Unfussy Wine Enthusiasts | Wine Reviews & Articles

It is hard to believe that we started this journey a year ago today with our very first post .  We never really had an overarching goal or plan or strategy or message...we just love talking about wine.  Wine in general for sure, but more importantly wines we will drink and buy everyday, which are generally under $30 and most likely between $10 and $20 (or $5 to $10 when we lived in the US).  When we first started posting, it was mainly to our friends and family and was an opportunity to share some of the great wines that we have found with them.  What has happened since those early posts has truly been astounding.  Here are some Fun Facts about our little blog over the last year: 194 Total Posts (we fell just short of 200, but we tried, still that is a little more than one post every other day - not too shabby)  Over 110 wines reviewed (it is a hard job but....) Over 3,200 Total Visits to the Blog from just over 2...

Given the fact that there is a new initiative by our local Government to allow wines from other provinces to be imported for personal consumption, we figured we would give this wine a try.  This Pinot Noir from British Columbia is very unique.  It is closer to California Pinot but that comparison doesn't do this wine justice.  It is definitely a warm climate wine with a dark look and a seriously hot nose. As a Pinot Noir when compared to all the French and Kiwi versions we have tried this is not even on the same planet.  It is dark with a slightly thin look but is much closer to a medium bodied wine.  This is another wine that swirls and sticks to the sides and comes down slow, but at 14.7% no shock.  The colour is a deep red and not even close to reminiscent of "normal" Pinot Noir.  Lighter than Cabernet Sauvignon yes, but not that dark either. This wine has a lot of complexity in the nose with an earthy base full of mushrooms and dirt la...

This wine is $15 locally and was part of a Blind Tasting which didn't last that long.  As soon as it was in the glass, it just looked like Malbec.  Very dark and purple but as it was poured the bubbles were dark purple.  Totally Malbec.....or Carmenere, nope Malbec.  From there it had to be either Argentina or France and it was thin so France it was.  Bam!  Blind Tasting over.  This Malbec from Rigal Wines is made from grapes of the Cahors region and is really good. Very typical of Malbec in terms of the colour palette but the thickness was a lot less than our typical experience with the South American version.  But, once you swirl it, it hugs the glass but runs down very slowly.  Interesting. The nose is very mild with a touch of red fruit but not much in terms of oak, maybe some vanilla, but not a lot to offer.  We liked the smell but it was super soft. The flavours were a bit more bold but the key word for this wi...

Chris celebrated his 40th Birthday on Saturday night in one of his previous 'hometowns' of Antigonish, Nova Scotia.  It is the home of his Alma Mater St. Francis Xavier University.  Shannon had the brilliant idea to take him back to his old stomping grounds to relive old glories. We were joined by close friends Craig & Cheryl and Ray & Natalie and a wonderful night was had by all.  We began the night at Gabrieau's Bistro , where we had a wonderful meal ranging from Crab Cakes, to Thai Seafood Platters, and Steaks.  We were greeted by a note and gift card from Jay & Allyson would could not be with us but wanted us to have a nice bottle of wine to have with dinner.  So, on top of the delicious food we were looking at having some great wine.  We settled on a couple of bottles from Gabrieau's extensive and value driven wine menu.  The breadth of wines available on their wine list was quite amazing.  They have done a fantastic job of fi...

It is very late but we felt like we needed to get this review online so it will be briefer than it should be.  We have some interesting history and connections to this winery which is near Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario.  We had every intention of visiting and tasting at this winery when we were last in the area but we arrived too late and they had already closed.  It was our loss.  The Southbrook property and buildings are LEED Certified - and beautiful.  Marilyn and Bill Riedelmeier are the owners and are strong proponents of bio-dynamic and organic grape production and winemaking.  Chris had the pleasure of meeting Bill at this year's Atlantic Wine Symposium where Bill was a keynote speaker.  Bill is an impressive guy who knows his stuff and this wine is the first one of theirs that we have been able to get our hands on.  Julia and Dave, who are extended family graciously offered to bring us a bottle of wine that we could not normally g...

So, we picked this little number up from our local NSLC store on the clearance table.  It was on sale for $27 down from $37 and we decided to pick it up.  It looks as though the wine retails for about $20 in the US and we were interested to give it a try.  Gordon Brothers in Washington makes a variety of wines from Ice Wines to big reds like this one.  For a description of the wine from the winery's website click here .  In essence, this wine at full retail is too rich for our blood at $37 but with $10 off it was right in our wheelhouse.  That said, if you call shenanigans on us for choosing this wine, we get it.  We stilled paid under $30 for it sooooo, we say we win.  Though once you hear what we have to say, you might want to splurge. This wine is super dark with a LOT of purple going on in the glass.  It is thick, dense, and viscous.  You can tell the bottle aging has added some density but we would bet that this was a syrupy w...

If you won the lottery today would you buy a winery?  They say that if you want to make a small fortune in the wine business, start with a big fortune.  It is such a high cost and highly regulated business, never mind the impact of weather and growing season, that it is a real challenge to get ahead.  All in all, it is a very interesting process that might drive someone to start operating a winery.  There is the romanticism of living in wine country and having to wake up in the morning with sunshine and grapes growing on the vine.  The image is that your day translates into pouring wine for gracious and appreciative friends in the tasting room and finishing the day with gourmet wine dinners paired with the fruits of your labour. It sounds really great.....but it is the stuff of fiction. The reality of the situation is more about nervous grape growing where the weather never cooperates, birds get a taste for grapes, and the customers can be 'chall...

This was a sale table item from Bishop's Cellar , one of our favorite local private wine retailers.  Originally priced at $22.50 it is on sale for $15 so how could we even possibly say no.  This wine is a blend of 79% White Riesling, 19% Gewurtz, and 2% Orange Muscat (new one to us) from Wente Vineyards  in California.  At 13% alcohol this goes well above the normal range of most German Rieslings but that extra booze doesn't hurt it.  In fact, it helps keep it from being a pure dessert wine.  Back in April we reviewed their Southern Hills Cabernet Sauvignon which we thoroughly enjoyed (that wine review is  here ). The wine is a little on the golden side in the glass.  It is almost peach colour; let's call it clear peach juice.  The wine is very clear but the colour is not at all light which many Rieslings can be known to have.  There is a yellowish hue that some might consider coming from oak aging but it looks to have been stainle...