A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 900: Access Education Guatemala

Posted on October 30, 2023 by tonyaspler

Front row (l to r): Cathy Martin, Deborah Aspler, Helen Hatzis (President), Steven Campbell; back row (l to r): Bernard Stramwasser, Garrett Herman, Tony Aspler. Not present: Liz Gallery, Geddy Lee, Hans Gerhardt, Doris Miculan Bradley.

Thursday, October 26th: A fund-raiser for Access Education Guatemala (which Grapes for Humanity Canada had helped to fund for 13 years). Deborah and I were being honoured and our hosts Adrienne Rosen and Myra White (the founders of Access Education) sent a limo to take us to Lula Lounge in Toronto – complete with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Champagne on ice! At the fundraiser, there was a two-way link with one of the schools GFH helped build and a video. Deborah and I were presented with a plaque to mark the occasion. At the dinner we drank Pierres Blanches Chardonnay (from the Pays d’Oc) and Bodegas Bilbainas Viña Pomal Crianza 2019 from Rioja. We were not successful with our bids in the silent auction, unfortunately, but it was a memorable evening. Continue reading →

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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 899: New York, New York!

Posted on October 23, 2023 by tonyaspler

Tuesday, October 17th: Deborah and I drove to Buffalo Airport to take a JetBlue flight to JFK New York. The purpose of the two-day trip is to have dinner with our cousin Paul and to attend the 20th anniversary dinner of Grapes for Humanity Global to be held at a private apartment on East 57th Street. Continue reading →

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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 898: Boy! Three Quiet Wine Weeks in a Row

Posted on October 17, 2023 by tonyaspler

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What’s going on? Couldn’t whip up much enthusiasm this week as am heart-sick over what is happening to Israel (on top of what is happening in the Ukraine).

But I am off to New York City tomorrow for a Grapes for Humanity fund-raising event, so I hope to be distracted from the news.

Wines tasted with dinner this week:

  • Big Head Malbec 2020
  • Speck Brothers Family Tree “The Goat Lady Chardonnay” 2022
  • Silk & Spice Spice Road Red (Portugal)
  • Kew Vineyards Pinot Noir 2014
  • Peller Estates Signature Series J*E*P Red
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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 897: Another Relatively Quiet Wine Week

Posted on October 10, 2023 by tonyaspler

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Silk & Spice Spice Road (Portugal, $15.95, LCBO #34465)
A blend of Alicante Bouschet, Shiraz, and Touriga Nacional. Dense purple in colour; spicy, cedary, mulberry bouquet; full-bodied, ripe black fruit flavours with a residual mocha sweetness on the finish. Great value. (89)

OTU Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 (New Zealand, Vintages #17548, $28.95)
Bright, pale straw in colour; grassy, green pea and gooseberry nose; medium-bodied, crisply dry, with a rich, beautifully balanced flavour of gooseberries and passionfruit. (91)

Also served with dinner this week:

  • Speck Brothers Family Tree The Goat Lady Chardonnay 2022 (Niagara Peninsula)
  • Little Engine Pinot Noir 2018 (Naramata, BC)
  • Wending Home Sauvignon Blanc 2020 (Creek Shores, Niagara)
  • Big Head Malbec 2020 (Niagara)
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A Wine Lover’s Diary, part 896: A Relatively Quiet Wine Week

Posted on October 2, 2023 by tonyaspler

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Malivoire Bisous Rosé (Non-Vintage) (Pinot Noir, Beamsville Bench; winery only, $34.95)
Pale rose gold in colour; active mousse of tiny bubbles. A bouquet of wild strawberries and red apple; medium-bodied, dry, fresh and lively on the palate with a strawberry and red plum flavour, rounded with oak. (90)

Malivoire Gamay “Concrete” 2022 (Beamsville Bench, winery only, near-future release, $28–$30)
Fermented in concrete tanks then aged seven months in 12-year-old, 300-litre barrels. Purple-ruby in colour; spicy, peppery, cherry nose with vanilla oak notes; medium-bodied, dry, savoury, sour cherry flavour with a peppery note, carried on fresh acidity. (91) Continue reading →

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