{"id":1204,"date":"2013-02-26T14:07:03","date_gmt":"2013-02-26T14:07:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/2013\/02\/26\/newsletter-199-the-new-look-of-wine-a-chocolate\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T03:55:45","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T03:55:45","slug":"newsletter-199-the-new-look-of-wine-a-chocolate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/2013\/02\/26\/newsletter-199-the-new-look-of-wine-a-chocolate\/","title":{"rendered":"Newsletter #199 &#8211; The New Look of Wine &#038; Chocolate"},"content":{"rendered":"<table style=\"height: 38px; width: 460px;\" border=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><strong>Ontario<span style=\"color: #990000;\">Wine<\/span>Review Newsletter \t\t\t199 &#8230; February 2013<br \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td align=\"right\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-781\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/ico_side_owrglass.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"31\" height=\"70\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Ontario<span style=\"color: #800000;\">Wine<\/span>Review:\u00a0 <em>The New Look of Wine &#038; Chocolate<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Grape Guy\u2019s Picks of the Bunch:\u00a0 <em>Limited Edition Wines Worth Putting Your Mitts On<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Bi-Weekly OWR Updates<\/strong><strong>:\u00a0 <em>On the Road, International Wine Notes and more<br \/><\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Ontario<span style=\"color: #800000;\">Wine<\/span>Review<\/strong><strong>:\u00a0 <em>Revisiting Publishing \u2013 Feedback from Newsletter #198<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Wine Event Spotlight: <\/strong><em><strong>Upcoming and On-Going Events<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/owr_newsletter_0198.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">To download and print a PDF copy of this newsletter click here<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-782\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/ico_nav_archives.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"21\" height=\"21\" \/> <strong>Ontario<span style=\"color: #800000;\">Wine<\/span>Review:\u00a0<em> <\/em><em>The New Look of Wine &#038; Chocolate<\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Days of Wine and Chocolate put on by the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake is not so much an event as it is a test, and testament, as to the level of your \u2018holism of chocolate.\u00a0 In the past the Wine and Chocolate has been about chocolate balls, pieces of chocolate in varying flavours that each winery paired with a wine of their choosing. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/ontheroadwithgrapeguy.blogspot.ca\/2009\/02\/report-from-days-of-wine-and-chocolate.html\" target=\"_blank\">My first year attending<\/a> was bliss \u2013 being the chocoholic I am I was thrilled to gorge myself on 18-20 odd pieces of Aztecan gold.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/ontheroadwithgrapeguy.blogspot.ca\/2010\/02\/report-from-days-of-wine-and-chocolate.html\" target=\"_blank\">Year two<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/ontheroadwithgrapeguy.blogspot.ca\/2011\/02\/report-from-wineries-of-niagara-on-lake.html\" target=\"_blank\">three<\/a> proved to be a little more difficult each year \u2026 Was my chocolatism waning?\u00a0 Nope, it just seemed the same pieces of chocolate were being served year-in and year-out, just at different venues with different wines paired with it.\u00a0 So I advocated chocolate items, chocolate inspired food-stuffs, because there is plenty of other things in the world of chocolate to get excited over besides truffle balls and chunks of bark.\u00a0 So I took a year away from the event vowing not to go back until they changed it in some way other than having you eat the equivalent of an entire box of Black Magic in one day.<\/p>\n<p>And now here we are in 2013, and lo and behold the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake had an epiphany: let\u2019s ditch the chocolate baubles and go with chocolate inspired food stuffs.\u00a0 Now where did I hear that before?<\/p>\n<p>I find that as I get older my affinity for chocolate is wavering \u2013 yes I still crave the stuff every-so-often, but not to the extent that I used to.\u00a0 Now one Mars bar will suffice where once three others had to follow (and not necessarily Mars); I\u2019m more choosy about my chocolate intake these days: I\u2019ll throw back the marzipan-coated in search of the caramel, and the old adage \u201cyou touch it you take it\u201d doesn\u2019t seem to hold that same cache these days.