A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 805: Tour de France By Wine (and some spirits)

Posted on July 26, 2021 by tonyaspler

Saturday, July 17th: Phil Dowell, winemaker at Angels Gate and Kew Vineyards, invited Deborah and me – along with winemakers Thomas Bachelder, Ron Giesbrecht, Ann Sperling, and Peter Gamble – to an evening of wine focused on the Tour de France leg through Bordeaux’s right bank, from the town of Libourne  to Saint-Emilion. (see map)

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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 804: Virtual Picnic in the Loire – and Other Vinous Delights

Posted on July 19, 2021 by tonyaspler

Loire picnic wines

SOPEXA kindly sent me a hamper with picnic foods and a wine from each of six regions in the Loire. The object of the exercise was to show how versatile these wines are with a variety of dishes.

So my wife Deborah and I had a virtual picnic in the Loire Valley while we conjured up memories of the impressive châteaux along the river banks.

Loire wine picnic menu

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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 803: Bachelder’s Clos Jordanne and a couple of Aussies

Posted on July 12, 2021 by tonyaspler

Thomas Bachelder with Le Clos Jordanne wines

July 10th: Thomas Bachelder came over with samples of the Le Clos Jordanne Jordan Village Chardonnay 2019 and Le Clos Jordanne Jordan Village Pinot Noir 2019; and, very thoughtfully, he brought with him a selection of charcuterie. Continue reading →

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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 802: The Foreign Affair, Stratus and a Bunch of Other Wines

Posted on July 6, 2021 by tonyaspler

The Foreign Affair wines

On Canada Day I had a zoom tasting with Rene Van Ede, the new winemaker for The Foreign Affair, a Niagara winery that specializes in appassimento and ripasso wines. Rene, who has made wines at Flat Rock Cellars, Tawse and Redstone, took over from Barclay Robinson in 2020. Continue reading →

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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 801: The Newest Ontario Winery: Wending Home

Posted on June 28, 2021 by tonyaspler

Wending Home samples

After a successful career as Henry of Pelham’s winemaker and a Professor at Niagara College, Canadian Food and Wine Institute, Ron Giesbrecht has opened his own winery. He sent me samples of his 2020 wines (an auspicious year for a maiden vintage). Continue reading →

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