Canadian Sommelier, On-Air (TV, radio) Wine & Spirits Somm, Valpolicella Wine Specialist
Ottawa, ON May 2017 Matt's review: 13th Street Winery's popular June's Vineyard Riesling is made from old Clone 49 Riesling sourced straight from Alsace, France, which contributes to its expressive varietal characteristics but with the added benefits from the limestone influence of the Creek Shores appellation vineyard. June's Vineyard Riesling shows crisp stonefruit, lime,... Continue Reading →
CTV Ottawa Morning Live May 3rd, 2017 Today on CTV Morning Live, CTVs Lianne Laing, Melissa Lamb, and Sommelier Matt showcased some patio-perfect wines to enjoy this spring and one thing they have in common...they're all Rosés. Here's the CTV video link. Today's theme: Patio-Perfect Spring Wines! 50+ Shades of Rosé! Finally the beautiful spring weather has... Continue Reading →
Ottawa, ON April 2017 Matt's review: Each vintage of Painted Rock Rosé I've tasted I'm consistently impressed with how delicious it is, and reminded how much I enjoy the style they produce (and that I need to stock up on it for my own enjoyment this summer). Produced in the Saignée method following 12 hours... Continue Reading →
Ottawa, ON April 2017 Matt's review: Burgundy, take note...Ontario is quickly becoming known as the cool-kid on the block! With wines such as Icellars Chardonnay, Ontario is showing the world just how great its wines can be. Icellars 2014 Chardonnay is a remarkably delicious, complex, and beautifully balanced cool-climate Chard, in fact, this is one of... Continue Reading →
Ottawa, ON April 2017 Matt's review: Icellars 2015 Pinot Noir is light ruby in colour with a garnet hue. The aromas show the warmth of the vintage with sweet baked goods (imagine fresh gingerbread cookies), spice box, dried cherry, sweet herbs, and flinty minerality that shows the complexity of this premium Ontario Pinot Noir. Tart cherry... Continue Reading →
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 →
Quercus Vino 