\u00a0 So the test of 28 wineries with chocolate treats comes off as a truly daunting task \u2013 yes they\u2019ve changed the format of the items they are serving, but we\u2019re still talking about a sugar-high weekend that\u2019ll last till Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike the Wine and Herb and Taste the Season, where the goal is to try everything, to us the wine and chocolate event was about finding interesting and inspired edibles \u2026 so we decided to pare things down based solely on the description given in the guide.\u00a0 Of the 28 wineries we selected 17 to visit feeling that if it wasn\u2019t something interesting or enticing it probably wasn\u2019t worth the calories.<\/p>\n<p>The top five of our chosen 17 were as follows \u2013 in alphabetical order:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Between the Lines<\/strong> \u2013 White Chocolate Macadamia Mousse \u2026 there were but a few who highlighted white chocolate and that seemed to be a nice light break from the darks and milks that peppered the route.\u00a0 Let\u2019s not get into the debate about white chocolate\u2019s place in the world of confections.\u00a0 This taste treat ran a close second as our ultimate favourite.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Coyote\u2019s Run<\/strong> \u2013 White Chocolate Dipped Lemon Shortbread Cookie \u2026 half the cookie was dipped the other half naked, for lack of a better term, and it proved to be a nice bit of tasty goodness.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lailey<\/strong> \u2013 Mocha Chocolate Cookie \u2026 listed as \u201cChocolate Surprise\u201d in the booklet we wanted to find out what chocolate surprise was; truth be told they had no idea at the time of the booklet printing so they offered up some generic description until they could come up with an item, and it proved to be quite tasty.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pillitteri <\/strong>\u2013 Chocolate Caramel Indulgence Cupcake \u2026 were we swayed by the seeming world domination of the cupcake these days?\u00a0 I don\u2019t think so.\u00a0 But who can resist a morsel of well frosted cake that you could pop into your mouth.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pondview<\/strong> \u2013 Banana Chocolate Tart Drizzled with Caramel \u2026 This worked very well because it was not a heavy chocolate dessert, the banana was mousse-like and light and was a welcome treat.\u00a0 This was our favourite of the bunch.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Trius Winery at Hillebrand <\/strong>\u2013 Caramel Chocolate Pop Crunch \u2026 two wineries took this opportunity to pair popcorn, chocolate and wine, both worked (the other was Reif) but the little additions that Hillebrand added: caramel, pretzels and white chocolate, put there treat over the top.<\/p>\n<p>I will mention Joseph\u2019s and their Toblerone Cheesecake from Willow Pastry \u2026 but I must say they have done this before and as good as it was it was nothing new.\u00a0 They played it safe, though they\u2019ve had one\u2019s in the past that were to die for, this one was just okay.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, I must say that this year the Days of Wine and Chocolate took a step in the right direction \u2026 the change was welcome and the lack of heaviness from too many truffles did not affect us this year.\u00a0 But it\u2019s still a lot of chocolate to get through your system \u2026 the best remedy I heard (besides doing it over a few weekends) was the Tupperware Option \u2026 bring some along and store it for later \u2026 no one said you have to have your chocolate and eat it too \u2026 on the same day.\u00a0 Good on the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake for finally seeing outside the box of chocolates.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/ontheroadwithgrapeguy.blogspot.ca\/2013\/02\/report-from-pictorial-look-at-days-of.html\" target=\"_blank\">To see pictures of the The Days of Wine and Chocolate click here<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-783\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/ico_news_grapes.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"22\" height=\"21\" \/> <strong>Grape Guy\u2019s Picks of the Bunch:\u00a0<em> <\/em><em>Limited Edition Wines Worth Putting Your Mitts On<\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Hillebrand 2010 Showcase Red Shale Cabernet Franc &#8211; $40.00<\/strong> (W)<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.triuswines.com\" target=\"_blank\">www.triuswines.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Most definitely, without even a hint of a doubt this is the best Cabernet Franc I\u2019ve tried (so far) from the 2010 vintage \u2013 it truly is the perfect expression of Niagara Franc, and reaffirms my belief in Cabernet Franc as Ontario red grape.\u00a0 Smells of cigar box and smoked raspberry greet the nose, while on the palate you\u2019ll find cigar-tobacco with smoky blackberry and raspberry \u2026 might sound rather simple but some of the best wines don\u2019t strive to over-achieve, they just are what they are \u2026 and this one has such a beautiful elegance to it.