Uncorked Ontario

While most who visit EssexWineReview.com wouldn’t even have notice it, one of the first milestones for the web site recently took place. The 100^th local bottle of wine was posted online. The web site went live on September 24^th, 2008 when I posted the first bottle of wine from Essex County on the web site. (For the record, the first wine posted online was Mastronardi’s Cabernet Franc 2006).

Five months later the 100^th bottle of wine was posted online for review. (Muscedere’s Sauvignon Blanc 2007). Wanda and I have done our part to support the local wine industry by purchasing every wine listed on the web site. I don’t even want to add up the total bill for all these wines. I would rather not know. Often when Wanda and I have really enjoyed one of the wines I would return to the winery and buy at least 6 more bottles of them.

Over the last 5 months Wanda and I have visited all 13 local “Lake Erie North Shore” and “Pelee Island” wineries several times. Sampled many great wines, and met so many wonderful people who work and own these wineries. This area is making some world class wines and if you ever have any doubt about it go to your local LCBO and pick up an imported bottle of wine and do a taste test comparison and you will see. Wines from Southwest Ontario are as good and often even better than their  imported counter parts.

We have about 12 – 15 local bottles of wine left to add to EssexWineReview.com. Our current schedule is to post a new wine online every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Four times a week. Some wineries are slowly introducing their new wines however we anticipate that there may be a few weeks coming up that we will only be able to post 1 or 2 wines per week online for review until new wine releases start making an appearance at the wineries.

Wanda and I are looking forward to tasting and reviewing all of the new local 2009 wine releases. We are very lucky to live so close to such a wonderful wine region.

Here’s to the next 100 local bottles of wine ….. cheers!

Gary Killops

I have photographed just under 100 different bottles of wine for Essex Wine Review. Never ever have I had an accident. That was until today.

I had a few bottles of wine that I needed to photograph so I headed out to the shores of Lake Erie near Kingsville. It’s my favourite place to photograph wine bottles for Essex Wine Review. I had just finished taking this photo below when it happened ….

Seconds after I took the photo there was a slight breeze. Not some big gust of wind, just a small breeze but strong enough to tip the wine bottle over. The bottle tips over byt didn’t break. Then the wine bottle rolled of the rock and onto the ground and this is what it looked like …

My first accident. It all happened in slow motion. I watched it tip, I saw it roll and I watched it fall to the ground. I had my camera in my hand and was only about 5 feet away but there was nothing I could do. I didn’t even react. I wasn’t happy but tried to look on the bright side that the other bottles that I had to brought along to photograph were more expensive.

Pelee Island Winery was just around the corner so I headed over there and bought another bottle of Rose …. after all I still needed to taste the wine so that I could review it.  :)

Gary

Welcome 2009.

I would also like to introduce you to my new blog called ”UncorkedOntario“.

When I started working on the Essex Wine Review blog last summer I never dreamed that it would be so popular so fast. I have enjoyed working on that blog. I know that I am going to continue  enjoying writing, reviewing and taking photos of wines from Essex County, or to be more correct “Lake Erie North Shore”.

So why another blog?

The Essex Wine Review blog is just that, a “review blog”. For several months nowI have been wanting to add an area on that blog where that I could write my thoughts on wines from Ontario. After a bit of trial and error I decided that the best way to do this was to just start a new blog …. and so here it is, “UncorkedOntario“.

What direction will I take UncorkedOntario? Who reallyknows,I am just gonna let it flow and let it lead me where it wants to go. Nothing stuffy, nothing formal. 

So, welcome to this new wine blog. Let the journey begin.

Cheers!
Gary Killops

As we get ready to ring in 2009 I have been busy working on this new wine blog “UncorkedOntario.com“.

My first blog, EssexWineReview.com will continue to grow in 2009. UncorkedOntario was created so that I can post my thoughts, comments and rants on the wine industry in Ontario.

Stay tuned! 

Gary Killops