Michael Pinkus Wine Review - On the Road with the Grape Guy

Report from - Vinexx Tasting, Toronto ... September 24, 2008

06 Oct 2008

Details: Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy

Vinexx has a semi-annual tasting schedule: once in the fall and once in the spring. Many of the wines they showcase in the spring reappear in the fall, some in the form of a new vintage, while others continue unchanged from the last show. This time out I was looking forward to the 2005 E. Guigal (the general list one) that I was told last spring would be in wide release come the fall and is "spectacular"; but the LCBO is still in to the throes of clearing out the ’04 so that was the one for tasting - guess I’ll have to wait for the spring event to get my first sip at this wine. But enough about my disappointments, here's what's coming in, or is here and available through Vinexx this time …

My favorite part of the Vinexx tasting, and I'm sure I've mentioned this before, is that the majority of their products are available at the LCBO, which means you can pick stuff up pretty readily (even on your way home if you chose) - though I've also bought some consignment and private order booze from them before. My first three recommendations are consignment wines ... (Read more)

To read about more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.

Report from - The French Wine Study ... September 27, 2008

29 Sep 2008

Details: Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy

The French spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to conduct a study to confirm every single stereotype about French wine you can think of: it is perceived as snobby, elitist and expensive; except in Quebec, where it is seen as exhibiting traditional French values and is priced fairly. What the French really spent that money on was to show that we Canadians are a divided lot: what goes for Quebec does not go for Ontario and it certainly isn’t true in Western Canada … and nobody drinks wine East of Quebec. At least that is the perception I took away from the French wine study conducted by Sopexa and Wines of France and revealed this morning in what seems to be a condemned building turned into an art studio (The Burroughs Building on Queen Street).

Now maybe I’m being a little bit facetious about the whole thing … certainly not all Canadians see French wine as elitist and expensive, but they sure do in B.C. I have met plenty to French winemakers and I find them to be congenial and forthright and passionate about their land, their wine and their country. But what does the rest of the world think of them – more importantly, what do Canadians believe about French wine? In an effort to find out and see where their market is, Wines of France set out to find out.

First, a little general knowledge about us as a nation: (Read more)

To read about more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.