Toronto Life: Wine Blog

Blogs

Lawrason On Wine

Posts with category ‘Wine pairings’

First Pour

Posted on April 24, 2006

Welcome back to weekly coverage of the topic that never tires. A place where once again—since departing the weekly “On Wine” column in the Globe and Mail in 1999—I can provide real-time news, views and reviews. This blog will review new releases from Ontario wineries, the LCBO general list, Vintages and Consignment. It will tell stories about people and places, and guide you to seminars and events. It will be your bookmark for what’s happening in the dynamic wine scene in Toronto and surrounding wine regions.

Thirst Calls, Riesling Answers

Posted on July 4, 2006

The peak of summer is also riesling’s peak season. Care to listen to two tempting tales of the enjoyment and wonderment that this naked grape delivers?

Treadwell: A Father and Son Match

Posted on August 21, 2006

Many chefs and sommeliers talk of food and wine matching, but it’s always a joy to walk into a restaurant where chef and sommelier actually talk together—and then deliver outstanding matches at the table. Even better when they are a father and son with a genetically linked sense of flavour, and where the chef father has instilled passion for wine in son. It happened Sunday at Treadwell in Port Dalhousie, Niagara as James Chatto and I, along with group of 30 merrymakers, wound up our annual Tour of Niagara. Treadwell was the bon voyage lunch after a 48-hour matching extravaganza, in which we savoured and poked our way through 20 different courses and 46 wines. (There were several other great dishes and wines, some of which are covered in Chatto’s Digest this week.)

Sushi Time

Posted on April 11, 2007

Wine of the Week
Oroya 2005
Spain, $13.95, Vintages April 14, #25775
(score 86)
Created by Spanish giant Freixnet, this seemingly simple dry white was put together from native Spanish varieties —airen (60%), macabeo (30%) and muscat (10%)—specifically to match with sushi, as spelled out on the label both in English and Japanese. It's rather innocuous when sipped solo, with vague floral, melon and citrus flavours set in a slim, dry yet harmonious frame. Well integrated acidity and alcohol forms the bedrock of the wine and the switch that turns it on is sushi, as discovered below. It really works.

Alsace Weekend

Posted on June 19, 2007

Wine of the Week
Paul Zinck 2005 Riesling (89 points, $19.95, www.liffordwineagency.com)
Alsace, France
This is a fulsome, fruity, dry riesling from a warm vintage in Alsace, showing all the expected attributes of apple, with a touch of honey and petrol. Nicely fleshy, with a ripe-fruited sweetness on the palate, refreshing acidity and a dry finish. Only available by the case from Lifford Agencies, but visit the site and ask about other Zinck wines as well. This producer has always impressed.

Into the Northumberland Hills

Posted on October 9, 2007

Wine of the Week
Oak Heights 2006 Cabernet Franc, Ontario ($19.95, 88 points)
While there are vineyards at this impressive new winery in the Northumberland Hills, winemaker Mike Traynor has sourced cab franc (80 per cent) and cab sauvignon from the excellent Watson Vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake for this label. (Southbrook Vineyards has made great Watson cab franc in the past.) Traynor has done a great job making Ontario cabernet franc the way it should be—without over-oaking or heavy extraction. I tasted it three times over the weekend, charmed by its bright raspberry-currant fruit, gentle tobacco, spice and overall ease. But it has substance too; it handled Thanksgiving turkey. Drink now to 2011. Available only via www.oakheights.ca.

Wine, Words and Wisdom

Posted on December 17, 2007

If you haven’t bought your special bottles for Christmas gifts you may be too late, as LCBO shelves will be emptying fast this week. Plan B? Nip into your local bookstore for a wine book.

My favourite wine moments of 2007

Posted on December 27, 2007

1Hidden Bench 2005 Nuits Blanche, Niagara
My head-spinning first tasting of a brilliant bordeaux-inspired white blend of sauvignon blanc and sémillon that went on to win white wine of the year at the Canadian Wine Awards. Hidden Bench opened in June and came out of nowhere to take runner-up for winery of the year.

Cabernet: Antidote to February

Posted on February 20, 2008

Cabernet sauvignon can do one job better than most wines: lift your spirits. And if Family Day didn’t quite cut it during this miserable February, may I recommend one of the following 90-points-plus cabernets sauvignons for the table one night this week. Buy some lamb from your favourite butcher, decant the wine the moment you get home, slip into your comfy duds, read the mail, start cooking, then breathe deeply. No other red grape is as capable of such soaring blackcurrant fragrance, such complexity, such power and elegance. At its best it combines true grit and symmetry.

Cheers to Santé

Posted on May 6, 2008

The 10th annual Santé: Toronto International Wine Festival kicks off Monday, May 5, with a week-long tasting menu of winemaker dinners, special events and seminars in venues throughout Yorkville. California and Australia are this year’s headliners. Here is the roster of major events, complete with some of the wines and wineries worth investigating. For more details and tickets, check out the festival’s Web site, www.santewinefestival.net.

David Lawrason

David Lawrason

David Lawrason has worked full time as one of Canada's leading, independent wine writers and educators for over 20 years. He was the founder of Wine Access magazine and Globe and Mail wine columnist for 13 years before becoming resident wine guy at Toronto Life, where he pens a monthly column and writes an exhaustive review of LCBO general listings for the annual Food and Wine Guide. As a wine educator he has taught sommelier programs at George Brown, Humber and Niagara Colleges, and has run popular public courses in Toronto since 1988. He has visited every major wine major producing country in the world, while focusing recently on the booming Canadian wine scene, as founder of the Canadian Wine Awards program, and Canadian wine columnist for Wine Access.

Lawrason on Wine RSS Feed

 
New servers