This is “POP or FLOP”, where we taste test sparkling wines so you don’t have to! (Tough job, we know! 😉) This week we’re sipping the brand new NV Rosé from Nova Scotia sparkling wine pioneer Benjamin Bridge! A vibrant and fruit-forward (yet incredibly complex) traditional method sparkler, that’s oh so distinctively Nova Scotian! (Trust us, we know, we tasted plenty on our recent trip out there… for research!) So, is this a bottle of bubbles you should POP? 💁 Or is it a FLOP? 🙅 Let’s see…
Art Meets VQA Wine at Into The Vine!
This past weekend we had the pleasure of attending “Into The Vine” – a wine tasting deconstructed – here in Toronto. But this wasn’t your traditional wine tasting… in fact it was far from it! While we sipped and swirled some of the best wines Ontario has to offer, we found ourselves immersed in 6 incredible multi-sensory art installations inspired by 6 different VQA Ontario wine varieties.
Heard it Through the Grapevine: with Maggie Belcastro
We had the pleasure of meeting Maggie Belcastro (Winemaker at The Grange of Prince Edward Vineyards & Estate Winery) earlier this year, though we’ve been fans of The Grange and their unique wines since our first visit back in 2011! The Grange is one of the largest wineries located in the Prince Edward County appellation of Ontario, with 60 acres of vineyards producing premium wines made from 100% estate grown fruit. Their winemaking approach involves minimal intervention, which in turn produces very terroir-driven and distinctly “County” wines. And the coolest part? Maggie shares winemaking duties with her mom Caroline Granger. Now that’s girl power!
Sparkling Spotlight: Trius Winery
This is #SparklingSpotlight – where we profile wineries with a focus on fizz! 🍾 These wineries strive for sparkling greatness, and make the world a more effervescent place. Sparkling wine production takes scientific precision, dedication and patience, and we celebrate those bold enough to craft it! So, without further ado, let’s focus our #SparklingSpotlight on… Trius Winery!
Heard it Through the Grapevine: with Craig McDonald
Craig was born in Australia and has over two decades of winemaking experience in diverse wine regions like the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. He joined Andrew Peller Wines in 2010 and now has a total of 31 vintages under his belt. You gotta admit, that’s pretty impressive! Not to mention the fact that he was awarded “Ontario Winemaker of the Year” – twice!
10 Canadian Sparklers for Canadian Thanksgiving
Ah, Thanksgiving… a festive time to get together with family and friends over turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and green beans. Not to mention potato salad, roasted butternut squash, and… in our case, pasta al forno and pierogi! Oh, and lasagna, caesar salad, glazed ham and roasted red peppers. And maybe cheesecake and bubbleberry pie and, oh right, a little bit of homemade apple crisp. But we digress.
Henry of Pelham Cuvée Catharine 2012 Estate Blanc de Blanc – Review
This is “POP or FLOP”, where we taste test sparkling wines so you don’t have to! This week we’re sipping Henry of Pelham’s Cuvée Catharine 2012 Estate Blanc de Blanc – which just won platinum at the National Wine Awards of Canada!
A Sparkling Recap of #i4C17: The International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration
This year, we Sparkling Winos had the privilege of attending the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (aka “i4C“) in Wine Country Ontario! It’s no surprise that i4C has been described as “Christmas in July” or the “Woodstock of Chardonnay”. With over 50 wine makers in attendance (and 150+ selected cool climate wines on offer) i4C is truly an epic celebration of all things cool… and the highlight of the summer calendar here in Niagara!
Celebrate Canada’s 150th with Bubbles from Coast-to-Coast, Eh!
On July 1, 2017 Canada will celebrate it’s sesquicentennial (150th) birthday! As Canadians gear up for the big day, we Sparkling Winos thought… why not celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday with Canadian bubbles from a Mari usque ad Mare? (That’s “from sea to sea” in Latin – our country’s motto)!
Beat the Heat with Sparkling Slushies!
Summer has officially arrived – and it’s heating up outside! As the temperatures rise you’re probably looking for a quick and refreshing way to cool down, but don’t swap that glass of wine out for a cold beer just yet…