Who and Why

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The Audacity of Thomas G. Bright’s Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay Sussreserve are made from grapes grown in the Niagara Peninsula and the Okanagan Valley with roots that stretch all the way back almost 150 years. 

Full-bodied with a bit of spice and toast, the Cabernet-Merlot blend is grown in Okanagan and finished in whisky barrels for an exceptionally smooth finish. Look for red fruits from the Merlot and black fruits from the Cabernet.

Who would drink this? … Why – rebels, rascals, ruffians, hoofers and woofers and probably woofing hoofers – of course!. 

It worked really well with Stew, which is also a hodgepodge of terroir.

THE AUDACITY OF THOMAS G. BRIGHT – CABERNET MERLOT 2019

$17.99

14.5% Alcohol

UPC: 00063657039915

Terroir Intense

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 In the center of Portugal, slightly more in the North, the small wine region of Dao can be found. With incredibly intense wines, they offer great value and quality.

 The climate is temperate, where the winters are cold and rainy and the summers dry and warm. Soils are poor and granitic with poor retention of water, and the grapes varieties,  combine to give different wines with more tannins, more acidity and freshness.


 In the case of red wines, we have the Touriga Nacional grape variety that gives wines of intense red colour. 

It has a high potential for aging, the aromas are intense, of high complexity, very mature black fruits and forest fruits. In the mouth it is full-bodied, persistent, robust, with an unmistakable velvety tannin structure, very fruityand elegant.


Just the kind of terroir we very much enjoy.

DAO – ADEGA DE PENALVA

$13.99 regularly $14.99

12.5% Alcohol

UPC: 05606469000053

Nice that HE agrees with US

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New research commissioned by Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris into intergenerational wine consumption says only 26 per cent of regular wine drinkers are between 18 and 39 (gen Z and Millennials) versus 48 per cent aged 55-plus (Boomers). Gen X and Boomers see wine as integral to their informal, daily routine; gen Z views wine as an accessory to highly social, festive moments. Millennials sit somewhere between the two, opting for wine on special occasions but also for taste and relaxation.

Also, gen Z and Millennials have a finely tuned appreciation for which drinks fit which consumption moments, drawing on a much wider beverage repertoire than older consumers.

Gen Z, for example, regularly consumes white spirits, cocktails, beer and cider, whereas, for Boomers, the list of regular wine alternatives shrinks to just beer and gin.

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it’s the first prerequisite for any wine-drinker interested in expanding their palate. The question is, where do you go from here?

The good news is that your choices are limitless. You only need to move a metre or two off of the beaten track to discover the richness of the wine. It may also provide relief from the relentless gouging going on in the mainstream market.

There is far too much junk wine in the marketplace and way too much overpriced price wine in the system, so any decline in sales may be just what is required to correct the category. Furthermore, wine does not need to be for everybody and hence doesn’t have to be watered down in flavour or discussion to widen its audience.

Anthony Gismondi

Remember, the curiosity mentioned above and a sense of adventure are all that is required to escape the dross of everyday wine.

Wine and Germany

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The wide range of grape varieties cultivated in Germany is impressive, from “A” as in Acolon, to “Z” as in Zweigeltrebe. Whilst almost 100 varieties are planted, around twenty of these are of greatest commercial importance, above all, Riesling and Müller-Thurgau, also called Rivaner. These account for a good third of the 103,079 hectares of vineyards in 2019. In the case of red wine varieties, Pinot Noir and Dornfeld cultivation are of the greatest importance.

Germany now produces nearly 67% white wine and 33% red wine, in regions extending from the Elbe to Lake Constance. Some areas, such as the Moselle, Saar and Ruwer, are almost exclusively dedicated to white grape varieties. In contrast, regions in the south, such as Württemberg and Baden,and the Ahr in the north, have a longstanding red wine tradition. The trend towards red grape varieties has been unmistakable in all growing areas over the past few years and has now probably passed its peak. The most extensive red grape cultivation is in the two largest growing regions of Rheinhessen and Pfalz. Another recent trend is the shift towards white and red Burgundy varieties and the renaissance of classic grape varieties.

