On Meeting Wolf Blass, The Man From The Land Down Under

Someone great once said, "For every occasion in life, there is reason to drink wine."

Actually, I just made that up now, but I'm sure many people have had that exact thought. Drinking wine is something I enjoy, immensely. I'm no wine expert (yet) but red or white, my love for a great vino knows no boundaries.

Wine is my drink of choice with dinner, when I'm celebrating happy news, attending a wedding, travelling, having a night out with friends and family, or when I have guests over for an evening. I enjoy my wine when I'm flying, too. It tends to take the edge off, you know? Also, when I drink wine I'm doing my body a favour, since it's good for you. So, win-win, right?

I was invited by Natalie MacLean (the talented Canadian author of Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World's Best Bargain Wines) to attend an "An Unforgettable Evening of Wine, Laughter, and Storytelling" at Restaurant 18 on Monday night for a tasting of eight Wolf Blass wines with Wolf Blass himself. Yes, the Wolf Blass entertained us all while we enjoyed some of his finest wines paired with some delicious food.

I honestly did not know there was a man so inspiring and hilarious behind the colourful Wolf Blass labels I so frequently buy, but the name is not just a label. Rather, Wolf Blass is one heck of a vibrant business man and world-famous winemaker, and it was an honour to meet him and share a drink together.

Wolf Blass was born in Germany and emigrated to Australia in the 1960's with a vision and a few hundred dollars in his pocket and, long story short, his Yellow Label Cabernet—a wine frequently enjoyed in my home—became the bestselling red wine in North America. How's that for inspiring, boys and girls?

I brought my mom to the event with me and we had a blast enjoying the different wines, which included Wolf Blass Yellow Sparkling 2010, Wolf Blass Gold Label Riesling 2011, Wolf Blass Gold Label Chardonnay 2011, Wolf Blass Yellow Label Pinot Noir 2010, Wolf Blass Gold Label Shiraz 2008, Wolf Blass Grey Label Shiraz Cabernet 2009 and Wolf Blass Black Label 2007.

All I know is this: whatever I put in my mouth, I loved, especially the Shiraz. And the Riesling. And I also know this: Wolf Blass will continue to be the wine of choice for me when I'm buying. It's shopping, simplified. If I can understand what's on the label, it's coming home with me.

Wolf Blass is a great speaker who kept us all laughing the entire night, and now? I want to go to Australia. Also keeping the audience entertained was George Samios, Global Director of Fine Wine and PR for Treasury Wine Estates. He was hilarious, and although we didn't get a chance to speak at the event, (how did that happen?) after a few exchanges over email, I found out he was Greek, and so, total bonus. Maybe we can create a Greek wine people will finally rant and rave about?

Not only does Wolf Blass make great wine, he's also totally inspiring and knows the importance of really enjoying life. Isn't that what it's all about? I loved listening to his stories.

Cheers... here's to many more nights of raising our glass and enjoying great wine!

Top five scariest movies ever

It's after midnight on Halloween Eve and here I sit, watching another episode of Criminal Minds, looking at pictures of The Grudge on the internet. (Later, I'll be wondering why I have a hard time falling asleep...) I'm easily spooked. I mean, everything scares me. Not just spiders and insects. Not just jumping out of a plane or running out of coffee. My fears and worries? They're never-ending, and they consume me all day long. Scary things have happened to me in real life, like almost getting kidnapped in D.C., having a strange man play with my hair on the subway in Queens, New York at 5 a.m after a night out, accidentally going down a black diamond ski hill, and having a gun pulled on me in the middle of winter. (That's a story for another blog post!) However, there is something that frightens me even more than all those things. Scary movies. Certain scary movies stay with me long after I've left the theatre. There are scary movies that I can watch

Dare2Give

I'm a giving person. I love the holidays because I love to give presents to everyone I love, from friends and family to other special people in my life. But more than that, I love to give where it really counts—I love to volunteer for charities, and I love to give whenever I can, to a few organizations close to my heart, like CHEO and UNICEF, to name two. I love helping organizations that help children, and I also give in other ways, too—I donate to whatever charity event my family or friends are doing something for and I'll give when I'm out at events that benefit worthwhile organizations. So many Canadians give their time, talent, and money to different charities and by doing so, it makes us better as a whole. Research shows that one of the main reasons people decide to to give is simply because they were asked. It's hard to say no, especially when you're asked. Also, giving feels good, doesn't it? Dare2Give is the latest in the My Giving Moment Ca

The End of the Innocence

Remember when the days were long And rolled beneath a deep blue sky Didn't have a care in the world With mommy and daddy standing by When "happily ever after" fails And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales... Don Henley When you're looking for clues as to why you turned out the way you did, all you have to do is look to your childhood to get the answers you're trying to find. Almost everything can be traced back to your childhood. I can pinpoint the start of my anxiety attacks to a specific day—a specific event —from when I was only six years old. What was supposed to be a nice afternoon out with my father turned out to be a traumatic day, one that left me in tears and filled with sadness. It was a beautiful sunny day, and I was dressed appropriately in a yellow dress, white sweater, and brand-new white sandals. I kissed my mom good-bye as she headed off to work, and I left with my father. A father-daughter day. Just perfect! We were about to see a really

Loulou's views

Search This Blog