Michael Pinkus Wine Review - On the Road with the Grape Guy

Report from - Shores of Erie Wine Festival - Sept. 8, 2007

11 Sep 2007

Details: Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy

It would be redundant of me to review the wines of the Lake Erie North Shore a month after going to their Vintages Festival … therefore this report focuses strictly on the event. The Shore of Erie International Wine Festival is one of the prettiest festivals you’ll ever attend, and one of the easiest to get around. Held at Fort Malden, which is on the Detroit River, the festival invites hundreds if not thousands of Americans and Canadians to enjoy the fruits of our culinary and vented labours; all held at a place that, at one point, was used to keep those “nasty” Americans out – ironic huh?

If you live east of London, Ontario you’ve probably never heard of the Shore of Erie Wine Festival, that’s because the marketing focus of the festival, and for many of the wineries of the area, is the 30+ million folks that live within a 100-mile radius, which includes most of Michigan, Windsor, Chatham, London and surrounding area. The festival is all about the food and wine of the Lake Erie North Shore, and unlike the Vintage Tasting, held in August, the SOE Wine Festival has as many restaurants as it does wineries, probably more ... (Read More)

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Report from - FEW-esta Tomato - August 26, 2007

29 Aug 2007

Details: Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy

What causes a winery to think outside the box? What makes them think that something unrelated to their field of expertise will work? Nobody really knows what made Fielding believe that a tomato festival would work at a winery … but it worked so well the first time, they brought it back again.

I was asked more than a half-dozen times over the past few weeks where I was heading this weekend and each time I said, “I’m going to Fielding for a Tomato Festival” the incredulous looks I received and comments I heard ranged from “at a winery?!?” to “a what where?” made many people, including myself, snicker. “I guess they just love tomatoes,” I would reply.

Now here’s the funny thing ... (Read More)

Check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog and all the other feature articles - click here.