Red Grapes 
Around a third of the German vineyard area is planted with red grape varieties. There are currently changes: a shift towards Burgundian grapes and the renaissance of classic grape varieties. Pinot Noir leads the red wine varieties, whilst classics such as Portugieser, Schwarzriesling, Lemberger or Saint Laurent, also play an important role. Newer varieties such as Dornfelder, Regent and Merlot have also now established themselves. Here you will find an overview of the red grape varieties grown in Germany.

Viognier (Rhone)
Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir)
Dornfelder, new)

Portugiese (Danube Valley)
Trollinger
Blauer
Lemberger
Schwarzriesling
Domina

Cabernet Sauvgnon
Regent
St. Laurent
Merlot
Syrah/Shiraz
Cabernet Franc
Malbec/Cot Acolon

White Grapes 
In 2019, white wine varieties (68,911 ha) accounted for exactly two thirds of the national vineyard area of ​​103,079 ha. Riesling remains Germany’s most important grape variety, with a quarter of the vineyard total planted with it. Other white grape varieties, such as Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay, are playing an increasing role. In our overview you can see a list of the white grape varieties.

Riesling, ancient
Silvaner, ancient
Müller Thurgau, (Rivaner)
1882 in Geisenheim, (Riesling x Madeleine Royale)
Grauburgunder, (Pinot Gris, ancient)
Weißburgunder, (Pinot Blanc, ancient)
Elbling, ancient)
BacchusKerner, (Trollinger x Riesling)
Gutedel (Chasselas, Fendant, ancient)
Huxelrebe (Gutedel x Courtillier)
Gewürztraminer (red or yellow Traminer)
Chardonnay (ancient)
Sauvigon Blanc
Scheurebe (Riesling x Bukett)
Ortega (Mueller Thurgau x Siegerrebe)
Bacchus (Silvaner x Riesling)
Morio Muskat (Silvaner x Weissburgunder)
Faberrebe (Weissburgunder x Mueller Thurgau)

Back to Simplicity

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Apples and peaches up front. Balanced and a crisp acidity throughout.

Who cares which season, you’ll enjoy this any time of the year in any weather.  

By itself as an aperitif, or with fish, or just a salad.  Just simply enjoy it for what it is.  Good wine at

a good price .. and it’s BC.

Beware … it might all disappear in one sitting!

Mission Hill FIVE VINEYARDS – PINOT BLANC

$16.49 

12.5% Alcohol

UPC: 00776545995889

Life behind the postcards

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The result is a portrait of a Greek village in transition and an American woman’s metamorphosis. Thordis learned the meaning of hospitality from a goatherd who inhabited an exalted mountain realm; she learned patience from a local carpenter who defied his own deadlines; she learned the meaning of wit and wisdom from a great-grandmother who was unschooled. Above all, Dancing Girl acknowledges the ties that bind us all: feelings that need to be expressed and a human spirit that wants to be set free.

Dancing Girl: Themes and Improvisations in a Greek Village Setting

Theordis Simosen

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0962976643

The daughter of migrants goes back to the land of her ancestors to discover the generosity, passionate politics of rural life.

Living abroad for extended periods gives the author an opportunity to sort out ancient myths, and try to understand the paradoxes of national identity.

There’s more than one side to your heritage.

I bent down to the vine,

it’s leaves shaking, to drink in

it’s honey and it’s flower;

and – my thoughts like heavy grapes,

bramble-thick my breath – 

I could not, as I breathed,

choose among the sents,

but culled them all, and drank them

as one drinks joy or sorrow

suddenly sent by fate;

I drank them all

….”The First Rain: Angelos Sikelianos

The Olive Grove, travels in Greece

Katherine Kizilos

ISBN: 0-86442-459-0