Given the mild weather, you may not be able to skate the Rideau Canal, but you can attend what looks like a great selection of "regionally distinct wines" from Australia.

The "Australian Regional Heroes" wine tasting, hosted by High Commission of Australia, will showcase wineries and wine-producers that focus on their region through varietal choices and styles, aiming for a Euro-style "distinct sense of place in their wines".

Moving away from the shiraz obsession, organizers say food stations will showcase pairing possibilities with another wine Oz does well - cabernet sauvignon, and also newer entrants more typically associated with cooler climates: pinot noir, riesling.

The tasting takes place at the Government Conference Centre, 2 Rideau Street, on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 from 6:30pm – 9:00pm. Some of my favourite producers like d'Arenburg, DeBortoli and Nugan Estates will be there. Some of the producers covered in my Australia is Cool? feature will also be there.

For more info about the event, visit the wineaustralia.com website.

Wine columnist for Toronto Life and Ottawa magazines and frequent judge on wine competition panels David Lawrason is teaching a four-week introductory course at Crush (King & Spadina).

During the four sessions, Lawrason will cover basics on what to look for when tasting wines, how terroir and regions affect styles, food and wine pairing, and finally ageing, decanting and sparkling wines.

The course starts on January 16 and costs $325 (wine included).

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Wine writer Tony Aspler was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2007 in recognition of his significant contributions to the Canadian wine industry over the years and he's "over the moon".

Read more about Tony and the award here.

It's that time of year again... the Big Daddy of consumer wine shows is on this weekend.

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Wine Access magazine hosted a panel of experts from across Canada in Calgary to decide on the best wine buys available in Canada under $25. And as they tasted "close to 1,000 wines from 271 wineries in 14 countries," you can be confident they pretty much covered the field.

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Is what's on the label a good indication of provenance? The Ontario Wine Producers aren't so sure.

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