MyWinePal

I have been interviewing Ontario winery principals for many years about their harvest and the growing season.  Weather and growing conditions can vary widely from year to year.  For my Ontario Chardonnay Review I tried to get wines that were from one or two growing seasons.  Most of the wines I received came from 2023 and 2024, with a few…

Soil is one of the important factors influencing the aromas and flavours produced by wine grapes.  For my Ontario Chardonnay Review, I checked with the Government of Canada National Soil Database (NSDB) Soils of Ontario to determine the soil types associated with each of the Ontario wineries that provided their bottle(s) of Chardonnay.  Using the free, open source, computer mapping…

I recently decided to review two French red wines that are blends.  Blends have the benefit that two or more grape varieties together fill in the weakness of the other grape.  For example, one grape may be fruity but lack tannins, while another grape has plenty of tannins but lacks much fruit character.  Putting the two grape varieties together makes…

Many wine lovers have probably heard of RIEDEL glasses or have RIEDEL glasses.  I have a few sets, with many glasses that have broken over time.  Such is the fate of all wine glasses eventually.  But what do you know about the history of RIEDEL glasses?  I recently received an advanced copy of the “Heart of Glass, RIEDEL and the…

The last Chardonnay to review for my Ontario Chardonnay Review is a sparkling wine made by  Drea’s Wine Co. which produces small batch, single vineyard, low intervention wines.  Drea’s wines are certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Ontario.  I really enjoyed tasting Drea’s Cabernet Franc wines when I undertook my Ontario Cabernet Franc Review last year.  Let me tell you about the latest…

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I received four bottles of different Chardonnay produced by Ontario’s Henry of Pelham winery.  I previously tasted their more entry level wines: Henry of Pelham Family Estate Classic Chardonnay 2025 and Speck Brothers Family Tree “The Goat Lady” Chardonnay 2023.  These wines were under screwcap.  The next two wines that I just tasted…

The FIFA World Cup starts June 11, 2026, with Canada’s first game on June 12th against Bosnia and Herzegovina.  As we play and win games, which sparkling wine will you be drinking to celebrate our wins? Champagne Taittinger has been awarded the Official Champagne of the FIFA World Cup 2026.  Their special edition FIFA Brut Reserve Champagne is available across…

One of the most profound joys of river cruising is the realization that the view changes as often as the courses. As a food and wine reviewer, I find the true success of Avalon Waterway’s program lies in its balance of the modern traveler’s desire for healthful dishes as well as the culinary traditions of the European heartland.  I downloaded…

Created through a collaboration between Provence Marinaside and Haywire Winery, this newly released, limited edition, Brut Nature Sparkling wine is all about purity, precision, and place. Crafted from 66% Pinot Noir and 34% Chardonnay grown at Haywire’s organically farmed Garden Valley Ranch estate vineyard in the high-altitude Okanagan, the wine carries a subtle shade of pink in the glass. Bottled…

I have a short quiz for you about the Robert Parker 100-point wine rating scale, which many wineries, companies, and people hold in high regard.  Here are the questions:   You would like to buy a bottle of Riesling.  In the store, side by side, one wine has a sticker showing 89 points, and the bottle beside it with a…