Author Archives: rcjames08

At the Wine Club tasting of October 5, 2023 at Ruth Johnson’s home, there were two wines sipped that appealed the most to the group. The first was a white wine, while the second was a red wine. Chile, Cono Sur Vineyards – Viognier, 2022 Cono Sur is a white wine produced and bottled inContinueContinue reading “Through the Grapevine # 37”

In May, it was time to return to High Park to see the Sakura Cherry trees in bloom.  The flowering of these trees is an annual event that has proven to be very popular with Torontonians, especially those of Japanese origin for whom the blossoms hold a special spiritual meaning.  The trees were donated toContinueContinue reading “May 2023 Walk”

On May 4th, we met at the home of Elva Edgar to sample wines from California, New Zealand, Australia, and Ontario. The two most popular selections were surprisingly inexpensive and offered very good value for the money. Canyon Road – Sauvignon Blanc, 2021 Canyon Road’s Sauvignon Blanc is a budget white wine from California that wasContinueContinue reading “Through the Grapevine #32”

This month we met at Mary Milligan’s condo to sample a delightful array of wines from South Africa, Italy, France, and Portugal.  There were two selections that were popular with the group, both of such are surprisingly reasonable in price. Country – South Africa – Chenin Blanc 2022 Price $12.00 Alcohol Content 13.5% Taste ProfileContinueContinue reading “Through the Grapevine #31”

The most recent outing for the Walking Club was a visit to Forest Hill, an affluent part of Toronto named after a summer home that existed at the top of the hill on Eglinton (one of Toronto’s highest points) in the 1800s.  It was a separate village, founded in 1928, with its own police andContinueContinue reading “April 2023 Walk”

On Wednesday, March 22, the Walking Club was finally able to get back to walking.  This outing started at the Keele subway station where we crossed Bloor St. and walked east to Indian Road.  On the way, we noticed the new bicycle lanes that have been installed to encourage more bike riding and fewer autosContinueContinue reading “March 2023 Walk”

This month we met at Jack and Marg Markham’s condo for an Italian wine tasting event. The two white wines were from the FOLONARI Winery, one being a Chardonnay, the other a Pinot Grigio.  Both were a 2021 vintage. Folonari – Pinot Grigio, Delle Venezie, 2021 This wine comes from Veneto, Italy, and is madeContinueContinue reading “Through the Grapevine #30”

In February, the wine tasting group met at Linda Hasler’s condo to sample an array of vintages from South America.    Linda selected these particular wines because of their high ratings by noted wine critics.    It’s interesting that of the two red and two white wines rated highly by these critics, our Probus wine tasters didContinueContinue reading “Through the Grapevine #29”

As our last walk of 2022, we were happy to revive our traditional walk through the downtown area to see Christmas decorations, attend a free noon-hour concert at Roy Thomson Hall, wander over to the St. Lawrence Market for the traditional back bacon on a bun, and to end up at the Christmas Market inContinueContinue reading “James’ Last Walk of 2022”

The Wine Tasting Group met at Ruth Warren’s home on January 5th.  The first three wines were recommended by one of the staff at the LCBO store at Royal York and Bloor. Lindeman’s Winery – Pinot Grigio, 2022 The first wine we tasted was an Australian wine from the Lindeman’s Winery.  That winery was establishedContinueContinue reading “Through the Grapevine # 28”