A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1036: Chinese Food, Toronto Lunch, a Steak Dinner and a Performance in Church

Posted on September 15, 2026 by tonyaspler

Monday, September 7th: Tasted two more wines from Palatine Hills.

Palatine Hills Overtime Sparkling Brut Nature
Golden straw in colour; persistent mousse of tiny bubbles; toasty, leesy, apple nose; light to medium-bodied, dry, apple flavour with biscuity notes, lively acidity and long finish. (89)

Palatine Hills Overtime Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
Dense purple-ruby; cedary, spicy, black fruit on the nose with oak spice; full-bodied, dry, richly extracted plum and dark chocolate flavours; well-integrated oak and lively, balancing acidity. (90) Continue reading →

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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1035: Monte Creek, Teatro and a Kelly Mason Rose

Posted on September 8, 2026 by tonyaspler

Adam, Deborah, Mak, Nora, me and Zeena

Sunday, August 30th: Lunch at Stonewall Winery with our Toronto friends Adam and Zeena and local friends Nora and Mark (who have made it a mission to visit every winery in Ontario!). Started with a glass of Stonewall Cabernet Franc Rosé 2023 followed by a dish called “Chinese Street Corn.”

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Monday, August 31st: Tasted a range of Monte Creek wines from the Okanagan. Continue reading →

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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1034: Palatine Hills, Winemaker Portraits, a Baby Visit and an Estate Dinner

Posted on August 31, 2026 by tonyaspler

Too much tannin? No, just a ComicCon participant

Monday, August 24th: I received the following samples from Palatine Hills to review:

Palatine Hills whites and rosé

Palatine Hills Savage Brut Sparkling (traditional method)
Deep golden in colour; subdued mousse of fine bubbles; toasty, leesy bouquet of peaches; light to medium-bodied, dry; dried apricot flavour carried on fresh acidity, Drink now and through 2027. (89)
Food pairing: aperitif wine; oysters; sushi; strawberries.

Palatine Hills Pinot Grigio 2025 (Lincoln Lakeshore)
Almost water white; spicy, peach nose; medium-bodied, dry, peachy-melon flavour with a floral top note. Easy drinking, lovely mouth-feel. Drink now. (89)
Food pairing: goat cheese; mussels; seafood pasta. Continue reading →

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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1033: Anniversary Week

Posted on August 25, 2026 by tonyaspler

Twisted Pig’s complimentary dessert

Monday, August 17th: Today is our 29th anniversary. We will celebrate with two couples tomorrow who share the same day.

I went to Big Head winery to taste some of Andrzej Lipinski’s new wines.

Big Head Biggest 2023 (carbonic maceration; 32 months in French 500-litre foudres)
44% Cabernet Franc, 33% ,15% Petit Verdot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. Dense purple in colour; cedary, toasty, blackcurrant bouquet with vanilla oak notes; full-bodied, dry, richly extracted sweet black fruit flavours; well-integrated oak; firmly structured with ripe tannins. A powerful wine (15.3% alc) with a rich mouth-feel and bright acidity. (95–96) Continue reading →

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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 1032: Kelowna Aborted and a Corn Roast Concert

Posted on August 17, 2026 by tonyaspler

Andrzej Lipinski presents me with a signed bottle of Lipinski Family Syrah 2023

Monday, August 10th: John Nadeau and I took an early Porter flight to Kelowna. But we never got there. Over Calgary, the Captain came on the public address system to tell us that he had been instructed by NAV Canada to return to Toronto because of the smoke around Kelowna airport.

Tuesday. August 11th: Tasted ten Big Head wines: Continue reading →

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