By Jane Staples The Stem Wine Group organized a very polished and elegant wine tasting event which took place at Ottawa’s Museum of Nature on October 22. This was Stem Group’s 10th anniversary and they have a great deal to celebrate, having gone from representing 9 wineries in 2005 to over 50 wineries at this year’s event, with over 125 wines featured. Italy dominated the scene, California had several wines on offer and Australia, New Zealand, France and Argentina were also represented. I started with a taste of the Veneto region in northern Italy. I tried Matto’s Pinot Grigio 2013. […]
Australian Wine
10 Best Petite Sirah Wines to Buy Now + 5 Surprising Facts about Petite Sirah
There’s nothing petite about Petite Sirah. The robust red grape is also known as Durif and is mostly grown in Australia and California to produce full-bodied red wines. You’ll find my Top 10 Petite Sirah reviews and ratings here. 5 Surprising Facts about Petite Sirah: 1. Petite Sirah it should not be mistakenly spelled as Petite Syrah, which is a small berried clone of the Syrah grape variety from the French region of the Rhône Valley. However, Petite Sirah still has a familial connection to Syrah, as it is a cross of a Syrah pollen-germinating with a Peloursin plant which is […]
Cool Climate Chardonnay: LCBO Vintages Release July 19
You can access the 87 wines that I reviewed for July 19 as a text wine list with my complete tasting notes, scores, food matches and the stock for each bottle in their closest LCBO stores. You can also see my wine reviews for July 5. You can add my wine picks to their custom shopping list with one click and access that list on their smartphone. This is one of the benefits of becoming a Paid Member. Inventory stock numbers are usually posted online a day or two before the release based on the LCBO doing so. Here […]
10 Best Sangiovese Wines to Buy Now + 5 Surprising Facts about Sangiovese
Did you know that the Latin name for Sangiovese, Sanguis Jovis (San Gioveto), translates to “blood of Jove or Jupiter”? The first written reference to the grape was in 1722. You’ll find my Top 10 Sangiovese reviews and ratings here. 5 Surprising Facts about Sangiovese: 1. Sangiovese represents 10% of Italy’s entire vineyard acreage, the most-planted grape in the country, with 247,000 acres. 2. Until the 1980s, Chianti was bottled in squat oval straw-covered fiasci. It was viewed a modest bistro wine rather than one for collectors. Then winemakers started experimenting with premium blends of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon or […]
Canada Day Wines Featured in the LCBO Vintages Release June 21
This is just a sampling of my reviews for June 21. You can access the 88 wines that I reviewed for June 21 as a text wine list with my complete tasting notes, scores, food matches and the stock for each bottle in their closest LCBO stores. You can also see my wine reviews for June 7. You can add my wine picks to their custom shopping list with one click and access that list on their smartphone. This is one of the benefits of becoming a Paid Member. Inventory stock numbers are usually posted online a day or two […]
Wine for Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch & the Charming Man Behind the Bottle
Winemaker Matt Fowles talks with guests By Jane Staples An early spring evening, a cozy fire burning in the hearth and award-winning wine from Australia’s Fowles Wines set the tone for a delightful evening at Australia’s High Commission on April 8th. The original Fowles family ancestors settled in Australia in the early 1800s, having arrived from England and Ireland. The winery is now run by one of their descendants, Matt Fowles, who was formerly a successful lawyer. In 2007, Matt was selected to be part of the “Future Leaders” program that fosters a new generation of wine industry leaders for […]
Australia’s Red Wines: Food Pairings and Styles in LCBO Vintages Feb 1
Australian wines hit the spotlight in the LCBO Vintages Release February 1. We may think of red wines from Australia as being full-bodied, but there’s a wide range of styles now emerging from the various winemaking regions in the country. Try cool, crisp whites and balanced, medium-bodied reds from Australia’s cooler regions. You’ll be surprised at how well these wines pair with various dishes, not just a big steak or hamburger. This just a sampling of wine ratings, the most quoted Canadian source of reviews in the Vintages Magazine. VIP Members can access all 50 wines that I reviewed as […]
Australian Wine Icon Digs into Regional Styles
By Matt Steeves Recently on a cold January afternoon in Ottawa a small group of sommeliers and wine writers had the fortune of spending an afternoon with the legendary Chris Hancock, MW (Hon.), of Robert Oatley Vineyards at the Empire Grill in the Byward Market. Chris led us through a tasting of nine of his wines in the Robert Oatley portfolio of wines. First of all, a bit of background about Chris Hancock. After graduating from his studies in Oneology, and long before joining efforts with Robert Oatley in 1975, Chris worked at Penfolds where he produced six vintages of […]
Lunch with “Mr. Chardonnay” aka Robert Oatley Wines
By: Jane Staples, Certified Sommelier I love wine because it brings people together. Wine offers something for everybody…whether you’re interested in the viticulture, or the facts and numbers, New Oak VS Old Oak treatments, or the timeless harmony between food and wine. Then of course there’s the concept of “terroir” if you like a good argument. Yesterday’s lunch at the Empire Grill in Ottawa combined all of the above, plus wine economics, changing markets and considerations for the future, especially when it comes to Australian wine. Chris Hancock, Deputy Executive Chairman of Australia’s Robert Oatley Vineyards, introduced us to several […]
Yalumba Wine Tasting: A Sensory Tour of Old & New World
By Jane Staples G’day, mate ! was the friendly greeting from Yalumba’s winemaker and storyteller, Jane Ferrari. As we chatted, I asked her how she feels about the concept of “terroir” and she answered emphatically that she believes in it. When visitors come to the Yalumba vineyard, she takes small groups out to 5 different vineyards, then pulls down the back of her truck and does a comparative tasting on the spot. Jane was recently named “Wine Communicator of the Year” in Australia. A trained winemaker, she now travels the world for Yalumba Wines. Canada and the US are the […]
