Family Day wines
There is an old saying that you can’t choose your family, but you can choose your friends. Genetics is a large and sweeping topic in the wine world. Though there are only a handful of grapes that are used to make most of the wines of the world, there are over 5,000 different wine grapes […]
Being Canadian
Let me start this with a bit of a twist. When I was a kid, I was home with the flu. So I watched a lot of TV. I stumbled across a Disney ‘documentary’ about Canada, and thought this would be enlightening. It was not. This was a story crafted by Hollywood writers who had […]
One is a Genius, The Other is Insane
What have I learned since January 20th of this year? Well, I know I have to “take it down a notch”, as my mom used to say when I lost my cool about things. So, let’s take it down a notch. But how can we take a step back, or take it down a notch, […]
Valentine’s Day Wines
It is Valentine’s Day next week and I want to make sure that you are armed with the best suggestions for wines to share with your lover, friends or simply to enjoy on your own. Among the most popular and common suggestions is a wine from the Beaujolais Cru of St. Amour. Of course the […]
Let’s talk Tariffs
I am not an economist. Everything I’ve learned about tariffs, I learned in the last two weeks. But I’m not a fool. Newly-elected bully Trump also fits the first category. Jury is out on the second. So, what are tariffs, what do they do, and do they work? I did a lot of research on […]
Design Dilemma
Charlotte has a hill that nothing grows on. Charlotte would like to look out of the back of her home and see something green instead of the loose gravel berm that separates her house from the forest behind. She would like something low-maintenance, that doesn’t require a lot of watering or mowing. CHALLENGE Adding plant […]
Sticks and stones
So, did you sit through the Inauguration? It’s Sunday morning, as I write this and I doubt I’ll tune into the event on Monday. I feel as if I might have far better things to do. I might tidy my sock drawer. I might go for a long walk and think about carbon taxes. I […]
Wine trends in 2025
Here are some of the predicted wine trends in 2025—it is a small slice of the collective pie from numerous wine outlets and people. CHILLED REDS No one wants to drink red wine that is room temperature, or 20°C or warmer. They are simply not enjoyable. The resulting wine will be out of balance with […]
The edge of taxes
New Year, old thoughts. In January, I—once again, start thinking about my good friends at Revenue Canada. At this time of the year I don’t give them too much mental real estate, but I do start to get just a wee bit anxious about the process of filing an income tax claim. LOML and I […]
Top of mind
The time has finally arrived. The village is divided into Wellington east and Wellington west as a large hole is taking up the width of the western portion of Main Street so pipes can be installed to service future growth. But this column isn’t going to be about growth, infrastructure, or even water capacity for […]