I was reminded this week just how brilliant Canadian Chardonnay can be. John Szabo and I presented a Canadian wine masterclass at ProWein titled Rooted in Cool: Discover Canada's Sparkling and White Wines, where we poured a lineup of chardonnay and riesling
Green isn’t usually something you look for in a wine. For wine geeks, ‘green’ can note underripe fruit, or lip-stinging acid. But the global movement towards all things earth-conscious and environmentally-friendly also extends to wine.
Cava, the second largest bottle-fermented appellation in the world, is undergoing an identity crisis. Unlike Champagne, firmly rooted within a highly mapped and delineated place in northern France, Cava production rules do not restrict the wine to any
Tempranillo runs as prolific as the bulls in Spain. The dark blue-black grape is as ancient as winemaking in Iberia, dating back to the Phoenicians. The name is the diminutive of the Spanish temprano, early, and refers to the grape’s early ripening
If you follow the Duero River as it courses west from the high altitude plains of Ribera del Duero, it will cross the Portuguese border and turn into the Douro River, continuing its journey out to the Atlantic ocean. The river is essential for the region’s
Every time I travel to Portugal I am struck by the bright, alluring white wines. Skilled winemakers seeking freshness are planting indigenous grapes (there are more autochthonous grapes per hectare in Portugal than anywhere on earth) where the vines
Yes, we drink Champagne year-round at GOW, but it feels like the fizz flows much more freely during the festive season. Celebrations just go better with bubble, and while there is a sea to choose from outside of Champagne, there is no denying that
It’s true that Champagne is the gold standard for all wines that sparkle. Tradition, time, tenure, terroir: Champagne reigns supreme. But it’s no longer necessary to fill your flute with gold, and pay that price, to enjoy a spectacular sparkling
Though Trapiche, pronounced tra-peach-chay, is intrinsic with Argentina's New World of winemaking, it's worth remembering that this iconic winery was established in 1883, making it one of Argentina's oldest wineries. When Tiburcio Benegas bought a 250-hectare
There are a few long-lived misconceptions in the wine world that seem harder to eradicate than leaf-roll virus. "All riesling is sweet", is one of these untruths. More than 90 percent of the wine consumed in Germany today is dry (trocken). Unfortunately,
Where do we go, which wineries do we visit, how do we get in and a million other questions come our way every day about touring the Okanagan Valley. For answers, we thought we would start by asking an expert to find out first-hand what it's like to
Orange is the new Rosé. But it’s not rosé. And it’s not from oranges. Nor, is it from the Australian wine region Orange (though it could be, and if it was a skin fermented white from Orange in New South Wales, would it be OZ
In mid-July I joined hundreds of fellow wine folk in Niagara to celebrate the original cool grape: chardonnay. The seventh annual International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (i4c) saw 59 wineries from nine countries pour 159 chardonnays over
Don’t mistake pink wine for being frivolous. While there is a sea of unserious, silly, and even scary rosé in the wine world, Provence has consistently peaked, with top Provençal Rosés admired for their drinkability and structure
Portugal gets the heat. This beautiful, friendly and genuine country, wedged between continental Spain and the vast Atlantic ocean can easily reach 45+ Celsius, so indigenous grapes (there are more authchthonous grapes per hectare in Portugal than anywhere