Winelovers’ Page Poll Rates the Rhône Tops!

One of my favourite wine sites is Winelovers’ Page.  This site is rich with all types of wine content and this content is updated daily by a number of contributing editors who run the gamut in the range of wine topics and interests they follow.

Each week Robin Garr, the host of Winelovers’ page, conducts a poll in his Voting Booth column and these polls are often informative and always entertaining.

A recent poll asked: “What is your preferred French wine tour?”.

Of the eight regions included in the survey (Alsace, Bourdeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Languedoc, Loire, Provence and the Rhône), the Rhône gathered the largest number of votes.  There was a virtual tie for second between Alsace, Burgundy and the Loire.  The Languedoc recorded the lowest number of votes, perhaps reflecting its still relatively low level of recognition (great opportunity!).

We shouldn’t consider the poll statistically valid as only 216 votes were tallied, but it does bear out my view that the Rhône is the most attractive part of the French wine world: great wines, great wine values, outstanding historic and cultural variety for tourists (wine lovers or not), approachable growers who love to share their wines with visitors, food that is unique, etc., etc.

Riedel introduces the “O” series of wine glasses

Earlier this year Riedel, the world-famous Austrian fine glassware firm, introduced a major breakthrough for wine lovers when the “O” series of stemless wine glasses became generally available.

Try to picture a wine glass globe, with no stem and with a flat bottom (to make sure the glass doesn’t tip over), and you have the “O” series.  Available in 6 of the most popular Riedel Vinum shapes (Cabernet/ Merlot, Pinot/Nebbiolo, Syrah/Shiraz, Chardonnay, Viognier/Chardonnay, Riesling/Sauvignon) these glasses have taken the wine world by storm.  In fact, these glasses have been so popular that many buyers throughout North America have been disappointed to find that wine supply stores are out of stock when they try to buy a set.

Why are these unusual and innovative glasses so popular? 

• First, they cost less than half the price of the same-shaped stemmed glasses in the Vinum series.  At the prices charged, it is easy to stock up on enough glasses in each shape to meet your glassware needs for everyday and casual dining. 

• Secondly, these glasses are much more convenient than their stemmed sister glasses.  They easily fit in the glassware shelf of your dishwasher, making clean-up a breeze and reducing the risk of breakage that is always a factor with the stemmed glasses. 

• Thirdly, these glasses preserve the wine-tasting characteristics of the traditionally-stemmed Riedel glasses.  I truly believe that glassware does make a difference and properly-matched glasses will enhance the appreciation of any wine.  The “O” series are a true match to the Vinum series in this regard.

For all the advantages of these wonderful glasses, it is surprising something like the “O” series hasn’t come our way sooner.  This is a classic story of thinking outside the box and we should all congratulate the people at Riedel for their creativity!

For my recent birthday my wife gave me a large set of “O” glasses across all the available styles and we have been using these daily ever since we brought them home.  Despite all the good reasons for going out to buy a set of “O”’s, there is one downside…where do I put all my Riedel stems?

I have submitted my application to the Ontario government authorities for Winesights to become a registered agent for wines.

The agency business will be a complement to the winesights tours business. I want guests on our tours to be able to enjoy the wines we discovered on our tours, when they get back home. Since many of the vineyards we will visit on our tours are very small, their produce is not widely available, certainly not through traditional government-managed distribution networks. Our plan is to introduce these wines to the Ontario market through private orders as well as sales to fine restaurants.

We have received requests from several of our friends in the south of France to represent them as their Ontario agent and we will report more about progress in this aspect of Winesights over the coming several weeks.



I spent three days in Montpelier, France at Vinisud, the bi-annual exposition of the wines of the Mediterranean region - Italy, southern France and Spain. I was one of 25,000 delegates from the world wine trade who visited the exhibits of some 1,200 growers who presented their products for export trade.

Based on the global cross-section of delegates, the prospects for this part of the wine world are healthy, notwithstanding the negative tone in the trade press for the wines of France.

For me the wines from the Languedoc and Roussillon regions of southern France stood out more than those of any other region. These wines are diverse in style and most are outstanding value, particularly those are that are classified as Vins de Pays d’Oc. Winemakers in these regions are more willing to experiment and as a result there is an excitement to the wines from this part of France that is without parallel.

I forecast that the type of experimentation I see among young winemakers in the south of France will be the source of new growth in interest and demand for French wines over the next five years- watch out Bourdeaux and Burgundy: the south is coming!