The New Synthetic Cork
Checking in on the improved closure by Nomacorc
For the last 400 years or so we’ve been stoppering bottles of wine with cork.
Canadian Rye vs. Whisky
Canada’s national spirit makes a perfect Manhattan
Canadian whisky is making a comeback.
Appleton Estates Celebrates Jamaican Anniversary
Specialty rum to commemorate 50 years of Jamaican independence
Ultra premium spirits come on the market all the time.
An Experiment in Wine Abuse
Testing the impact of common storage mistakes
When working on a piece about wine faults, I noted a number of flaws that are generally considered handling errors rather than mistakes originating at the winery. These are the types of faults that are, well, your fault if they affect the wine. Leaving the wine on top of the fridge for weeks, forgetting a bottle of wine in the trunk of the car in January or worse, forgetting your wine in your vehicle over a long weekend in summer — these are all big no-no’s when it comes to treating your wine with love and care.
Six Common Culprits of Flawed Wines
Tom Firth's advice on understanding wine faults to protect you, as both a wine lover and smart consumer.
Let’s face it – bad wine happens. Sometimes, you just do not like the wine you picked off the restaurant list or liquor store shelf. Is it too dry? Or perhaps it is too earthy? Not what you expected? Did you want the flavour profile of some other brand? That is your fault.
Check Up
Tom Firth takes the pulse of Penfolds’ Grange
I recently had a chance to enjoy one of those tastings that sounds absurdly cool to all my wine aficionado friends. Imagine, you get a seat at a vertical tasting of Penfolds’ Grange. This flagship offering from one of Australia’s iconic wine producers typically retails around $400 in Canada, and I was going to be lucky enough to taste the range from 1997-2001 and 2003-2005. To bookend this tasting, we also got to try the much more affordable 2008 Penfolds Bin 389 to start and end with one of my favourites, the 2006 and 2008 RWT.
Cork versus Screwcap: An experiment
A blind taste test to determine whether the Tinhorn Creek 2001 Oldfield Series Merlot is better under cork or screwcap
I recently received a package with two bottles of wine in it. As a wine reviewer, this isn’t too unusual for me. However, this package was unusual because it contained two bottles of Tinhorn Creek 2001 Oldfield Series Merlot — one finished under screwcap, one finished under cork.
Canadian Wine Awards, social media and CRU at Playhouse
Highlights from the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival
For the “hard core” Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival visitor, such as myself, who wants to cram as many wine and wine-related events into a day as possible, this is a very busy week.
A Beginner's Guide to the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival
How to tackle Canada's biggest wine festival
Vancouver’s Playhouse International Wine and Food Festival is the big leagues. It’s “The Show,” the wine festival that everyone wants to attend. There are innumerable bottles of wine, dozens of events, and industry types of all stripes — from importers and media, to winery principals and even the odd film star.
Cutting the Fat: How to pair wines with Super Bowl food
Pairing wines with Super Bowl foods and common sauces
When pairing Super Bowl foods with wine, keep this rule in mind: fat with acidity, salt with sugar.
