Jake Skakun

  1. Top Wine Picks! Casa Dea Estates Winery

    Top Wine Picks! Casa Dea Estates Winery

    Casa Dea Estates Winery has been growing vines in Prince Edward County since 2000. Domenic Di Pietrantonio's 65 acres of vineyards in the County's famed clay limestone soil are two kilometers from the shore of Lake Ontario and its moderating effects. The winery and tasting room reflect the region's history in Loyalist-era architecture, and have become a popular wedding destination.

    Winemaker Paul Battilana's focus is on a collection of grapes that do very well in Prince Edward County: Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gamay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. Along with still wines, they are also making sparkling wines and appassimento-style wine, including Eva, made with dried Chardonnay grapes.

    This week Casa Dea is offering free shipping on any 6 or more bottles. Let's put together a Tasting Pack from their current offerings:

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  2. Top Wine Picks! Traynor Family Vineyard

    Top Wine Picks! Traynor Family Vineyard

    Mike and Rebecca Traynor, the folks behind Traynor Family Vineyard, purchased the Prince Edward County property in 2008. They turned a cornfield into a vineyard of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as hybrid varieties Frontenac Gris and Marquette. Mike has a history with wine: working in retail shops and completing sommelier and winemaking courses before landing a gig as operations manager at Huff Estates. Later, he became the winemaker and general manager of Oak Heights. The first Traynor Family Vineyard harvest was in 2013.

    This week My Wine Canada is featuring Traynor Family Vineyard by offering free shipping on six or more bottles (feel free to mix and match).

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  3. Top Wine Picks! Summerhill Pyramid Winery

    Top Wine Picks! Summerhill Pyramid Winery

    Summerhill Pyramid Winery is an unforgettable stop on the Okanagan wine trail. If it wasn’t for the giant floating wine bottle tilting toward a giant glass, you might think you were stepping onto the grounds of a spiritual retreat with an especially stunning view of Okanagan Lake. Founder Stephen Cipes’ dedication to the environment carries through to his grape growing and winemaking philosophies, including a biodynamic certification for the winery's Kelowna vineyard. Summerhill’s commitment to producing only organic wine has spurred the winery’s long-term growers into converting to organic farming. Stephen Cipes is also at the helm of an initiative to transition the entire Okanagan Valley to organic farming. As a shipping special for Valentine’s Day, the winery is offering free shipping when you buy 6 or more bottles (you’re free to mix and match). Below are a few of my top wine picks from Summerhill.   ...

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  4. Wine Club Spotlight: Aure Wines

    Wine Club Spotlight: Aure Wines

    This month's featured winery for the Wine Club packages is Aure Wines in Niagara, Ontario. In preparation for December's Wine of the Month Club, I had the chance to sit down and taste through the line up from Aure. Read on for my tasting notes on a few of the wines that wine club recipients will be receiving this month. Gift givers alert! Subscribe your lucky recipients to the wine club by TODAY to ensure that they receive their wines by Christmas. ...

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  5. Pair It Up! Quidni's Wines with Bourdain's Appetites

    Pair It Up! Quidni's Wines with Bourdain's Appetites

    Quidni Estate Winery is one of the newest faces on Naramata Bench, launching in 2014. Quidni, which means 'why not' in Latin, is the maxim the new owners adopted before taking the plunge into the world of wine. A beautiful property on Naramata Road, also home to their popular B & B, Quidni was previously 3 Mile Estate Winery. The new owners brought on Robert Thielicke, a winemaker who has valuable history with the Naramata Bench—he spent years working with Kettle Valley Winery and Joie Farm Winery. This week Quidni is offering free shipping on 12+ bottles or 50% off shipping on 6 bottles, and you can mix it up however you would like...

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  6. Pair It Up! Thornhaven Wines With Pasta Recipes

    Pair It Up! Thornhaven Wines With Pasta Recipes

    There's something about fall that gives me a serious craving for pasta. Hearty, savoury flavours; squashes, mushrooms, braises and ragus, all mixed in with perfectly cooked noodles. This week (and my pasta craving) coincides with My Wine Canada's free shipping offer on 12 or more bottles, or 50% off shipping on 6 bottles from Thornhaven Estates Winery, the Summerland winery with a stunning view above Okanagan Lake. Thornhaven's wines have been among my go-to Okanagan value picks for over a decade. This is a perfect time to dig up some pasta recipes and find a few great pairings to send right to your door...

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  7. Diamond Estates Wines With Autumn Food Pairings

    Diamond Estates Wines With Autumn Food Pairings

    As the weather cools off and it becomes comfortable to cook again, The Guardian has compiled their 20 best autumn recipes. You'll find dishes from celebrity chefs including Nigella Lawson, Fergus Henderson, Rick Stein, and Nigel Slater. This week has also aligned with a free shipping offer from Diamond Estates (which includes Niagara wineries Lakeview Cellars, Seasons Wines, and Dan Aykroyd Wines) when you order 6 or more bottles in any combination. I've picked recipes that I'm most excited to cook this fall and suggested some wine pairings from Diamond Estates...

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  8. Pair it Up! GreenLane Estate Wines with Italian Cuisine

    Pair it Up! GreenLane Estate Wines with Italian Cuisine

    I recently read an interview that Lidia Bastianich did for Western Living Magazine to promote Una Bella Notte con Lidia, a fundraising gala she'll be hosting in Vancouver later this month. Her new book Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine came out late last year to rave reviews. In honour of this week's free shipping offer from GreenLane Estate Winery on 6 or more bottles, I wanted to pair up their wines with three of Lidia Bastianich's recipes from her most recent book...

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  9. Top Wine Picks from Trail Estate Winery

    Top Wine Picks from Trail Estate Winery

    Trail Estate Winery is one of the most exciting new wineries in Prince Edward County. The Sproll family purchased the 14-acre property in 2011 and began producing small lot wines in 2013. In 2015, the Sprolls hired Mackenzie Brisbois as winemaker and grape grower. Mackenzie honed her winemaking and grape growing skills all over the world, but she's particularly familiar with Prince Edward County. Not only did she grow up in the County, but she spent five years working for one of the greats, Norman Hardie. Mackenzie also brings an emphasis on experimentation to Trail Estate. I had the chance to taste through a range of her skin contact whites with Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling, and loved what I tasted. Below are a few favourites.

    As part of My Wine Canada's Free Shipping Series, this week the wines from Trail Estate Winery are available for free shipping when you buy 6 or more bottles. This is a deal worth jumping on...

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  10. Canadian Winery Spotlight: GreenLane Estate Winery

    Canadian Winery Spotlight: GreenLane Estate Winery

    I had the chance to sit down with the wines from GreenLane Estate Winery in advance of its feature as this month's Wine Club winery. The winery thrives within the Lincoln Lakeshore appellation on the Niagara Peninsula under the helm of Dianne Smith, winemaker and general manager. These are mostly small lot wines from Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gamay, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery has some coveted plots of old vine Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon. For more info on the winery, check out my past post on GreenLane Estate Winery. And for notes on my favourite wines from them that I tasted last week, read on...

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