About Diane Nelson:

Diane Nelson is a long-time journalist and former Sun staffer who really likes wine. A lot. Chat with her online at www.vinelines.ca

• Zinfandel the best match for barbecue-sauced meats

  Ah, summer. The time for beaches, bonfires and barbecue.

  View Full Column | 05/18/2013 1:00 AM | 0

• Many moms will like this -- and it's perfectly pink, too

  I’ve found my honey-mustard-glazed salmon wine! Finally!

  View Full Column | 05/11/2013 1:00 AM | 0

• Lifelong love for Chardonnay seems gone, gone, gone away

  It seems I'm off Chardonnay. And I'm completely freaked out.

  View Full Column | 05/4/2013 1:00 AM | 1

• VacuVin still surprising after all these years

  Some things just bear repeating. And my amazement about the effectiveness of the VacuVin is one of them.

  View Full Column | 04/27/2013 1:00 AM | 0

• Bargain whites hint of summer just around the corner

  I have no way of knowing what the weather’s like outside as you read this column. Submission deadlines for special features are always well in advance of publication. So if it’s a glorious 23 C outside, the above headline might seem ridiculous, although I’d hope folks might be open-minded enough to realize this is still April, and anything can happen. I remember the occasional May blizzard, which, while unwelcome, always served to remind us where we live: Manitoba, where saying ‘the weather is unpredictable’ is always a massive understatement.

  View Full Column | 04/20/2013 1:00 AM | 0

• Wineglass etiquette causes nasty case of 'wine thumb'

  About six weeks ago, I was out with a group of colleagues and friends celebrating my pal Jill’s 40th birthday. We had a great time — Champagne to start (my favourite, Veuve Clicquot Brut) — followed by fabulous prime rib at Echo in the Royal Oak Inn along with a WHOLE lot more wine — the Beringer Founders’ Estate Chardonnay ($16.99) and the J. Lohr Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon ($20.22), both from California. We indulged in said beverages in those ultra-large wineglasses that are all the rage now, and which really trap aromas as well as allow the wine to breathe much more than smaller vessels do.

  View Full Column | 04/13/2013 1:00 AM | 0

• Pair sweet with sweet -- there's no denying it works

  It's much easier to change one’s mind about a particular type of wine when the product you try is delicious! While that might seem like sort of a ‘duh’ statement, what makes it somewhat revelatory, at least for me, is that in the case I’m about to relate, I previously thought I couldn’t ever, under any circumstances, like this particular varietal.

  View Full Column | 04/6/2013 1:00 AM | 0

• Spanish wines are happy surprises at bargain prices

  Never say never. Or never say always. Or generally. Or anything you might have to revise because it doesn’t apply in every situation or most cases.

  View Full Column | 03/30/2013 1:00 AM | 1

• Predominantly, province's pre-eminent palates populate Brandon

  Maybe it’s something in the water. (No — not lead!)

  View Full Column | 03/23/2013 1:00 AM | 0

• Vine Lines: I was wrong -- again

  I felt sick. Timing is everything, and this was about as ill-timed as it gets.

  View Full Column | 03/9/2013 1:00 AM | 1

• Malbecs marvelous for many, but make me miserable

  The song “I Don’t Like Mondays” by the Boomtown Rats has been running through my head for exactly two weeks now. And it’s my husband’s fault.

  View Full Column | 03/2/2013 1:00 AM | 0

• "Stickies" a nice alternative to Port -- but Port's great, too!

  Let’s just get this out of the way. I hate icewine.

  View Full Column | 02/23/2013 1:00 AM | 0

• Wine and cheese pairings offer up surprises and suggestions

  Wine and cheese. They go together like salt and pepper, love and marriage, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

  View Full Column | 02/16/2013 1:00 AM | 0

• Vine Lines: A Valentine wine bouquet for your sweetheart

  So Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Again.

  View Full Column | 02/9/2013 1:00 AM | 0

• Vine Lines: Mini bottles perfect answer to "one more glass" dilemma

  It’s said that good things come in small packages. And that can apply to wine as well.

  View Full Column | 02/2/2013 1:00 AM | 0

• Vine Lines: Alfred's offers fun in the Jamaican sun at bargain prices

  It’s the furthest thing from a palace you’ll ever see. But I suppose, if one considers the view, it’s pretty palatial after all.

  View Full Column | 01/26/2013 1:00 AM | 0

• Vine Lines: Super sparkler for sunset sipping

  There’s nothing like a sunset. And while I maintain prairie sunsets are the most magical I’ve ever seen — ribbons of red and pink and purple and orange fill the sky, and when those colours inhabit the puffy clouds floating in the heavens, why, it’s simply enchanting — there’s also something special about seeing the sun sink into the ocean.

  View Full Column | 01/19/2013 1:00 AM | 0

• Vine Lines: Cheap wines an extra bonus on low-budget vacations

  It’s amazing, really. I mean, I’ve written several times about how circumstances can and do affect one’s perception of a wine. If the situation a person finds him — or herself is dark, gloomy and sad, even the world’s best wine is not likely to taste like much of anything.

  View Full Column | 01/12/2013 1:00 AM | 1

• Vine Lines: Give yourself a break with these inexpensive wines

  So for many of us, the holidays are over, and it’s time to pay the piper. Holiday bills, if they haven’t started to roll in yet, will soon. And you know you spent a little more on that perfect gift for dear old dad than you intended, but that new snowblower really made his day. Ditto the diamond pendant for mom, the designer dress for your sister, the weekend getaway for your spouse, and the new iPad minis for the kids.

  View Full Column | 01/5/2013 1:00 AM | 0

• Vine lines: Ring in the New Year with some beautiful bubbly

  I love bubbly. And I’m not really sure why.

  View Full Column | 12/29/2012 1:00 AM | 0

• Vine Lines: Give a gift of great (fermented) grapes this Christmas

  So a couple of weeks ago, I talked about the cheap stuff. Boxes of wine. Now it’s time to go to the opposite extreme.

  View Full Column | 12/22/2012 1:00 AM | 0

• Vine Lines: Bubbly can make the ordinary extraordinary

  We used Jake. We didn’t abuse Jake. But we did use him.

  View Full Column | 12/15/2012 1:00 AM | 0

• Vine Lines: Grab some 'boxos' or casks for easy entertaining

  A couple of weeks ago, my cousin Caryl tweeted me the following: “@vinelinesbdn How about a "best box of wine for Xmas" recommendation/article? (Because relatives don't get the good stuff).” She was kidding, of course. About relatives not getting the good stuff. At least I THINK she was kidding. Regardless, the idea was a great one, so I decided to take her up on the challenge, and come up with a list of good boxes — as in box ‘o’ wine — for the holidays.

  View Full Column | 12/8/2012 1:00 AM | 0

• Vine Lines: Some lovely Zins to try, even in the dead of winter

  This could probably be considered an ill-timed column, unless, like me, you enjoy barbecued meats so much, you can’t do without them. So you barbecue all year ’round.

  View Full Column | 12/1/2012 1:00 AM | 0

• Vine Lines: Big reds for those who like some oomph

  I love big red wines. And by big, I mean full-bodied, with intense aromas and flavours. I like my reds strong. I like them aggressive. I want them to attack my taste buds until those little suckers cry out for mercy.

  View Full Column | 11/24/2012 1:00 AM | 0

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