LE MAGAZINE DU VIN
For our anglophone readers…
We are a few days away from Christmas… Have you already finished your shopping or are you still working on your menu? If you want to have original last minute ideas, this article is for you! I have here, in my pocket, products available near you that might surprise your guests! Are you ready to try some saké for Christmas ?
Do you know the prosecco superiore? Follow the guide to discover this little gem of Italian sparkling wine with a fascinating history.
If you are looking for the crème de la crème among the ocean of Prosecco found on our market, be aware that you need to look for the prestigious denomination of controlled origin and guaranteed (DOCG)
« This exceptional wine got 94 points from Robert Parker. » « Wine Spectator gave him 98 points » « This red wine received 5 stars from Decanter ». James Suckling has awarded this Burgundy 92 points! » So what ? Do you really buy wine based on scores given by other people? Let’s talk about it… By Frédéric Arnould (lefred@toutsurlevin.ca) Did you ever see at your […]
« I’m Not Drinking Any Fucking Merlot » ! Believe it or not, but this sentence has cost quite a lot to Merlot producers in California but also elsewhere in the world. Fifteen years later, Merlot deserves its rehabilitation.
Always on the lookout for trends, some are interested in vegan wine. After the organic wine, the natural wine and the orange wine, more and more wines are appearing with a vegan logo on the label. But what does wine have to do with vegan products ?
2018 saw the first certified sustainable report by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, illustrating the rise in popularity of sustainable products, even in the wine industry. This certification requires wineries to meet a whopping 58 requirements in the vineyard alone. Wineries from all over the world may soon follow suit and employ more sustainable practices, as studies show that Millenials consume quite a […]
Have you ever heard of the Sicilian grape Frappato? It is not always obvious to find some in wine stores because of its scarcity. However, it makes fruit forward wines with a high level of drinkability especially for the summer. I can proudly proclaim Frappato the grape to go for this summertime. Typical of Sicily, the Frappato has all the […]
When a wine is made from 100% of the same grape variety, it is called a single varietal wine, but when there are several varieties of grapes that are used for wine production, this is a blended wine. This technique is used around the world, from Bordeaux to Champagne and as far as Patagonia, Argentina and Australia. If we want […]
When you think of the Sicilian vineyards, you can imagine these vines planted up to about 900 meters above sea level on the road that leads to Etna or in the landscapes of Montreale or even in those of the center of the island. Never would we imagine planting somewhere between the city of Catania and the beautiful Syracuse, and […]
They are the worst enemies of our guilty pleasure! They are called oxidation, reduction, corked , wine, Brettanomyces and others. How do we identify those faults when our glass of wine smells funny or has a strange color? And what can be done ? Follow the guide
« White on red won’t go to your head; red on white and you’re out for the night », says the popular saying. This one seems to have been inspired by the Navy. « If the white flag is above, the sailors remain on board and nothing moves. But if the red is above, things might go crazy ! » So therefore we should we always drink white wine before red wine. But what about the reality?
You may think about buying a decanter, a nice “carafe” or an aerator? But should you really decant or aerate every wines ? What are the benefits and the risks of this operation ?
Forget Father’s Day presents like dull ties and cheap aftershaves. Both will die of boredom in a drawer ! If you want to celebrate your father, then reward him with some liquid happiness. But again, forget the Baby Duck, Black Tower and Blue Nun and even the infamous “crème de menthe”… Tell him I love you with a corkscrew. Who […]
Let me get this straight. Any serious rosé wine is not a mixture of white wine and red wine. Nay! No, actually, it is first and foremost a wine made from red grapes. The winemaker has to start from a grape used to make red wine and to give it the freshness of a white wine. But then how does […]
The question often comes up : these small bubbles in the Champagne flute, is it there because gas is added or injected into a « still » wine ? Although this unorthodox « treatment » that could be called « Coca-Cola method » is practiced for some sparkling wines (we will avoid talking about them for that matter), the genuine beautiful bubbles actually come from a method a bit more complex and all-natural. Whether it is for Champagne, Spanish Cava, Prosecco or others, here is how this sparkling wines production works. Follow the guide!
To the great displeasure of his mother, he likes to say that « he was educated with Kraft Dinner and Kik Cola ». One way to admit that the wine was not part of his everyday life in the Villeray district of Montreal. Today, this alchemist of wine, this harmony’s creator has become the reference in molecular sommellerie. And not so long […]
With her fiery red hair and deep blue eyes, Barbara Philip does not necessarily meet the standard clichés that people sometimes entertain about great connoisseurs of wine. She got nothing to do with the pot-bellied men with blackened teeth due to extensive wine tastings. A woman who loves her work, with ease, and who became the first female Canadian to […]
First let’s make it clear ! When professional tasters identify the aromas contained in a wine, they call on their personal memory of flavors. When they claim they can detect that this wine has aromas of plums, leather, cigar box, fresh cut hay, gooseberries and butterscotch, this may seem completely esoteric and even unlikely for the novice … And yet […]
First of all, vinho verde (pronounced Vigno verday) means green wine in Portuguese. But, do not expect to see a green apple color or in any way fluorescent like kryptonite that even Superman could not refuse. But I digress … In fact, in this case we do not speak of « green wine » but rather of « young wine ». And young, vinho […]
« F*ck the neighbors », « Hashtag this, motherf*cker, » « Chill the f*ck down, » What are you talking about », « Wow, that came out wrong », « Aren’t you a ray of f*cking sunshine »… No, those are not bits of dialogue of any soap opera, but it’s actually what you can find on some wine labels from « Church and State » winery , located in the Okanagan […]