\u00a0 The 25.6 brix at which these grapes were picked gave 14.5% alcohol then the wine was aged 18 months in French oak and only 332 cases have been produced, so best you high-tail it to the winery sooner than later cause this wine is destined to move fast.\u00a0 As for the name, it refers to the soil in which these particular grapes were grown.\u00a0 Price: $40.00 \u2013 Rating: *****<\/p>\n<p><strong>BONUS Review: <\/strong><a href=\"wine-reviews\/hillebrand-2010-showcase-rhs-merlot\" target=\"_blank\"> Hillebrand 2010 Showcase RHS Merlot &#8211; $40.00<\/a> (W)<br \/><strong>BONUS Review:<\/strong> <a href=\"wine-reviews\/hillebrand-2010-showcase-east-block-cabernet-sauvignon\" target=\"_blank\">Hillebrand 2010 Showcase East Block Cabernet Sauvignon &#8211; $40.00<\/a> (W)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Huff 2010 Cuvee Janine Sparkling Ros\u00e9 &#8211; $29.95<\/strong> (W)<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffestates.com\" target=\"_blank\">www.huffestates.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>I was thinking \u2018what a dark bottle to be putting ros\u00e9 into\u2019 when I realized the colour of the wine was actually quite deep for a ros\u00e9 \u2013 in fact it has more colour than some Pinot Noirs I\u2019ve had.\u00a0 This bubbly is made with 100% Pinot Noir aged 2 years on lees \u2013 and is the inaugural Ros\u00e9 Sparkling from Huff \u2013 who\u2019s Cuvee Peter F. has garnered much praise and awards over the years.\u00a0 The nose here has plenty of black cherry and raspberry notes \u2026 the palate, while very good, offers some odd twists to sparkling: cherry and earthy notes with a citrus bite \u2026 approachable like a chilled Pinot Noir or Gamay with red berries abound, almost sweet, but then there are some tannins that sweep in and dry out the finish \u2026 atypical but very sippable and enjoyable.\u00a0 Price: $29.95 \u2013 Rating: ****+<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rockway Vineyards 2010 Small Lot Reserve Cabernet France &#8211; $23.95<\/strong> (W)<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rockwayglen.com\" target=\"_blank\">www.rockwayglen.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Rockway Glen is changing its name, changing its look and it seems changing the way it makes wine.\u00a0 I tried three of their Small Lot wines in one sitting and went from skeptical to impressed in a matter of minutes.\u00a0 I first tried the whites and said to myself, \u201cthese are the best Rockway wines I\u2019ve had in quite some time\u201d, no sooner had that thought dissipated from my head that I tried this Small Lot Cabernet Franc and knew that Rockway Glen (now Vineyards) might finally be onto something good.\u00a0 Here we have a best barrels, 172 case production wine that shows real promise for the future of Rockway\u2019s wine program.\u00a0 Sure I have a soft spot for Cabernet Franc but that does impair my judgment about finding a good one \u2013 in fact I am more finicky about Franc because I do see it as Ontario red grape.\u00a0 Reading winemaker David Stasiuk\u2019s bio it says that his two great passion grapes are Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc (at least he\u2019s half my kinda guy) \u2013 and it really shows here.\u00a0 Nose of tobacco with some cherry, but it remains mainly closed.\u00a0 The palate is much more expressive:\u00a0 Tobacco, blackberry, black cherry, smoky and spicy with tannins that hang out along the sidelines adding depth without overpowering.\u00a0 Price: $23.95 \u2013 Rating: ****+<\/p>\n<p><strong>BONUS Review:<\/strong> <a href=\"wine-reviews\/rockway-vineyards-2011-small-lot-reserve-chardonnay-\" target=\"_blank\">Rockway Vineyards 2011 Small Lot Reserve Chardonnay &#8211; $18.95<\/a> (W)<br \/><strong>BONUS Review: <\/strong> <a href=\"wine-reviews\/rockway-vineyards-2011-small-lot-reserve-riesling-\" target=\"_blank\">Rockway Vineyards 2011 Small Lot Reserve Riesling &#8211; $16.95<\/a> (W)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em>Availability legend:\u00a0 W (Winery) \u2013 L  (LCBO\/Vintages) \u2013\u00a0 OL (On-Line).<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-784\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/ico_news_bottles.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" \/><strong> Bi-Weekly OWR Updates<\/strong><strong>: <\/strong><em>On the Road, International Wine Notes and more<\/em><\/div>\n<div><em><br \/><\/em><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>NEW &#8211;<\/strong><\/span> <strong>Ottawa Life \u2013 International Wine Selection(s) of the Week:<\/strong><br \/>Check out the<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ottawalife.com\/category\/food-and-wine\/thirst-impressions\/\" target=\"_blank\"> Ottawa Life Blog \u2013 Thirst Impressions<\/a> for my weekly selections<br \/><em><strong>This week&#8217;s posts:<\/strong><\/em><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ottawalife.com\/2013\/02\/looking-to-western-canada-for-chardonnay\/\" target=\"_blank\">Looking to Western Canada for Chardonnay<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>On the Road with the Grape Guy<\/strong><br \/>(Trips, tours and tastings \u2013 join me as I review the highs, and sometimes, the lows)<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/ontheroadwithgrapeguy.blogspot.ca\/2013\/02\/report-from-luce-dinner-10-year.html\" target=\"_blank\">Luce Dinner \u201c10 Year Vertical\u201d<\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/ontheroadwithgrapeguy.blogspot.ca\/2013\/02\/report-from-british-columbia-wine.html\" target=\"_blank\">British Columbia Wine Tasting<\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/ontheroadwithgrapeguy.blogspot.ca\/2013\/02\/report-from-australia-day-dinner.html\" target=\"_blank\">Australia Day Dinner<\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/ontheroadwithgrapeguy.blogspot.ca\/2013\/02\/report-from-reif-icewine-dinner-january.html\" target=\"_blank\">Reif Icewine Dinner<\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/ontheroadwithgrapeguy.blogspot.ca\/2013\/02\/report-from-zenato-retrospective.html\" target=\"_blank\">Zenatio Retrospect<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Lost and Found (blog):<\/strong><br \/>(Wines that got &#8220;lost&#8221; in my cellar &#8211; some are Treasures others Trash \u2026 Find out what happened)<br \/><strong>Nothing New This Week<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Taste it Again Grape Guy (blog)<\/strong><em><br \/>Find out what has happened to some of my favourites over the years<br \/><\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/tasteitagain.blogspot.ca\/2013\/02\/mountain-road-wine-company-2004.html\" target=\"_blank\">Mountain Road 2004 Botrytis Affected Riesling<\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/tasteitagain.blogspot.ca\/2013\/02\/thirteenth-street-winery-2002-g-h-funk.html\" target=\"_blank\">13th Street 2002 GH Funk Vineyard Cabernet Merlot<\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/tasteitagain.blogspot.ca\/2013\/02\/13th-street-2006-wismer-vineyard-syrah.html\" target=\"_blank\">13th Street 2006 Wismer Vineyard Syrah<\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/tasteitagain.blogspot.ca\/2013\/02\/coyotes-run-2008-black-paw-chardonnay.html\" target=\"_blank\">Coyote&#8217;s Run 2008 Black Paw Chardonnay<\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/tasteitagain.blogspot.ca\/2013\/02\/chateau-des-charmes-2004-paul-bosc.html\" target=\"_blank\">Chateau des Charmes 2004 Paul Bosc Vineyard Chardonnay<\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/tasteitagain.blogspot.ca\/2013\/02\/cave-spring-2006-riesling-dolomite.html\" target=\"_blank\">Cave Spring 2006 Riesling \u201cDolomite\u201d<\/a><br \/><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>What I\u2019m Drinking Tonight (blog)<\/strong><em><br \/>When it\u2019s not an Ontario wine, here\u2019s what I\u2019m pulling out of the cellar<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/michaelpinkusgg.blogspot.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Read the New Posts Added<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/em><strong>Vintages Release (blog)<\/strong><em><br \/><\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/grapeguyvintages.blogspot.ca\/2013\/02\/saturday-march-2-2013-vintages-release.html\" target=\"_blank\">Report for March 2, 2013 is ready <\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #990000;\">Advertising<br \/><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-1203\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/tidings.jpg\" border=\"0\" width=\"351\" height=\"115\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/tidings.jpg 351w, https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/tidings-300x98.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 351px) 100vw, 351px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>For those feeling the need to fill the void left by Wine Access \u2013 Take Note:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Tidings has reduced their subscription price from $36 to $16.95 till June 30th. <br \/>That&#8217;s more than half off the regular subscription price. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tidingsmag.com\/tidings-great-deal.html\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.tidingsmag.com\/tidings-great-deal.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #990000;\">Advertising<br \/><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-785\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/owr_icon_news.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" \/> <\/em><strong>Ontario<span style=\"color: #800000;\">Wine<\/span>Review<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> <em><strong>Revisiting Publishing \u2013 Feedback from Newsletter #198<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong> <\/strong>There were quite a few of you who had plenty to say about <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/2013\/02\/13\/newsletter-198-ontario-government-to-the-publishing-industry-screw-you\/\" target=\"_blank\">Newsletter #198 &#8211; Ontario Government to the Publishing Industry<\/a>: \u201cScrew You\u201d; in fact others in the media took notice as well, including Jim Richards (CFRB News Talk 1010) and David Menzies (SunTV) \u2013 both of which had me on as a guest to discuss the issue.