Brian Hamilton is a graduate of Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute, and was previously a winemaker at Malivoire, Southbrook Vineyard and Tawse Winery, all in Niagara Peninsula, and he brings the same focus on organic and biodynamic winemaking practices to KIN Vineyards west of Ottawa. Brian worked at wineries in California and New […]

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! This time of year has many joyous, merry times, gatherings, and events. No matter where you go, in every store, on television, radio, social media, or talking to friends and family, it’s all you hear, see and smell. But for many people, it may feel anything but joyous. If you or […]

Consider this Part 2, as last month I wrote about Side Launch Brewery, one of what I consider to be the two top breweries in the Collingwood area. This month I will cover the other one – Thornbury Craft Cider and Brewery located just north along the beautiful blue-green waters of Georgian Bay in Thornbury. […]

I’m just back from a week’s vacation in Collingwood on Georgian Bay, where I went to about 4 different local craft breweries and wineries, tasting my way through their portfolios. One of the best breweries visited was Side Launch Brewing Co. (sidelaunchbrewing.com; 705-293-5511) named after Collingwood’s historic ship building industry where ‘lakers’ and military vessels […]

We haven’t left. We’re still here. Others have gone…but Hometown News is still on the streets. For a week or two we thought there wouldn’t be any papers in Smiths Falls. Metroland closed down and there was some talk of Hometown News closing, too. Happily that didn’t happen…here we still are, thank goodness! People often […]

I happened to be at my son’s place in Kingston next to Base Kingston recently. Right around the corner off Hwy 15 at Innovation Drive is this lovely modern brewery, so I just had to go in and sample the selection. And what a lineup they have! There are the permanent customer favourites with a […]

With Sushi, quality matters and Yukihana delivers! Ever since Yukihana Sushi opened on Russell Street in Smiths Falls last month by the Chung family, the crowds and rave reviews haven’t stopped. My wife and I stopped in recently and like all those before us, we weren’t disappointed. While I might not know much if anything […]

Canada’s first 100% solar-powered brewery opened in 2022 in Front of Escott, a small community near Mallorytown located between Kingston and Brockville in Eastern Ontario. The brewer, Phil Audet, and his business partner, Stacie Stephenson, took home the New Business of the Year Award sponsored by the Township of Front of Yonge in April 2023. […]

Did the Right Honorable William Lyon Mackenzie King, the tenth prime minister of Canada, visit the Keyhole House? We are not sure. However, we know that he had his fortune told right around the corner. By 1919, former Keyhole House owner Robert Brodie had befriended Sir Wilfred Laurier and Mackenzie King. That same year, Robert […]