The Ultimate Cool Climate Chardonnay Experience at i4C

If you’re a Chardonnay lover, the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (i4C) is the place to be! This year’s event was nothing short of spectacular, bringing together producers and enthusiasts from around the world to celebrate the versatility and brilliance of this beloved grape. From deep dives into climate change and winemaking techniques to exclusive tastings and unforgettable winery visits, here’s a recap of our incredible i4C 2024 experience.

We’re Honoured to Receive the 2024 Wine Marketing Association of Ontario Journalism Award!

We were absolutely honoured to receive the 2024 Wine Marketing Association of Ontario Journalism Award at the Ontario Wine Awards. When we started Sparkling Winos eight years ago, it began with a personal curiosity about wine, a desire to learn about the fascinating and dynamic wine industry, a love of all things local, and a wish to bring our own voice to the conversation.

Celebrating Chardonnay at The International Cool Climate Wine Symposium

After two years of postponements, we were beyond excited to finally take part in the ICCWS, which took place in the Niagara Region and was hosted at Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI). This multi-day conference brought together world-class winemakers, researchers, and industry professionals to discuss the latest advances in viticulture, winemaking, business, and sustainability for cool-climate wines.

Holiday Wine 101: 10 Tips for Selecting Wine for the Holidays

Despite all the good cheer and festivity, the holidays can be pretty stressful – especially if you’re hosting and in charge of selecting the wine! So we’ve put together some helpful tips and tricks – call it Holiday Wine 101 if you will – to help take the stress and guess work out of selecting your wine for the holidays. Whether you’re hosting, or in need of the perfect host or hostess gift, these Top 10 tips will make your holiday wine shopping and experience as easy as can be!

The New 2019/20 Wine Country Ontario Travel Guide is Here!

The Niagara Peninsula appellation contains some of the most productive wine-growing areas in Ontario, shaped by the natural wonders of the Niagara Escarpment and the majestic Niagara Falls. According to Wine Country Ontario, the Niagara Peninsula provides ideal cool-climate conditions for wine growing and its diversity has resulted in the identification of 10 sub-appellations. Pretty cool, right? Some say that Niagara-on-the-Lake and the surrounding sub-appellation is the “Napa” of Ontario. While we tend to veer away from calling any place the “X of Y” because they tend to be less than meaningful, we do think there’s a little bit of …

Ring in 2019 with 19 Sparkling Wines under $19 dollars for NYE!

That’s right, you heard it here. You can absolutely ring in 2018 with plenty of quality sparkling wines that won’t break the bank on New Years’ Eve.

Gifts That POP! Holiday Bubbles for Every Budget

The holidays are all about family, friends and getting #festive! 🎉 But in between celebrating… the whole “gift giving” thing can be stressful. 🤦‍♂️ Thankfully, we’ve got the answer: Sparkling Wine! 😍 This year, we’ve put together a list of effervescent gift ideas for the Sparkling Wino on any budget. From stocking stuffers under $10, to a Methusela (or 6000mL bottle) worth over $10,000 (Oprah, you out there girl?), the options run the gamut so you can cross everyone off your shopping list. Looking for that perfect gift for your Grinch Grab or Hostess with the Mostess? We got you! …

A Sparkling Recap of VQA Into the Bubbles

If there’s one thing we love, it’s sparkling wine. We could talk your ear off about the diversity of the category, and not to mention blog about it all day long. If you’ve seen some of our ventures with the Sparkling Winos project – like, our Sparkling Wine Map of Ontario – you’d have noticed that not only are we passionate about bubbly, but we’re totally enamoured with what’s happening in our own backyard. So, it was with immense pleasure, excitement and gratitude that we took on hosting duties for Wine Country Ontario’s VQA Into the Bubbles event on September 26, 2018!

Celebrating Ontario for Dinner with the LCBO

It’s the most wonderful time of the year in Wine Country Ontario… harvest season! And this year, we have lots to celebrate, as 2018 marks 30 years of VQA (the Vitners Quality Alliance, the provincial regulatory authority that administers Ontario’s wine appellation system) and 25 years of the iconic Food & Drink Magazine. And this past week, we had the incredible opportunity to celebrate these milestones with local winemakers, representatives from the VQA, LCBO staff, the Food & Drink dream team, and some of the magazine’s super fans at an intimate dinner. One of the best parts about Ontario is …

We Sipped, We Stayed, and We Ate… at Adamo Estate!

As you may have gathered from our posts, wine is produced in a number of regions in Ontario – from Niagara to Prince Edward County – and in other parts of Canada. In our beautiful country, the embrace of cool climate viticulture has created not only wonderful wines, but a truly special wine destination. From the Pacific to the Atlantic Coast, and inland along major bodies of water, viticultural regions are thriving and we have some trailblazers and pioneers to thank; people who saw the potential in the land to produce some seriously cool wine. Mario Adamo is one individual …