Our wine correspondent Jim Walker and his wife Hélène Buisson recently visited Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in southern France to bid a fond adieu to their vinous mentor and a couple of their vintners. You see, they had decided to wind down their participation in the wild, wacky and wonderful world of wine and they wanted to say goodbye to those who had made it all possible.
Continue reading “BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN”
It was with great fanfare that the LCBO announced the opening of its French wine boutique in Ottawa. Our wine scribe Jim Walker saw an opportunity to forge a mutually beneficial working relationship with the staff at the fledgling purveyor of French tipples. So, he and his wife Hélène decided to pay them a visit. To say it was an interesting experience would be an understatement.
Continue reading “A WEE MEASURE OF FRANCE IN OTTAWA”
They did it! It took 16 years, but they finally did it. Our wine scribe Jim Walker relates in bone-chilling detail how the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, after inflicting many near-mortal wounds over the years, delivered the death blow to his once thriving Arthur’s Cellar Wine Club.
Continue reading “THE SUN SETS ON ARTHUR’S CELLAR”
Helen Keller once remarked, “Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” That’s what our wine scribe Jim Walker thought when he decided to take on a partner.
Continue reading “A PARTICULARLY PERNICIOUS PARTNERSHIP”
Don’t you just hate it when one of your favourite restaurants closes its doors? Our wine scribe Jim Walker was confronted by this all too common occurrence during the wretched plague. Now all that remains is the lingering aroma of the world’s best onion soup and a treasure trove of memories. We know there are legions of other patrons joining Jim in his lamentations.
Continue reading “OH BLESSED BISTRO”
As many of you know, our wine scribe Jim Walker operates Arthur’s Cellar Wine Club and imports wine from France’s southern Rhône region into Ontario. He, along with his wife and vinous partner Hélène, journey regularly to southern France to assess recent vintages and maintain relationships with their vintners. Here Jim chronicles the latest visit to their beloved Provence.
Continue reading “SUSSING OUT THE SUCCULENT SOUTHERN RHÔNES”
You can’t miss it as you motor along D17 towards the storied town of Châteauneuf-du-Pape — the neo-gothic castle looming high on the hill to the right, standing guard over countless rows of impeccably tended vines. That the imposing structure and the family that owned it would figure prominently in our wine scribe Jim Walker’s vinous adventures is just one of those serendipitous occurrences. Continue reading “THAT OTHER CHÂTEAU IN CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE”
They made the ultimate sacrifice
A delicious month spent in Provence tasting wines from the splendid 2015 and 2016 Southern Rhône vintages: talk about being in wine wonderland!
Continue reading “A VINOUS MONTH IN PROVENCE”
Jim and Jean-Jacques Sabon in sunny Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Adding Domaine Roger Sabon, the iconic Châteauneuf-du-Pape winery, to our growing stable of suppliers was a lucky strike. Getting to know Jean-Jacques Sabon was the real bonanza! writes our wine correspondent, Jim Walker. Continue reading “STRIKING VINOUS GOLD IN CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE”
Gentlemans Portion 