Wine All The Time

It doesn’t take long to notice that the LCBO has launched a big California love-in this month, with display upon display featuring wines from the Golden State.

Describing a fine Zinfandel, one reviewer identified “delicately complex flavors of smoky cherry, wild anise and white peppercorns.” I can get the smoke and the cherry, even together.

They say there’s no use crying over spilled milk…but spilled wine? Perhaps, if someone has just knocked over a glass or bottle of red wine on your expensive Persian carpet or favourite white linen table cloth.

Last week’s Vintages release featuring Spanish wines has prompted me to take a look at the country and its wines, especially as they often go unnoticed despite their quality and value.

With the Yuletide behind us, we tend to sit back a little in January and re-assess as we enter the new year. For some it’s a time of resolutions, for others, it’s business as usual.

In a few short nights it will be New Year’s Eve, probably the biggest party night of the year in much of the world. It is a night of great celebration, and one of the single greatest associations we have with it is Champagne.

Turning to reds, two Italian offerings on the regular list offer great value at the lower end of the price scale. Pasqua ‘Villa Borghetti’ , $12.95, is in the Passimento style of Valpolicella Ripasso for $4 less per bottle.

On November 19 th , Colio Estate Vineyards opened its first shop in Northern Ontario in Pino’s Fresh Foods.

Long before “Movember”, the celebration in November wasn’t about Mustaches, but rather about the chance to drink the year’s first new wines.

Keeping the Good Earth Good These days, there is a growing emphasis on the “organic” principle when it comes to food.