\u00a0 Now it\u2019s time to hear what OntarioWineReview readers had to say \u2013 also interesting to note that none will miss Wine Access \u2013 as you will soon read:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;ve been a Wine Access subscriber since their early days.\u00a0 My perception is that it&#8217;s been slowly going downhill since RedPoint took over.\u00a0 Under their stewardship, the magazine became more glossy and superficial in its coverage of the wine scene.\u00a0 In recent times, a large part of the content has been huge &#8220;advertising features&#8221; that are dressed up to look like articles and run on for pages and pages.\u00a0 The actual articles tended to be fluff pieces with little useful content.\u00a0 I had already decided not to renew my subscription this year before I learned they were ceasing publication.<br \/>It seems likely that competition from the taxpayer-subsidized Food &#038; Drink mag was a contributing factor in their demise, but I think it&#8217;s too simplistic to put all of the blame there.\u00a0 I&#8217;d say mismanagement by RedPoint also played a large part.\u00a0 It&#8217;s sad to see the magazine go, but considering what it had become, I can&#8217;t say I&#8217;ll miss it much.\u201d<br \/><strong>Barry (Ottawa)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cGreat article on Wine Access and I wish something like this would be published in the papers. I was a W.A. reader back when David and his wife would create it in the basement of their house. Many of us wine guys would line up at the LCBO on Saturday mornings with his notes in hand, and hunt down the wine he wrote about \u2026 He sold to another company first who couldn&#8217;t make any money, and then to Red Point. You&#8217;re right, the Food &#038; Drink is killing private enterprise and it\u2019s not right.\u201d <br \/><strong>Gary (Toronto)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;m with [your wife], drooling over the damn thing, but I always hate myself for doing it.\u201d<br \/><strong>Sadie (Toronto)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour point about Food and Drink is spot-on. But at the same time, Wine Access did nothing to endear itself to the Ontario industry. There will be few wineries shedding tears over the closing of this magazine.\u201d<br \/><strong>Jeff (St. Catharines)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour point of government competition with private enterprise is well taken, but you ignore one dimension.\u00a0 The LCBO employs a fair number of people to create the mag and there is undoubtedly a lot of contracting and sub-contracting into the private market to create the ads, articles, recipes, etc., etc., etc., that you see in all those pages.\u00a0 Fair enough to talk about competitive impact, but for an apples-to-apples comparison you need to consider how much of the money is sent back into the private economy in order to create the LCBO&#8217;s magazine.\u00a0 If LCBO ceases publishing that, how many people lose their jobs?\u00a0 How many ad agencies down-size or close?\u00a0 How many writers lose income through loss of an outlet for their articles?\u201d<br \/><strong>Marty (Michigan)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cRead the insight you provided on the partial cause of the demise of\u00a0\u00a0 Wine Access Magazine. I believe you may have missed some of the dots you were following in your analysis. The wine writers\/reviewers themselves are also a large part of the changing publishing industry. Your profession publishes reviews on line, in print subscriptions and via online subscription. We load up the electronic copies on our &#8220;kindle&#8221; type devices (the poor printers are not happy). Some advertise on these independent sites. The funds also come from the finite pool of advertising revenue thus taking from the printed publications (newspapers are in deep trouble as well as their advertisers re-invent where to effectively to spend their finite resources).\u00a0 The publishing industry is changing and the medium is changing. As a consequence the landscape will change.\u201d<br \/><strong>John (Toronto)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>[Editor&#8217;s Note] As a contributor to Tidings Magazine I was interested to received this email from them in the wake of the Wine Access affair, which I was told I could share with my readers:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Our story has always been circulation. Paid subscriptions were up last year and we&#8217;ve invested heavily in the copies going to Air Canada lounges and the waiting room program. This has placed our readers per copy at over 590,000 from last year&#8217;s 270,000.&#8221; <br \/>&#8220;We can be proud of our strong focus on unbiased food and wine writing. We can highlight our high readers per copy over half a million across Canada. With your help we can paint a new picture of what food and wine writing means in this country.