The Wine Hobbyist

Don David Malbec Reserve, 2016

It makes brie taste like candy!

I remember buying this wine for a family function (I think this was one of four that I bought). It was not opened at the end of the event and as such, I took it back. Yes, you read right. My family has a tendency to put ice and soft drinks in wine, and so to save this Don David Malbec Reserve, 2016 from a horrid family wine ritual, I took it back!  Nonetheless,…

Hillier Creek Gamay Noir 2014

I cannot say enough about Ontario Gamay and you can probably tell as every post I write about Ontario Gamay starts off this way. It’s complexity and fruit forward style makes it a must try. While some will frown upon me thinking and writing this, I would go so far as to say I would take an Ontario Gamay over a French Beaujolais any day. As my Gamay fixation would dictate, it is a must that I pick…

Electric Rose Wine Company Brings you Rose Wine in a Pouch

Electric Rose Wine Company is prepared to take millennials and the wine industry by storm, but will they? Their environmentally friendly drinking pouch comes filled with rosé and with it a handy-dandy straw for easy consumption. The company touts that their pouch wine chills faster than any can and can help you avoid the awkwardness of trying to open up that bottle with a corkscrew. The rosé wine…

Villa Maria Private Bin Rose 2016

Blame it on the weather or wine nerdism, but I have spent the better half of the last month, quietly trying to understand what I like in a Rosé, ensuring that I will never ever, buy or order something I cringe at. Unlike a red or white wine, Rosé wines have baffled me for years. Every time I think I know what it is that makes me think a Rosé is kick ass, I fail when applying that ‘theory’ on the…

All About Pinot Grigio

This post is in honour of a friend of mine who insists on ordering Pinot Grigio every time we go out and then is surprised when ‘this’ Pinot Grigio tastes nothing like the one he buys at home.  I try to explain to said friend that Pinto Grigio/Gris will differ depending on where it is from and the winemaker. No matter how much I try to break down the art of wine making and the joys of varietal…

La Chablisienne Les Venerables Vieilles Vignes

Chablis; the cult wine for Sommeliers and coined with being the most natural expression of Chardonnay, given the wine making process adopted in the region.  I will admit that I have not had a ton of Chablis in my lifetime, but hearing wine lovers, who are far more knowledgeable than I, rant and rave about Chablis, it seemed only reasonable to buckle down, buy a bottle, and get to tasting. For my…

Norman Hardie Riesling 2015

There is no shame on this girl when I tell you that I have a wine crush on Norman Hardie. I remember meeting him a few years ago and I did the fan girl thing then and asked for a picture with him. I wonder if he would have said yes if he knew what was really on my mind? Nonetheless, I digress and should get to the point of this post, Norman Hardie Riesling 2015, instead of revealing my innermost…

5 Things Restaurants Should Know About Serving and Storing Wine

The topic of today’s post is serious business. It is not one to be taken lightly. The truth of it all may be too much for many to handle. What we are going to talk about today is… how a restaurant should store and serve wine.  To the non-restaurant wine drinker, this may seem foolish. You may believe that dining establishments should know how to store all that they serve, and serve all that they…

Tignanello Sangiovese Blend 2013

Tignanello; if you are unfamiliar with the name all you need to know is that this was the very first Super Tuscan created in 1970, by Antinori. The term Super Tuscan was formed out of Italian vintner frustration as winemakers wanted to experiment with blending nontraditional grapes in their Chianti making process. Wine laws in Italy however, were stringent and not bending to lend accredited…

Stoney Ridge Excellence Meritage 2014

Meritage wine. Something I used to mispronounce at the start (Merit-auge), but knew I was in love with at first sip. A red Meritage wine is a blend of two or more Bordeaux grapes; Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot and the rarer St. Macaire, Gros Verdot and Carmenère.  Today’s feature, Stoney Ridge Excellence Meritage 2014, is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot,…

Potomje Andricevic Vrhunsko Vino Dingac 2011

Through a recent trip to my cellar (my little condo can barely fit enough cupboards much less a place to store wine) I found a bottle of Potomje Andricevic Vrhunsko Vino Dingac 2011, a wine I bought while in Croatia a few years ago. I recalled not only the trip, but how pleasantly surprised I was by the quality of wines in Croatia, in every single wine region it possessed. As I traveled the…

10 Fun Wine Facts on National Wine Day

Today is National Wine Day. The day when you should pour yourself a glass of your favourite wine, try a wine you’ve been dying to try or raise a glass with friends. This day is your wine enthusiast day. Drink like no one is watching – well… within reason. To further commemorate this special day, here are some wine facts that you can share at your next dinner party or, heck, office meeting! 10 Fun…

L.A. Cetto Private Reserve Nebbiolo 2012

Being a Barolo lover (a wine made of the Nebbiolo grape in the North-Eastern region of Piedmont, Italy) I was like “What?  Wait!” when I saw this bottle in my local wine store. A Nebbiolo wine, made in Mexico? There was no way I was passing this up. L.A. Cetto Private Reserve Nebbiolo 2012 comes from a medium-sized producer called L.A. Cetto, located in Baja California, Mexico. Don’t let the name…

Christian Siriano Brings His Design Chops to Wine

World renowned designer, Christian Siriano, is taking his design chops to the wine world. This week he released his Palm Springs mused designs on Ecco Domani’s Pinot Grigio bottles.  The bottles are a 2017 Pinot Grigio, limited edition series, which Ecco Domani is calling an “outfit change for the summer” “It’s a perfect accessory for all your summer adventures,” Siriano said. He designed the…

Louis Jadot Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2014

Before we get started on the joys of Louis Jadot Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2014, let’s get on the same page with recent going-ons. I practically tool the past four weeks off from drinking wine to get leaned up for a photo shoot. As you could imagine, it was hard to do. It seemed as though just when I was taking a hiatus off of wine, people were hosting wine nights that I swear looked as though I had…

Chivite Gran Feudo Rose 2015

On the hunt to find a Spanish Rosé, I ventured to my local wine store. I can’t explain why it had to be Rosé that day and why it had to be Spanish, it just did. My routine on such quests is to start in the Vintages section, which is the premium wine section of the store. Though the description may make you think you need to take out a second mortgage on your home to shop down the Vintage aisles,…