spanish winery in La Rioja with roots going back to 1950. Bodegas de Familiar Burgo…

Exploring a winery devoted to sparkling wine and how it reflects the Okanagan’s evolving story British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley has earned global attention for its expressive wines, but one winery has chosen to narrow its focus entirely to bubbles. Evolve Sparkling House, a family-owned spot on the Naramata Bench, has built its identity around sparkling…

Dark in color with a mild nose. On the mid palate the wine displays some rich dark cherry notes … On the medium length finish the wine displays some nice pepper, firm acidity and tannins along with some earthy notes . Quite an interesting pinot. I would give it an 87-88 … Not bad for…

José Bautista with the Grapes for Humanity Board Wednesday, August 13th: Following a dental appointment (for an implant), I took the VIA train from Aldershot to Toronto with Cathy Martin to attend the Grapes for Humanity Board of Directors’ dinner at Barberian’s – which coincided with a dinner for José Bautista for the successful bidders…

By Rick VanSickle Seemingly out of nowhere, Prince Edward County’s newest winery has unveiled its debut wines and ambitious plans for a dazzling state-of-the-art facility. The Volta Estate Winery has an eye-popping (at least for PEC) 30 acres under vine, spread across three vineyards and planted to one of the largest selections of grapes I…

Reading Time: 4 minutes Known for its award-winning sparkling wines, Evolve Sparkling House also crafts a small but exceptional range of still wines—expressions that capture the heart of the Okanagan in every sip. This collection features three distinctive expressions: the 2023 Small Lot Rosé, 2022 Grenache, and 2022 Pinot Noir. Each wine is made with…

The world of wine can be overwhelming—and rightly so. There are countless grape varieties to explore: whites like Chardonnay, Pinot Gris (a.k.a. Pinot Grigio), Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, and Viognier, just to name a few. On the red side, many wine lovers are familiar with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot…