Author Archives: John Galea

Hogue Cellars Cab Sauv

Posted on January 3, 2011 by John Galea

I have been to a few tastings covering off the Washing State. They are doing some fabulous stuff down there with great results. So when I was at Milestones the other day and I saw a Washing State cab I … Continue reading →

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2007 Peller Estates Merlot Private Reserve

Posted on December 29, 2010 by John Galea

Dark in color mild on the nose. On the mid pallet are some plum and some cherries. On the finish are some tannins and some metallic flavors. It has some of that Niagara terroiir taste and a med to long … Continue reading →

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2000 Pelee Island Monarch Vidal

Posted on December 26, 2010 by John Galea

Yes you read the year right … Back in Engineering (surely by now you’ve figured out I am an Engineer not an English major :)) one of the lessons we were taught was to not let what you know (or … Continue reading →

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2009 Ironstone Symphony

Posted on December 24, 2010 by John Galea

Christmas is almost upon us and soon to be New Years! On behalf of Brett and myself we wish to extend to you and your family a safe and happy holiday season. Hopefully there will be lots of lovely wine … Continue reading →

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2007 Creekside Laura Red

Posted on December 22, 2010 by John Galea

I tasted this wine at Corks when I was there. The wine is dark in color with lovely dark berries and some oak on the nose. On the mid pallet the tastes match the nose. You can definitely taste the … Continue reading →

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2008 Ménage à Trois Red

Posted on December 18, 2010 by John Galea

This is a mini review from the Gourmet Food and Wine show. Gimicky name aside, this wine is dark in color mild on the nose. The wine is a blend of Zinfandel, Cab and Merlot. The Zinfandel comes through for … Continue reading →

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No 99 Wayne Gretzky Estates 2007 Shiraz/Cab

Posted on December 16, 2010 by John Galea

The last time I tasted one of the wines from No 99 I was not impressed. These wines are dedicated to supporting the Wayne Gretzky foundation with all profits going there. A charity that brings hockey to underprivileged kids. Yet … Continue reading →

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CHÂTEAU TOUR D’HORABLE 2005

Posted on December 14, 2010 by John Galea

When I see a Bordeaux with a reasonable rating from 2005 under $20 I jump at it. This one caught my eye, they had put Natalie’s write up on the wine there. The wine is dark in color with a … Continue reading →

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BERTANI VALPOLICELLA RIPASSO

Posted on December 13, 2010 by John Galea

From Wikipedia “In the late 20th century, a new style of wine known as ripasso (meaning “repassed”) emerged. With this technique, the pomace of leftover grape skins and seeds from the fermentation of recioto and Amarone are added to the … Continue reading →

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Corks

Posted on December 10, 2010 by John Galea

I first heard about Corks from the The Toronto Wine and Social Meetup Group. It is a restaraunt inside the Longo’s that serves a number of wines by the glass as well as micro brewery beers. A radical concept for … Continue reading →

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2008 PHILIPPE DE ROTHCHILD Chardonnay

Posted on December 9, 2010 by John Galea

Yellow in color mild on the nose. On the mid pallet are some semi sweet honey suckle flavors with no oak, cream or butter. This is a mild non descript wine 87 or so. It’s not a bad wine, but … Continue reading →

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East Dell Winery/Wines

Posted on December 7, 2010 by John Galea

I’ve been to East Dell winery before but have not eaten there before. They have a lovely deck in the summer where they serve as well as an inside area for year round dining. We ate there this time and … Continue reading →

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INNIS & GUNN CANADIAN CASK

Posted on December 5, 2010 by John Galea

This is a little off topic, a friend gave me one of these. It is a beer that has been aged in 21 year old single malt Scotch Whiskey barrels. The beer is red in color. The color looks a … Continue reading →

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LES VIGNES DE BILA-HAUT 2008

Posted on December 3, 2010 by John Galea

This wine is dark in color with lots of nice dark fruits coming through on the nose. On the mid pallet the wine is a smooth well balanced wine with dark cherries coming through and some nice dry pucker power … Continue reading →

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Hidden Bench winery/wines

Posted on December 1, 2010 by John Galea

I have not been to Hidden Bench before this was my first time. Here are some mini reviews of the wines we tasted. None of these wines are in the LCBO. 2008 ROMAN’S BLOCK RIESLING $34 This wine is pale … Continue reading →

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FRANCIS COPPOLA CHARDONNAY 2008

Posted on November 29, 2010 by John Galea

This is a mini review from the Food and Wine show: This wine is golden in color with a nice varietal nose of chard coming through. On the mid pallet the wine is a smooth wine with some butter coming … Continue reading →

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Foreign Affair Winery/wines

Posted on November 27, 2010 by John Galea

We stopped by Foreign Affair winery. They are doing Italian Amarone style appassimento process. This consists of drying the grapes before crushing them. The tends to concentrate and focus the wine. In Amarone’s I find it brings out an almost … Continue reading →

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CLOS DU VAL ZINFANDEL 2008

Posted on November 24, 2010 by John Galea

Mini review from the Food and Wine show: This wine is dark in color mild on the nose. On the mid pallet this wine is a soft, light thin varietal zin. There was not a lot happening on this one … Continue reading →

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Cave Spring winery/wines

Posted on November 22, 2010 by John Galea

I love coming down to Jordan where Cave Spring is located. You can stay overnight at Inn on the Twenty or if you want to save a few dollars stay at Jordan House just up the street. They are owned … Continue reading →

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Gourmet Food and wine Expo

Posted on November 19, 2010 by John Galea

We hit the Gourmet Food and Wine Expo last night at the convention center here in Toronto. As always it was a great event. The place has lots to offer. As usual I HIGHLY recommend public transit. It is impossible … Continue reading →

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2008 Murphy Goode Chardonnay

Posted on November 18, 2010 by John Galea

We stopped by Rodney’s Oyster bar and they had this one on the menu by the glass. The wine is golden in color with loads of deep rich varietal chard smells wafting off the glass. Yumm. My taste buds are … Continue reading →

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Ridgepoint winery visit and tasting notes

Posted on November 14, 2010 by John Galea

Updated 11/16 with tasting notes … I enjoy taking trips to Niagara to the wineries, the Inn’s and the wonderful food that has become a part of the wine industry. It’s a lovely place to visit and so close to … Continue reading →

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2008 Ironstone Merlot

Posted on November 12, 2010 by John Galea

This wine is dark purple in color, with a hint of merlot like plum on the nose. On the mid pallet this wine was dominated by alcohol right out of the bottle. It definitely needs some breathing and patience. At … Continue reading →

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2009 Robertson Sauv Blanc

Posted on November 10, 2010 by John Galea

I’ve written about this wine a number of times and it is continuing to be consistent. For a wine as inexpensive as this that’s impressive. The wine is pale in color with lovely cirtus coming through on the nose. On … Continue reading →

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TENUTA DI CASTIGLIONI 2008

Posted on November 8, 2010 by John Galea

This wine is dark in color mild on the nose. On the mid pallet are some varietal cab flavors, cherries and dark berries. On the finish the somewhat typical dried fruits come through more strongly. The wine is medium in … Continue reading →

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