Upon our recent trip to my hometown of Edinburgh we decided to celebrate by treating ourselves to one night staying in what must be one of the most over-the-top and special accommodations in all of the world, The Inner Sanctum at The Witchery on Edinburgh’s Castle Hill. As well as these...

In the Spring of 2011 I was sent to Australia by the lovely folks at Wine Australia, all the while videoblogging for the LCBO and producing content for Good Food Revolution. Unfortunately, after innumerable videos being posted online, my hard drive became corrupted, and I lost most of the...

2012 Beronia Rosada Tempranillo, Rioja, Spain LCBO Vintages #323519 $14.95 (June 8th release) What could be better than a chilled bottle of Beronia Rioja rosado on a sunny day? I’ll tell you what… TWO chilled bottles of Beronia Rioja rosado on a sunny day… out in the...

The Ossington strip’s Fishbar recently celebrated two years of proudly serving sustainable seafood options by throwing a dinner to showcase both the quality of their suppliers’ fish and the culinary talents of their new Chef Miro Lelas. The evening’s menu was certainly a...

Between the years of 1993 and 1997 I somehow stumbled into the prestigious role of Sommelier at Edinburgh’s now-shuttered Atrium restaurant. For almost 20 years acclaimed Chef Andrew Radford and his wife Lisa ran what was arguably one of Scotland’s finest dining establishments,...

Last Monday the fourth round of the 2013 Discovered Chefs Competition was held at Nella Cucina on Bathurst Street, Toronto. In its second year, the Discovered Chefs Competition pits 56 of Ontario’s best up-and-coming kitchen talent against each other in an Iron-Chef-Black-Box-style...

David Gleave MW is undeniably one of the most admired and respected fellows in the world of wine today. Back in the mid 90′s he was one of my many teachers at the Glasgow School Of Food Technology as I was going through my WSET Diploma. I was always both thrilled and confounded by his...

Whist Grand Electric has been enjoying insane line-ups coupled with massive hype for their months-old barbecue joint Electric Mud, that old Parkdale stalwart The Cadillac Lounge has been going through quite the culinary transformation thanks to consultant Chef Michael Pataran. Seeing as...

After nurturing the rising talents of GFR favourites Carl Heinrich (Richmond Station/Top Chef Canada), Ryan Donovan (Richmond Station/West Side Beef), and Alex Moliz (Farmhouse Tavern), Marben restaurant, situated down on the west end of Toronto’s Wellington Street, is going through yet...

Bellwoods Brewery “Bring Out Your Dead” Imperial Stout (Aged In Cognac Barrels), Toronto, Ontario Available from Bellwoods Brewery Retail Store  $12.95 (500ml) I have to say, since moving into my new abode at Dundas/Dovercourt my beer bills have gone through the bloody roof....

As a prelude to next week’s piece regarding the way in which Lambrusco has been variously loved, lambasted, and lauded over the decades, we present an interview with a gentleman I feel makes some of the most interesting Lambrusco out there: Alberto Paltrinieri of Cantina Paltrinieri,...

So according to all and sundry we are now experiencing the wonderful season that is the Canadian Spring… Hmmmm… I can see a hint of blue sky this Friday morning… Unless like us you have been using your trusty barbecue all Winter, I guess it’s time to light up that...

  Pronounced “Gamma Ray”, Gamaret has perhaps one of the coolest of grape varietal names, although saying that, its synonym Pully B-13 doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. I first came across the grape last year in Beaujolais when a small producer mentioned to me...

Last month saw Stratus Winemaker J.L. Groux host an intimate tasting and lunch at Toronto’s Momofuku Daisho to herald the release of the winery’s current single varietal wines. Groux was quick to point out that Stratus was still very much focused upon creating the blended wines on...

    Radical Road “Canny Man” Scotch Whisky Barrel Aged Wee Heavy, Toronto, Ontario LCBO $10.95 (750ml) Every so often I come across a beer or wine that so offends me I feel it my duty as a Canadian Scot to point it out to our readership. With an overall design aesthetic that...

After spending many a year in the world of wine distribution, ex-Montrealer Nathalie Bonhomme decided that she’d like to try her hand at making wine in Spain. Back in 2007 she partnered with Valencia’s Rafael Cambra to produce a Monastrell/Cabernet Sauvignon Bonhomme label wine...

Hitching Post‘s captivatingly entertaining Gray Hartley was in town just the other week to present his wines to a few Toronto wine lovers. We took the opportunity to sit him down and catch up, seeing as it had been almost six years since we caught up last. …     If you...

Many moons ago Chef Jamie Kennedy and I met Cornas Winemaker Matthieu Barret at the legendary Return To Terroir Biodynamic tasting, hosted by The Living Vine’s Mark Cuff and featuring the incomparable Nicolas Joly . Throughout that afternoon both Chef Kennedy and myself took great...

In the fourthof a second (and very popular) series we interview some of the most talented up-and-coming Sommeliers in Ontario. A few years back I was flicking through the pages of a locally published periodical and noticed that when it came to Sommeliers it was the same names that seemed to...

  Good Food Revolution: How would you describe the Meyer house style WITHOUT falling back on the same old cliches that wine sales and marketing departments come up with the world over? Jak Meyer: My wife Janice and I decided to focus on varietals that we believe are best suited for the...

Those who visit this site on a regular basis will no doubt be aware of my love for the wines of the Jura. When visiting the Jura recently I had the pleasure of being introduced to Caroline Hughes-Beguet, a young lady from England who was acting in the role of translater throughout our time...

In the third of a second (and very popular) series we interview some of the most talented up-and-coming Sommeliers in Ontario. A few years back I was flicking through the pages of a locally published periodical and noticed that when it came to Sommeliers it was the same names that seemed to...

  From March 21st to 24th Iceland Naturally are showcasing the cuisine of Iceland’s Chef Hákon Már Örvarsson at The Drake Hotel for a fantastic Taste of Iceland prix fixe menu. Chef Hákon is a force to be reckoned with, being both a Bocuse d’Or recipient and World Culinary Cup...

Planted to vines in ancient times by the Greeks/Romans, the Viogner-only vineyards of Condrieu are located just south of Côte-Rôtie  in the northern Rhone. Substantially smaller than that famed roasted slope of Syrah, Condrieu is a mere 164 hectares of vines, although it is interesting to...