Icewine Tales

Icewine and Innovation in Niagara

Phil Cheevers — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:21:31 +0000

I was looking at the table wine grapes being harvested now in Niagara and wondered whether to hazard a guess at what the Icewine harvest might be like when January, or February comes. Then I thought about how wrong we would all have been to take... Read more

A Side Trip to Cinque Terre

Phil Cheevers — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 01:15:37 +0000

I found the unkindest words from a wine writer in one of those long forgotten big coffee table books. In the Italian wines section there was a simple entry about Cinque Terre wines. I also recall that Icewine and wines from Canada... Read more

World Shark Class Sailboat Championships

Phil Cheevers — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:28:46 +0000

Again, no Icewine connection, other than this is in the heart of Canadian Icewine country! This is a tip of the hat to the over 65 boats and crews that will be attending the 50th Shark Class Sailboat World Championships here in Niagara on the... Read more

Storms Before the Icewine Days

Phil Cheevers — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:08:38 +0000

Many years ago, before I got involved with Icewine or even fine wines, I did other foolish things. Today, my friend Sue asked me if I could swim because her young son was playing at the waters edge near us. I said yes, but then this whole story... Read more

MÉDECINS SANS FRONTIÈRES in Abkhazia

Phil Cheevers — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:32:59 +0000

Nothing about Icewine today. However, if you are enjoying reading about Abkhazia, please take a moment to look at Dr. Genie Pritchett's blog as well. Genie is an American doctor who volunteered with Doctors Without Borders, (MÉDECINS SANS... Read more

Icewine, Honey Men, and Business Allegories

Phil Cheevers — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:49:38 +0000

My friend Tim lives in Moscow and in his career he has been a school teacher in Sukhumi, a wine executive for a Georgian winery, a land developer in Moscow, and probably many other things I've yet to discover. Tim's English is excellent which is... Read more

The Soul of a Land

Phil Cheevers — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:14:42 +0000

Icewine Guy Meets Svetlanas and The Soul of Abkhazia I marvel that in the former Soviet Union there are a very large number of babies born named Svetlana. It seems that half of the folks I met in or from the former Soviet Union countries are... Read more

Icewine Guy in Sukhumi

Phil Cheevers — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:49:33 +0000

Icewine Guy in Abkhazia I wasn’t there to take in war stories. The 16 year old bullet holes in the apartment buildings were grotesque to me, but people lived in them, and children grew up under the pocked walls that remind everyone that 16... Read more

Icewine’s Butterfly Effect

Phil Cheevers — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:15:16 +0000

I met Fred Weir at the Canadian Embassy Icewine tasting in Moscow in June. Fred is a fellow Canadian who writes about Russia for Indian, Chinese, British and American newspapers, including the Christian Science Monitor. We had just enough time... Read more

Icewine Tasting at the United Nations Part 2

Phil Cheevers — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:51:27 +0000

Part 1 left off with Max, Teddy, the Macedonian and I having dinner in a seaside cafe in Sukhumi. During the dinner, Teddy invited me to visit the UNOMIG compound. I grew up as an army brat and lived on army bases all my life but I knew... Read more