Newsletter-0001 What makes a wine reviewer
16 Aug 2005- Details
- Category: Newsletter Archives
| OntarioWineReview Newsletter -01 March 2005 |
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- Ontario Wine Review: What Makes a Wine Reviewer
- Grape Guy’s Pick of the Bunch: Willow Heights 2000 Gamay Noir
- Raise your Spirits: Advice about things we “wine” about: like stains and hangovers
- Uncorked and Decanted: Nifty gadgets and accessories that enhance wine enjoyment
- Wine Event Spotlight: Toronto Wine and Cheese
OntarioWineReview: What Makes a Wine Reviewer(Print a .pdf version of this newsletter)
What makes someone want to review wine? … A love for the grape, a passion for wine, a willingness to share the experience with others; and a wine cellar that is the envy of all your friends. I started my love for wine in 1994 with a visit to the Niagara wine region. Since then I have been back for every festival, every tasting event, and a visit to every winery at least once a year. For me nothing beats a Saturday afternoon drive that starts with the anticipation of tasting a new wine, one I’ve read or heard about: an article or review that sparked my interest and made me want to draw my own conclusion. My wine interest started with fruit wines – the sweet nectar of apples, pears, strawberries, cherries, etc. which also included late harvest vidals and of course icewine. As the years passed I turned to whites: from semi-dry Rieslings and sweet-tasting Gewurztraminers to off-dry Sauvignons and buttery Chardonnays. Then came the day when I tried my first glass of an awesome red – well, awesome to me anyway. It was a merlot from Chile. A friend said we should try it and I, being convinced I did not like reds – tried it with skepticism – then it happened: that magical moment when you cross over from white and sweet to dry and red – your world changes, you finally understand what all the fuss is about, and you become universal in the wine world – able to drink the entire gamut of wines from sweet fruit and ice to dry whites and reds. To this day when confronted with a die-hard non-red drinker I will start them off with a soft Chilean merlot.
So what makes one want to review wine? A love for trying something new; the willingness to share those experiences with others; the ability to open your mind to all kinds of wine; and everybody saying: “you really should do this for a living.” Cheers.
Grape Guy’s Pick of the Bunch : Willow Heights 2000 Gamay NoirNow here’s a wine we can all get behind: Willow Heights 2000 Gamay Noir. I will admit to sometimes having a delayed sense of smell – unless of course a skunk has sprayed within a kilometer or two … so when I read some wine reviews I am often miffed by what some of these guys, and gals, are smelling in the glass. But this Gamay Noir is pure raspberry through and through – it literally smells like a jar of raspberry jam … and the nice part is, it delivers in the mouth with hints of raspberries on the tongue. Don’t take my word for it, get to Vineland, grab yourself a bottle and try it for yourself before it’s all gone, the 2002 has just been released … and with any luck in a couple of years we’ll get the same result. Cheers.
Visit www.willowheightswinery.com for more details or to purchase this great wine.
The Grape Vine : Submit your opinion and become a part of the OWR tasters circle. Should this wine be a candidate for our OntarioWineReview Crystal Cork Awards? Chime In!Contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Raise your Spirits : Advice about things we “wine” about: like stains and hangovers.
The Dark Side of Wine – Stains 1
There is nothing worse than witnessing red wine being spilled on a light coloured object, be it a white tablecloth or beige carpeting … nothing that is except trying to clean it up. There are many ways to attempt to remove that stain, here is just one (submitted by G. Harper of Toronto): vinegar and baking soda … sprinkle baking soda on the offending spot (if possible rub it in a bit) then pour the vinegar on the baking soda, the baking soda will start to bubble and boil, in theory it is lifting the stain up so that you can pat it with a cloth to remove it.
If you have other helpful hints to remove stains let us know and we’ll pass them on to our readers; and best of all, you get to see your name in print.
Wine Event Spotlight : Toronto Wine and CheeseThe Toronto Wine and Cheese Show – probably the most fun you can have with a glass in your hand – is being held Friday April 8 th thru to Sunday April 10 th at the The International Centre … admission is $18.00.
For more details go to www.towineandcheese.com
Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Grape Guy
Contact Michael Pinkus Grape GuyOntarioWineReview
A bi-weekly newsletter dedicated to helping you discover Ontario’s best Wines and Wineries.
Enjoyment comes from understanding - Passion comes from understanding more.
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