A fine judgement
We should give a major shout-out to the County wines that participated in the Judgement of Kingston—with special congratulations to Rosehall Run (Gold) and Closson Chase (Silver) for their award-winning chardonnays. The last similar upset occurred 40 years ago, when the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay was chosen best at the Judgement of Paris—changing worldwide perception […]
The hot potato
Today, November 16, 2016, is the day the big recommendation will be made public. What big recommendation? Well, Canada does not have a national bird. It has a national animal, the beaver. And it has a national tree, the maple. But no national bird. A couple of years ago, Canadian Geographic magazine decided to change […]
Agent Orange
Ah, The Donald. Deep down inside y’all knew it had to happen. The 2016 American election was like that scratchy throat and slight fever that heralds the approach of a nasty cold. Sometimes you figure if you just think good thoughts, it’ll go away. Other times you throw everything you’ve got at it hoping to […]
After the World Series
There are pockets of euphoria around here respecting the victory of the Chicago Cubs. There are a few die-hard White Sox fans who cheered— listlessly mind you—for the Cubs. For the most part, most South West Florida baseball fans cheer for the Red Sox. A few for the Minnesota Twins. That is perfectly natural, as […]
Tasteless
There is no accounting for taste. In 2006, 10-year-old Québécois Jérémy Gabriel debuted his singing career. The boy’s voice was not remarkable— rather, it was his disability, Treacher Collins syndrome, affecting the structure of his skull and leaving him hard of hearing, which caught public attention. In 2010, shock comedian Mike Ward added Jérémy to […]
Bread and circus
We have taken comfort, in Ontario, that we enjoy the strongest alcohol control system in Canada. But is this just a catch phrase for monopoly and price-setting? Are beer, cider and wine in grocery stores being made available for our benefit, or is this market being opened for the potential tax windfall? As of October […]
Chemin de fer
Just so happened that I was bound for western Ontario on the weekend and decided that going by train would be the thing: it was that and more. I have had the opportunity to travel the rails extensively throughout my life’s work. The train became a connecting metaphor for many of the places I have […]
A candidate for exile
By the time you read this column, and unless the result is a cliffhanger in the tradition of George W. Bush and Al Gore, we’ll all know who won the U.S. presidential election—and who lost. After such a bitter battle, the loser will be especially downbeat and will take intense criticism from all quarters. So […]
Awesome
By the time this hits the street a new President will have been elected in the good ole US of A. It has been a very stressful, hate-filled time for many people. This US election has been the WWE of elections. It is because of all this bullpucky I’ve decided to focus this column a […]
A changing world
Despite the naysayers, climate change has already impacted the traditional wine regions of the world. The wine regions throughout the world are, in some form or fashion, being affected either in quality or quantity. As early as 2012, volatile weather brought about the smallest French grape harvest in 40 years, with production down by 20 […]