News

Taking place every two years, the Bocuse d’Or is the equivalent to the culinary Olympics—one of the world’s most demanding challenges for any chef and their team, and a massive driver of national pride.  After attending a Team Canada secret practice run a couple of weeks ago, my appreciation soared.

Behind the scenes at Team Canada’s prep for the Bocuse d’Or competition in Lyon, France. See the test parameters now posted on the Bocuse d’Or website and check out the food challenges. Also read about the Southbrook estate and single vineyard wines we paired with the featured dishes.

The Bocuse d’Or, named after the great chef Paul Bocuse, is the largest and most prestigious chef’s competition in the world. It is like the World Cup in that each country picks its champion, who then compete in Lyon, France, every two years. This year, Southbrook is the exclusive wine sponsor.

As wine enthusiasts, vegetarians, and vegans, you might have wondered how your favorite bottle of wine aligns with your dietary choices. While it may seem that wine, being made from grapes, is inherently vegan or vegetarian, the winemaking process can sometimes tell a...

At the mention of sulfites in wine, many health-conscious consumers and wine enthusiasts think of headaches, redness, and other unpleasant reactions. It's a common belief that sulfites are the culprits behind these symptoms, but how much truth is there to this myth?...

As we commemorate a century since the inception of biodynamic farming, it’s an opportune moment to reflect on its roots, evolution, and the impactful journey it has charted within organic farming. This milestone highlights the enduring…

Cover crops are plants, typically including a variety of grasses, legumes, and flowers, that are sowed within and around the primary crops. At Southbrook, we favor indigenous flowers and legumes for reasons that benefit both our grapevines and the environment....

In the vineyard, we are starting to see veraison. That is the time that grapes turn colour, from green to red or green to golden. That is also the time that the sugars the leaves are producing start to load into the grapes. Before veraison, all the energy produced by...

* Photo shows hail damage from the end of July, beginning of August - you can see the little hole punched through the leaf. Unfortunately, the hail sliced up the grapes too. It's looking like 20% of the vineyard is affected. A short video explaining more is available...

It was nice to see that the LCBO launched four wines from certified-sustainable wineries last Saturday, ahead of Earth Day, and I am pleased that our 2021 Triomphe Gamay was included. Many Ontario wineries have worked together to create the Sustainable Winegrowing...

Farmers are defined as those who always look a gift horse in the mouth - it is, appropriately, an old farming expression. This year, warm weather seems to be a couple of weeks earlier than normal. This can be a great thing in a cool area like Niagara but we are still...

Last fall, we were asked to submit samples of our Pinot Noir to Ottawa writer Rod Phillips for an article he was putting together on Canadian Pinots. Rod has always been a fan of Canada and Southbrook, and anything that we can do to help Canada’s reputation is...

There are two types of cellaring. Short term: Most vintage dated, quality wines will improve if kept for 6 months to a year. These are the wines that you like, but seem a bit too tannic right now. A good test is to try the wine a day after you open it. If it is better...

Questions we've been getting: Do all wines get better with age? How does one know if a wine is ready? How should wines be stored for aging? I'm going to focus on the first question today and the answer is no. The labels don't look great, but the wine is quite lovely!...