We have a secret. When we go wine shopping, we like to play a game. It’s called the Cheaper and Better Game. The rules of this game are simple: find the best wines we can for $15 and under. Of course, we also invest in higher end wines, that we save for special occasions. but...
This is a fun time to be a wine drinker in France. For that matter, if you’re a wine lover who doesn’t take yourself too seriously, then it’s a fun time to be a wine drinker here, too. The third Thursday of November is the release day for Beaujolais Nouveau. Everywhere from the bistros of...
As glittering decorations, twinkling lights and snow-and-ice displays roll out for the holidays, sparkling wines also add warm, fuzzy — and, of course, fizzy — feelings to the season. For the holiday season the LCBO will introduce 60 new sparkling wines, and December’s champagne sales will make up nearly a third of the LCBO’s annual...
We’ve all been there. At the end of a long day, wandering around the liquor store trying to find a wine. Really, we just want to get home, open it up, and relax. But staring at the wall of wine ahead of you, your brain having checked out when you left the office, you can’t...
With the scariest night of the year only a few sleeps away, many people we know are looking to fete All Hallows’ Eve in style. And as costume parties abound, inevitably people start asking us about the perfect pairings for Fright Night that won’t scare the daylights out of their bank accounts. Now, unlike other...
October 16 is World Food Day. According to the World Bank upwards of 70-million people are facing extreme poverty. But it’s not just people living in other areas of the world that are facing life-threatening food shortages. Right here in Canada, nearly 900-thousand people relied on Food Banks in March 2010. That’s an almost...
by Erin In these shaky economic times, you just may find the cure to your financial woes at the bottom of a bottle. Well, likely more at the top. As more and more of us watch idly by while our carefully planned RSP’s and hard-earned saving melt away like ice in a Manhattan cocktail, many...
by Erin When the weather turns cooler, I, and I suspect many of you, start to turn towards heartier fare and nostalgic classics. And even though it’s been quite balmy in Toronto over the last few days, it’s still cool enough for a scarf (maybe not a jacket), and the bounty of squash overflowing in...
by Erin Let’s be honest: as sommeliers, our jobs are awesome. Eating amazing foods and drinking spectacular wine is great. And the fact that we get paid to do it, is just icing on the cake. But there is no free lunch. And I’ve paid a price for my wining and dining lifestyle with my...
by Erin Have you ever had those moments, when you think about a song you haven’t heard in years and then it comes on the radio? Or a long lost friend you are about to call is on the other end when you pick up the phone to dial their number? I’ve recently had one...
