Immediately following the swearing-in ceremony on January 20th, Korbel Russian River Valley Natural Champagne will be served at the Inaugural Luncheon and raised in toasts to the new Obama administration.
2009 marks the seventh Presidential Inauguration in which Korbel Champagne Cellars has been selected for this prestigious honor. This Korbel tradition began in 1985 with the inauguration of Ronald Reagan and has continued through the inaugurations of George Bush in 1989, Bill Clinton in 1993 and 1998, George W. Bush in 2001 and 2005, and now Barack Obama.
So if you plan on throwing an Inaugural party or just simply want …read more

Like music, wine is made in an almost limitless variety of styles to suit every meal, mood or occasion. Within any given bottle you might find an uplifting sparkling wine; a fresh and racy white; a lusty red, or a luscious dessert wine. The problem is, however, that because so many people are limited to drinking from a single bottle during dinner, they stick with what they’re used to, and don’t explore or venture into the different wines a restaurant might have.
Quattro on Fourth, in Vancouver BC, has decided that this is just not acceptable, and has introduced …read more

I had an opportunity to try both Seven Daughters Red & White wines recently.  At first, I was a little skeptical when I read that the wines are blends of seven different grapes, and then I remembered what Gary Vaynerchuk reminded me: trust your palate.
The Seven Daughters White Winemaker’s Blend is composed of seven distinct varietals including Riesling, Symphony, Chardonnay, Orange Muscat, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc and French Colombard. Some sultry sweet scents of orange blossom, musk and melon danced around with the fresh flavours of lychee and tangerine.  My first sip was lovely, and it finished with a slightly …read more

Tetra Pak wines are tricky business. I love the environmental justification. I hate that it looks cheap. I’m delighted by how much lighter they are to carry. But the one’s I’ve tasted in the past are just so…blah.
But, I’m happy to say that Frisky Zebras does not disappoint. While not as complex and interesting as some of my favorite traditionally bottled varieties, the proper amount of acidity capped off a delicious blend of grapefruit and oranges. Surprisingly refreshing, this South African wine from Leopard Frog Vineyards confirms for me at least that Tetra Paks are not something to necessarily …read more

While dining at one of Toronto’s most unabashedly tourist-y restaurants, I figured it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t give the man’s wine a try. Now the Creole Chicken Mac & Cheese? That was tasty.
But the wine. Oh, the wine.
While the taste of lemon was more than evident, there was little else to back it up. Bland and flavorless, this one truly lacked the character of it’s namesake.
But I drank on. In hopes that something else on the menu would brighten my disappointed spirits.
Unfortunately, their Parker Station Chardonnay also tasted unbalanced, with grapefruit undertones rising to one big overtone and …read more

Sparkling wines take on many styles and names depending on what region of the world they come from.
The only sparkling wine that can legally be called Champagne must come from the Champagne region of France.
You may be familiar with the phrases “Blanc de Blanc” and “Blanc de Noir.” Blanc de Blanc, or white of white, means that the wine has been made from white grapes such as Chardonnay. Blanc de Noir, or white of dark, means that the wine, though white, has been made from red grapes such as Pinot Noir.
In Spain, sparkling wine is called Cava and is made …read more

Last night I eschewed the common list of Chardonnay and Sauv Blanc for the more adventurous Marques De Riscal Rueda from Spain. I quickly learned that not only was this a good decision, but that the Spanish have a knack for whites I was unaware of. Delightfully balanced (I can’t stand a white that knocks you over with citrus) and playful, there was a little bit of a lime undertone that really took it to another level.
This was a welcome improvement from the wine tasting I co-hosted on Friday (more on that later) where no true winners really emerged. …read more