By Kristin on 12/16/2008 3:01 PM

Fortunately for me, I get to taste (read: drink) a lot of good wine. Most of what I get to taste is wine that the agency is bringing in to the province for sale to restaurant and private clients. It is usually above my everyday drinking snack bracket, so is always a welcome addition to my glass!
A couple of weeks ago, my colleague & buddy Mark Cuff came into the office bearing an incredible gift. Mark gets as excited about good wine as I do… Great wine sparks great discussion. I for one am tough to shut up once I get going…

So, in walks Mark, glint in his eye, bottle under arm. He’s carrying the famed Domaine du Coulet, from Cornas in the Northern Côte du Rhône. I have read of this wine in passing, and have heard Mark speak of it. The winemaker is Matthieu Barret, who is maybe 35 years old. The Domaine holds 4.5 hectares of prime old vines in Cornas. The yields are exceptionally low (approximately 8hl/ ... Read More »

By Kristin on 12/8/2008 10:51 AM

This past week I competed in the 4th Annual Wine Tasting Challenge. This is a crazy contest that attracts all of the local wine talent in the Toronto area. It is put on by CCOVI at Brock University (Cool Climate Oenology & Viticulture Institute) and takes place at the Four Seasons Hotel. Big sponsors include yours truly, B&W Wines.

The way it works:

You have 50 minutes to taste 7 wines blind, 3 VQA wines blind, and 3 spirits blind. At the end of this, you hazard a guess at varietal, country of origin, region, as well as vintage.

Prize values total over 100 grand, plus bragging rights. It goes without saying that all of the city’s top winos show up. During my exam alone, I recognized Zoltan Szabo, Paul Decampo from Henry of Pelham, Marlise Ponzo from Crush, Corey Ladouceur from the Granite Club, as well as three PhD students from CCOVI. That was just in the first hour time slot.
&l ... Read More »