Well Balanced Wines

Pearl Morissette winery is a favourite of mine so whenever they are in town I am always down to taste!

Today we tasted through wines from the 2019 and 2021 vintages guided by the one and only Svetlana. It’s always inspiring to hear the way she speaks about the wines with such knowledge and passion without pretension. Every time I learn something new!

These wines show so much of the potential and diversity that Niagara has to offer. Come try a bottle or order a mixed case straight to your home. You won’t regret it!

Thanks to for pouring, for hosting and for the grape juice!

WOSA 🇿🇦

Yesterday I attended a wines of South Africa tasting focusing on Chenin Blanc and Pinotage. I have always loved Chenin Blanc however I tend to drink ones solely from the Loire so I was excited for the opportunity to taste more from this region. In terms of Pinotage, it’s a grape that I avoid almost completely so it was a good opportunity to revisit and hopefully have a new outlook on the grape.

We tasted through 8 Chenins starting with a sparkling and finishing on a blend of 85% Chenin with 15% Sémillon. Pictured are my three standouts of the tasting. I was already a fan of Mullineux wines but this was my first taste of their ‘terroir series’ and what a treat that was! The Reyneke was a great discovery with excellent value and the Cartology from Alheit was a delight to the senses.

When it came to the reds we tasted 5 Pinotages and although I wouldn’t say I’m a complete convert, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed a few of them. The Seaward, Beeslaar and Kanonkop are all wines I would be happy to drink again. I was especially impressed with the Beeslaar, rich and plush with a refreshing balance and the oak integration was just right.

Overall it was a wonderful tasting thank you to Andrea from , Abrie Beeslaar of , Laurel from and for hosting us.

A post about orange wine...

What is orange wine?! Well first off, it’s not a wine made from oranges. It gets its name from the colour of the wine, not the fruit it’s produced from.

To understand how orange wine is made, you must first understand the fundamental difference between red and white wine production: skin contact.

Essentially white wine is made by pressing the grapes to extract the clear juice while red wine is kept on its skins to extract colour. Fun fact: you can make white wine from red wine grapes - the most popular example of this is found in Champagne it’s called ‘Blanc de Noir’ (white from red).

So what is orange wine? It’s what you get when your white wine undergoes skin contact, extracting colour from the skins and thus making the wine ‘orange’. But the grape skins don’t only provide colour to wine, they also add wonderful aromas and tannins to your wine.

Here I’m drinking one of my favs from who are located in Niagara-on-the-Lake (Ontario).

Cheers 🥂 🍊

How to pick out a bottle of wine at a restaurant...

• Ask the sommelier or your server for advice, they know the list and might even have a few things that are not listed to recommend!

• Start off with letting them know what you plan on ordering so they can make an appropriate wine suggestion. If they suggest white and you’re only interested in drinking red that’s ok, just know it might not be the greatest food & wine pairing, but they’ll do their best to make a suggestion that works.

• If you’re not looking for a wine that pairs with your food and rather just pick a bottle based on your preferences, great! Let them know what kind of flavours you like, what wines you normally like to drink, or what you don’t like.

• Have an idea of what you’d like to spend. Give them a range or a max price you’re willing to spend on a bottle. Most hospitality professionals will be able to read their guests well enough (after all, it’s what they do for a living) but any information helps!

• Keep an open mind. You may just find your newest wine obsession when you try something new!

Let’s talk about oysters 🦪

With the beautiful weather coming, who doesn’t love hitting up a nice patio and enjoying some freshly shucked oysters?!?!

Yesterday at we had some beautiful east coast oysters with a classic pairing, Muscadet Sèvre & Maine from and it definitely hit the spot!

More of my favourite wine and oyster pairings include Saint-Bris, Xarel-lo, and Lambrusco!

What’s your go-to with oysters?!

What to bring with you to a cabin in the woods? Well first off, make sure you have lots of wine in case any bottles are corked. Because being prepared is important.

🛁🍾 Lambrusco for the aperitif in the hot tub

🧀🫒 Chardonnay from Jura for the cheese/charcuterie/mezze spread

🫕🥩 Magnum of Cuvée Métis from Pearl Morissette with cheese fondue and steaks

🍮🍷 And a bottle of Banyuls with our tiramisu because dessert wine is not to be missed!

Vouvray and pizza?!?! I say why not! Especially when you tailor your pizza toppings to suit your wine ;)

The pizza: Olive Oil, Fior di Latte, Ricotta, Crushed Walnuts, Honey, Truffle Oil & Kosher Salt.

The wine: a delicious slightly off-dry Chenin Blanc with layers of ripe apple, quince and apricot along with a stony minerality and a hint of honey.

I picked up this beauty last year in Burlington Vermont right before the pandemic. Oh how I miss travelling and collecting wines along the way.

Happy Birthday to me!!! 🥂🍾

Today I went to to pick out some special birthday wines! They have a HUGE selection of wines that range from classics to rare finds.

I was so overwhelmed with choices but luckily was there to help me make some tough decisions.

If you’re looking for some top quality wine be sure to check them out! It’s important we help support the restaurant industry during these tough times.

Swipe to see what I picked up —>

My “day” job.

I started this account when we first went into a lockdown and the restaurant I worked at was closed for 3 months. I’ve been working in restaurants full time for over a decade, so you can imagine it was hard for me to sit at home unemployed for so long. This little venture was a way for me to continue to offer hospitality from home.

Since I’ve been back to work, I haven’t exactly had a ton of spare time to post on here, but I have missed it. As an early New Years resolution, I would like to dedicate more time to growing this little account and my followers. My goal here remains the same, to share my wine discoveries and knowledge with you.

I hope you’ve enjoyed what I’ve given you so far and I’m excited to continue this journey with you!

If you live in the Ottawa area there’s a lovely vineyard not too far away for you to visit.

KIN Vineyards is growing their own Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Carp (West of Ottawa) and making some really tasty wines! To my knowledge they are the only winery growing vinifera grapes in the region.

On Sundays they team up with an Ottawa restaurant to offer meals that you can eat in the vineyard. Wines are offered in tasting flights, by the glass and by the bottle.

We also got to enjoy this beautiful sunset and some live music.

Thanks for a lovely night

Hello wine lovers!

The thing I love the most about wine is sharing and connecting with others. I have created this page to share my discoveries with you and connect with like-minded drinkers. So let’s have a glass of wine together and learn a few things along the way! Cheers 🥂