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The LCBO ordered to do better on VQA market share at their stores
By Rick VanSickle In a rather startling letter to the LCBO, the provincial government has clearly expressed that it wants the Ontario booze monopoly to fix the historically low market share of 5.1% for...
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Wineries in Ontario making hybrid grapes cool again
By Rick VanSickle When the Vintners Quality Alliance of Ontario was first envisioned in 1988 (and later proclaimed into law on June 29, 2000), it rendered hybrid grapes Public Enemy No. 1. In that...
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One last grand wine tasting as a new chapter begins at Featherstone winery
By Rick VanSickle After 25 years of success, the Featherstone Estate Winery on Niagara’s Twenty Mile Bench is beginning “a new chapter.” Louis Engel (below) and her winemaker husband David Johnson have...
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A family affair as Niagara’s Honsberger winery celebrates 10th anniversary
By Rick VanSickle Honsberger Estate Winery has a farming history that dates back more than 200 years, but it’s only been the last 20 that grapes made it into what it is today. The sixth generation of...
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The rich history, colourful shirts and deep portfolio from Henry of Pelham’s...
By Rick VanSickle It’s another stinkin’ hot day in Niagara and Paul Speck is running around collecting bottles of this and that to pour over a long lunch on the new patio. It’s not hard to spot the...
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Everything you need to know about Open Local Wine on Nov. 9
By Wines in Niagara Let’s show the great 100% Ontario grown wines a little love this November, shall we? After a three-year hiatus, #openlocalwine, an international celebration of local wine (wherever...
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Niagara College’s first female winemaker guiding students into future
By Rick VanSickle A winemaker’s job can be a lonely one, unless you trade in that life for a new one surrounded by eager students who hang on your every word. That’s just what Allison Findlay, below,...
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Spotlight on Westcott Vineyards at the forefront of the Chardonnay evolution
By Rick VanSickle There’s no question Ontario makes world-class Chardonnay, but just how far can the top wineries push it? I did not attend the recent International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration,...
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Kirby, On Seven play a big role in the Ontario Chardonnay crusade
By Rick VanSickle Staying on the Chardonnay bandwagon, there’s a new wave of producers who have planted their hopes and dreams in the dirt of Niagara. Four that come readily to mind are Kirby Estate...
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Cloudsley’s stunning ‘happy accident’ Pinot Noir, plus new wines reviewed
By Rick VanSickle I had resisted the temptation to open that Pinot Noir that stared back at me in our cellar for months; it was all too much. Resistance was futile. Note, also in this Ontario Wine...
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Château des Charmes winemaker welcomes next chapter at historic winery
By Rick VanSickle As one chapter closes on the historic Château des Charmes winery in Niagara, a new one is just being written. Note, also in this Ontario Wine Report: Our picks for Ontario wines being...
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Transparency from all involved crucial when wineries pay for wine reviews
By Rick VanSickle An Ontario wine writer, who I am not naming here, reached out to PECWine recently to see if they would send a letter to its members in Prince Edward County pitching a pay-for-play...
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Where wine meets cider, the bucolic world of Stoss Lee and Stock and Row
By Rick VanSickle It has been said that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and maybe that is true for wine and cider maker Zoe Marshall Nares. As co-founder and co-owner of both Stoss Lee Wines...
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As harvest begins another huge grape surplus looms in Niagara
By Rick VanSickle With harvest underway in Niagara, there’s a more concerning issue on the minds of grape growers in Niagara — another looming surplus. The over-supply of grapes in the region is...
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A tasty wine journey to Ottawa’s KIN Vineyards and the County’s Last House
By Rick VanSickle It just isn’t easy making wine on the margins in Ontario but when winemakers get it right, it can be a magical experience. My wife Maureen and I travelled to Prince Edward County and...
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Ontario wines shine at the LCBO amid uncertainty on other fronts
By Rick VanSickle It’s the most magical time of the year in Ontario Wine Country — in more ways than one! Note, also in this report: Our picks from the big Ontario wine release at Vintages stores...
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King and Vic in a unique position on Niagara’s Twenty Mile Bench
By Rick VanSickle At the King and Victoria Winery on Niagara’s Twenty Mile Bench, it’s all about a holistic approach to crafting small lot wines from their own vineyards. There’s a layer of security...
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No better place to talk VQA Canada than at new Table Rock Bistro overlooking...
By Rick VanSickle Donald Ziraldo looks very comfortable sitting at his corner table with a sweeping view of one of the world’s greatest natural wonders on a gorgeous day overlooking the thunderous...
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Too many grapes, not enough buyers in Niagara wine country
By Rick VanSickle It’s a hot, muggy day in a summer with no shortages of them in Niagara, and the kind of day that will define the wines to come from the plump, juicy grapes now being harvested across...
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Niagara bubbles best in the Americas, plus LCBO picks, B.C.’s River Stone...
By Rick VanSickle Three Niagara sparkling wines bested all the others in a blind tasting of 131 bubbles from six nations in the Americas. It’s quite a feather in the cap for both Ravine Vineyard and...
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