Canadian Sommelier, On-Air (TV, radio) Wine & Spirits Somm, Valpolicella Wine Specialist
Ottawa, ON April 2017 Matt's review: Thomas Bachelder, the legendary Canadian flying winemaker, has crafted one of the finest Pinot Noirs that Canada has to offer in the Queylus Reserve du Domaine 2012. Medium ruby with an emerging garnet hue, the nose offers a beautiful bouquet of dark cherries, herbs, fine leather, spice box, Christmas-inspired pot... Continue Reading →
Ottawa, ON April 2017 Matt's review: This elegantly coloured bottled of Rosé is like fine jewelry for your table. The fancy pink diamond colour is the result of the winemaker's delicate touch when the grapes were hand harvested and full bunch pressed to minimize colour from those rich and deeply coloured California grapes -... Continue Reading →
Ottawa, ON April 2017 Matt's review: Icellars Estate Winery 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the finest Ontario Cabernet Sauvignon's I can recall tasting! This boutique winery from Niagara-on-the-Lake produces a very limited amount of wine, including only 150 cases of Cabernet, with every drop benefiting from their exceptional care and attention to detail in... Continue Reading →
April 17, 2016 Theme: Blind Wine Tasting Challenge on CTV Morning Live… Red? White? Can anyone tell the difference? Today on CTV Morning Live we tried a fun wine tasting challenge. The challenge was to taste a few wines blindfolded and try to guess what’s in the glass. Is it a red, a... Continue Reading →
Ottawa, ON April 2017 Matt's review: Tidal Bay is uniquely Nova Scotian, in fact this is Nova Scotia's first wine appellation and also the name of their signature white wine. Benjamin Bridge's Tidal Bay is a unique blend of L’Acadie, Oretega, and Geisenhiem (grapes) that shows perfumed sweet orchard fruit, floral blossoms, and a refreshing... Continue Reading →
Ottawa, ON April 2017 Matt's review: Since it's inception in the iconic 2000 vintage, Essence de Dourthe has been produced only in the most exceptional years, taking the best grapes from the best vineyards in the best appellations throughout Bordeaux. Their motto to produce Essence is using the best of the best of the best at... Continue Reading →
Ottawa, ON April 2017 Matt's review: Corte Sant'Alda's Valmezzane Amarone (2011) is an absolutely stunning wine from this proudly biodynamic winery located high in the hills east of Verona, Italy. At ~16% it's remarkably elegant and fresh, indicative of the delicate approach the winemaking team takes in every aspect of their operation. Superbly balanced with lifted... Continue Reading →
Ottawa, ON April 2017 Matt's review: A gold medal winner at the 2016 Ontario Wine Awards, this value-priced rosé was produced with 100% estate grown Pinot Noir from one of Canada's famous wine regions, Niagara-on-the-Lake. Deeply coloured for a rosé thanks to a cold-soak the winemaker employed to extract the right amount of colour... Continue Reading →
Ottawa, ON April 2017 Matt's review: Benjamin Bridge has been making a real fizz in the sparkling wine scene over the past decade. This Nova Scotia (Canada) based winery is producing sparkling wines that rival those from Champagne and other storied wine regions around the world. A combination of ideal terroir for producing crisp &... Continue Reading →
Ottawa, ON March 2017 Matt's review: Deep ruby red with dark core, the sun-drenched Sonoma County fruit in this red blend has produced a big, opulent, yet fresh style of wine that's perfectly suited for enjoying at the table or fireside with good company. A unique blend of Zinfandel, Malbec, and Cabernet, that showcases not only... Continue Reading →
Quercus Vino 