cool climate winemaking
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Dry Mouth – A Somm’s Guide to Enjoying More While Drinking Less
What a carry on Dry January is. I’ve been in the business of wine for almost a decade at this point, and of course, I know the risks. Dry January brings on hysterics because there’s so many different people showing up for it: There’s the competitive group; they won’t break for anyone and when they…
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This Old Wine – Standing in the Contemporary Rows of German Wine – Pt 2
Each year, I do my best to visit different countries and experience their harvest season. This keeps me humble and reminds me of the incredibly difficult task it is to simply produce wine. This year, we enjoyed (read: tolerated) a balmy twenty-eight to thirty-two degrees celsius for practically all of September in Germany. Heat to…
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This Old Wine – Standing in the Contemporary Rows of German Wine Pt 1
This is the story of how one young and thirsty nerd spent years sifting through accessible bottles in both my personal upbringing and career, only to find I was bored. This is a brief letter of admiration and disdain for the history of a beverage that has shaped my life. Modernity in wine is something…
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GFR CHALLOPS: Hybrid Theory – The Big Buyers vs The Future of Winemaking aka Pt Three
CHALLOP (NOUN) – PLURAL : CHALLOPSPRONOUNCED “CHAH-LOP’ 1: ABBREVIATION FOR CHALLENGING OPINION.2: AN IRREGULARLY PUBLISHED COLUMN ON WEBSITE GOOD FOOD REVOLUTION. As per Good Food Revolution, my regular publication, this is considered a challenging opinion. In Part One of Hybrid Theory, I introduced a subject that I vehemently champion and would love to see more access to…
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Hybrid Theory – How to Enjoy + Support Hybrid Wines! aka Pt Two
We have an idea now of the bratty cousin to Vitis vinifera. Notably, acidity, a striking ‘foxiness’ (‘foxy’ being the smell of a fur coat, or wool in the rain, and a common note spotted on many hybrid wines), and an innate juiciness. As someone who enjoys a vast bouquet of wines on a regular…
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Hybrid Theory – A Moment for Hybrid Wines and Climate Change aka Pt One
If you’ve been in North America (most recently, the Eastern side), you’ve no doubt been privy to some unnerving weather reports. The planet is changing, and, like a canary in a coal mine, much of our plant life is reacting. One of the most beloved and prominent plants that has weathered this adaptation is the…
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SUMMER TRIP! Underrated Wine Regions to Explore.
Another month, another moment of exploration into the deep coves of the wine world. While we’ve had a lot of rain this spring and every plant and vine in this province is grateful, I am ready for the sun. As someone who can’t stop romanticizing rosé, I look forward to spring releases every year. This…
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The Ontario Guide to Buying Wine For and From Your Pals.
We like to shop local. We like a good thrift. We might even dabble in the feeling of being *exclusive*. Say no more. Almost every day at the restaurant I get asked where I buy the wine I’m serving. It’s a fairly broad question, and if you read my last article it will spare you…
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Sip. Pray. Budget. – The Secret Life of Sommeliers.
I start my day with two glasses of white wine, a cup of black coffee, and one boiled egg. “Detecting a medium-minus body, prickly acidity, a sharpness, tears and legs,” whispered into the full-length mirror. Always critical, always judgmental, never wavering. A master never falters in their craft. If you believe the first bit of…
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Opening the Cellar Door — Château du Trignon Winemakers Dinner & Fauna
Over the past few months, the odds of finding me habitually thriving off leftover Indian or Szechuan have been a little too high. The refined palette I once spoiled with game meats, artisanal mustards, and wild fish (I never stopped drinking good wine, however…priorities) has dwindled down to papadum and these things I keep calling…
sedimental value 