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Tonight’s red wine review is this lovely Grenache from the McLaren Vale in Australia. It arrived at the LCBO as part of the feature on Summer Smart Buys in the July 18th LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection. It is produced by d’Arenberg, a renowned and well-respected winery that was established in 1912 by Joseph Osborn…

WE HAVE SOME EXCITING NEWS TO SHARE #8 in the Top 10 Small Wineries in Canada #6 in Top 10 BC Wineries #11 in Top 25 Wineries of Canada Synchromesh Wines has been named #8 in WineAlign’s 2026 Top 10 Small Wineries in Canada, with four Gold medals and three Bronze medals at the National…

I have always enjoyed visiting Osoyoos’ Moon Curser Winery. The labels alone are worth a closer look, each telling its own story, but it’s the wines that keep drawing me back. Moon Curser has built its reputation on producing distinctive varieties that are still uncommon in British Columbia, including Arneis, Carménère, Dolcetto, Marsanne, Roussanne, Tannat,…

Reading Time: 5 minutes When the devastating winter freeze wiped out much of British Columbia’s 2024 grape crop, wineries across the province faced difficult decisions. Rather than sit out a vintage or compromise on quality, Quails’ Gate Estate Winery chose a different path. For winemaker Jeff Del Nin, that meant getting behind the wheel. Over…

Monday, July 26th: Dinner: barbecued steak, with a bottle of Peller Estates Cabernet Franc 2022. Tuesday, July 27th: Dinner: pasta, with a bottle of Porta Ravessa Reserva 2015 from the Alentejo. Wednesday, July 28th: Dinner – Blackened scallops and corn with Malivoire Mottiar Chardonnay 2022. Thursday, July 29th: Dinner : stuffed peppers and corn, with…

Opening i4C’s School of Cool, Rivest argued authenticity, hospitality and connection will shape Canadian wine’s next chapter Over the past 16 years, the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (i4C) has evolved into far more than a wine festival. What began as an ambitious idea to showcase the potential of cool-climate chardonnay has grown into one…

Tonight’s red wine review is a lovely Réserve Côtes du Rhône, a blend of Grenache and Syrah that arrived at the LCBO last month as part of the July 18 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection. It is produced by Union des Vignerons des Côtes du Rhône (UVCdR), a co-operative winery founded in 1965 in the…

This week I had the opportunity to visit Blue Grouse in the Cowichan Valley. Such a beautiful area it is a pleasant drive of about an hour from Victoria via the Malahat. The architecture of the estate is what initially takes your breath away. Set in an ideal location with beautiful and welcoming landscaping. You…

Happy long weekend! Here are my top wine picks from the August 1, 2026 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection (digital edition here), where the spotlight is on the wines of Italy’s two largest islands—Sicily and Sardinia. This is a relatively small and less-expensive release, featuring 93 products with an average bottle price of just under…

There are some wines that just can’t be ignored for summertime sipping and these three are tops of any wine lovers list. Enjoy the wines with lighter fare, charcuterie and cheese boards and even beefy bbq this summer. These wines have a versatility that makes them the perfect choice. 2025 Pinot Gris TASTING NOTES This…