&#8221;<br \/><strong>Tidings Magazine<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-786\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/ico_nav_events.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"21\" height=\"21\" \/> <\/em><strong>Wine Event Spotlight:<\/strong><em> <strong>Upcoming and On-Going Events<br \/><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>The New Cuvee &#8230;<\/strong> March 1, 2013 &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/cuvee.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/cuvee.ca\/<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Ontario<span style=\"color: #990000;\">Wine<\/span>Review\u2019s                        bi-weekly newsletter is devoted to the love,      enjoyment     and           promotion    of  the wines of Ontario and      the wineries     that  make    them. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em> <\/em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-787\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/ico_nav_askgg.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" \/> <strong>What can  the Grape Guy do for you \u2026 <\/strong>Michael                        Pinkus (Grape Guy) provides a variety of wine     related          services      that     you  might be interested in     taking   advantage    of:\u00a0     he gives      lectures,     leads      seminars,   conducts  tastings,   sets    up  tours;      consults,     selects   and      judges.\u00a0  He also   gives     interviews,          broadcasts, podcasts  and    writes.\u00a0  <a href=\"component\/option,com_contact\/task,view\/contact_id,1\/Itemid,90\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Contact the Grape Guy if you require any of  these services or have any questions<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-788\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/ico_news_passiton.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" \/> <strong>Psst, Pass It On<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> \u2026 keep the good wine flowing. Forward this newsletter to your mom in                        Milton, your son in Smith Falls, or any other family        member    or       loved     one    that you know needs good wine        advice.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-789\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/ico_nav_lingo.gif\" border=\"0\" width=\"21\" height=\"21\" \/> <strong>Socially Speaking \u2026 <\/strong><br \/> Follow Michael Pinkus, the Grape Guy\u2019s (almost) daily <strong><em>Tweets<\/em><\/strong> at <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/TheGrapeGuy\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">http:\/\/twitter.com\/TheGrapeGuy<\/span><\/a> . <br \/> You can become a friend on <em><strong>facebook<\/strong><\/em>: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/?ref=home#%21\/mepinkus\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/?ref=home#!\/mepinkus<\/span><\/a> .\u00a0 <br \/> Those who are \u201c<em><strong>Linked In<\/strong><\/em>\u201d can find Michael at <a href=\"http:\/\/ca.linkedin.com\/pub\/michael-pinkus\/14\/704\/4b8\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">http:\/\/ca.linkedin.com\/pub\/michael-pinkus\/14\/704\/4b8<\/span><\/a> .<\/p>\n<p>To contact us with feedback, article ideas, comments, concerns or  questions \u2013 email <a href=\"mailto:michael@ontariowinereview.com\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">michael@ontariowinereview.com<\/span><\/a> We look forward to hearing from you!<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">\u00a9                        OntarioWineReview.com 2013. All  rights reserved.     You     may     use     the        content of this newsletter by     including   full    credit    to     Michael    Pinkus,     Grape Guy     and a link to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ontariowinereview.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.ontariowinereview.com<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>OntarioWineReview Newsletter 199 &#8230; February 2013 \u00a0 OntarioWineReview:\u00a0 The New Look of Wine &#038; Chocolate Grape Guy\u2019s Picks of the Bunch:\u00a0 Limited Edition Wines Worth Putting Your Mitts On Bi-Weekly OWR Updates:\u00a0 On the Road, International Wine Notes and more OntarioWineReview:\u00a0 Revisiting Publishing \u2013 Feedback from Newsletter #198 Wine Event Spotlight: Upcoming and On-Going Events [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-owr-newsletter-archives"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1204"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1204\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7376,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1204\/revisions\/7376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.michaelpinkuswinereview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}