Ready for some RedBlacks Football?
There will be excitement in Ottawa this coming Friday night. For the first time in several years, there will be professional football in our capital city. The Ottawa RedBlacks will take the field at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, to play the Toronto Argonauts. It is actually the team’s fifth game and the third in […]
Super summer sippers
The process of leaving the wine in contact with the lees has a long history in wine making. Cato the Elder records its use in the Roman region of Campania as far back as the second century B.C. This is the same area that would see Pompeii and Herculaneum destroyed by the eruption of Mt.Vesuvius […]
The skyward solution
Congestion. It’s the number one issue in the Toronto municipal election, where the candidates—when not in drunken stupors—are beating one another’s brains out over whether the solution is more subways or rapid transit. A recent column (June 18) noted the advent of the driverless car as a potential solution. But others are looking skyward for […]
Road trip
The nice thing about writing a column for a paper is getting to chew on a topic once or twice. It works for me. Since it’s half-past July already, I’m here to ask you to raise your hand if you’ve visited all of our local community museums. I’m thinking a road trip is in order. […]
World Cup of Soccer
On Sunday, the World Cup of Soccer final game will take place in Brazil, at 3 p.m. eastern time. The third-place game, as it is called, takes place on Saturday, at 4 p.m. At press time, three countries remain in the hunt for supremacy in the soccer world: the Netherlands, Argentina and Germany. They have […]
Of vultures and the aesthetic of July
A rattle-sound from my bike is about all that seems to ground me as I travel the rugged quiet of Closson Road. Red-winged blackbirds and four cranky crows tell of news—something maybe I oughta know? Something in the back-fields? Deer maybe, a fox? The man on the bike with the noisy fender? The sky at […]
Passion and pride
In the course of your tasting room visits you have probably heard of wines—in most cases chardonnay—undergoing malolactic fermentation. This week, I will attempt to define this process and its impact on wine. Malolactic fermentation occurs after primary fermentation. Malic acids—the tart acids found in Granny Smith apples—convert to lactic acids (found in buttermilk, butter, […]
The silent woodwhistle
“Chuck Tangello here for the new Silent Woodwhistle. Ever tried blowing a dog whistle and having every dog in the neighbourhood start yapping?” Cue scene with completely hapless couple blowing whistles, turning red in the face and being set upon by mob of angry dogs.) Chuck Tangello, Chuck Tangello; where have I heard that name […]
Speedo envy
Well, the first of the skimpily-clad shoppers have hit the local grocery and retail stores. After more than 40 years of observing this summertime phenomenon, I realize I’m not really angry or disgusted by the outfits some vacationers wear when they come into town to stock their coolers. I think I’m a bit jealous. Yup, […]
Hockey Hall of Fame 2014
They covered the bases with this year’s group of inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Four players will be inducted: Rob Blake, from Simcoe, Ontario; Domink Hasek, from Pardubice, Czechoslovakia; Mike Modano, from Livonia, Michigan; and Peter Forsberg, from Ornskoldsvik, Sweden. Add to that list a coach from Quebec, Pat Burns, and a referee […]