The Wine Scribbler

06/13/2026

The Tuscany Food & Wine Tour is dreamy, delicious, quiet Tuscany with a maximum of 14 guests and 2 attentive, caring hosts. That’s us! Spots are miraculously still available, but not for long! Contact [email protected]

05/21/2026

05/13/2026

Are you dreaming of Tuscany? Susan ( the Wine Scribbler) and Cameron are hosting a small group tour of Tuscany and Umbria focusing on authentic culinary and wine experiences. We will stay at a lovely agriturismo and venture out each day to explore medieval villages and breathtaking vineyards. Contact Susan for more details. Andiamo! Let’s Go!

05/02/2026

There are spots available for this authentic and intimate introduction to Tuscany Food and Wine. Join us this September. Pleasantstliving.com

05/01/2026

Last night we said farewell to . This has been my favourite Halifax wine destination since they opened in 2010. We were celebrating my *gulp* 60th birthday and craving oysters and bubbly. Obladee was the obvious choice. The mood was a bit heavy, but place was buzzing, the wine was flowing, the Celtic music was warming and the staff were as kind and accommodating as always. 💕 We didn’t go to Obladee because we were in Halifax. We went to Halifax because we wanted to go to Obladee. We felt at home here. Halifax will never be the same. Thank you Obladee. You will be missed and impossible to replace.

04/29/2026

Why does a server ask you to taste the wine before he pours for the table? It isn’t to see if you like your selection. The *taste* is to check for cork taint or spoilage because it can and does happen. On the nose look for an aroma of wet cardboard, wet dog or damp basement for examples. If you can get past that, the palate will lack any fruit and taste dull and lifeless. You can return the wine, no questions asked. It’s the same when you buy a bottle in the store. I purchased a lovely Chianti DOCG to accompany our pasta last night. It was unfortunately suffering from cork taint. I contacted to let them know about the cork taint and immediately received an email letting me know that I would receive a full refund. The same goes for the or . If you get a bad bottle, they will give you a refund. I have another bottle of Fontella Chianti DOCG in the cellar and I’m sure it is delicious. Cork taint happens sometimes. It’s just nice to know that you are covered when it does. Thank you .

04/17/2026

I am quite temperature obsessed when it comes to wine and for good reason. It completely changes the way wine tastes.

04/01/2026

Does Red Wine Give You a Headache?

Common misconceptions about the red wine headache:

1- It is the sulfites in red wine that give me a headache? No
2- It is that red wine is heavy and it gives me a headache? Not necessarily
3- It’s the tannins. That grippy sensation causes headaches? No

It’s time to stop blaming the wine and consider how you drink it.

#1 reason for headaches is the higher alcohol content in many red wines.
Share a bottle of white wine at dinner at 12% ABV and you are just fine as opposed to sharing a bottle of red wine at 15% ABV, you are more likely to get a headache. That is because of the higher alcohol ABV. Look for a red wine with lower alcohol content.

#2 reason for red wine headaches is dehydration.
Alcohol dehydrates you very quickly. Always have a glass of water alongside your glass of wine

#3 reason for a red wine headache is sugar
Less expensive red wines have a higher sugar content. The higher alcohol and high sugar combination is a headache waiting to happen. Drink buckets of water with that jug of Carlo Rossi.

#4 reason for headaches are histamines and biogenic amines.
Some people are genuinely sensitive, especially to certain styles of red wine. Reds are higher in histamines than white wine. Histamines will make you feel stuffed up and flushed. They also contribute to a headache.

How to choose red wine that is less likely to induce a headache

1. Pick lower alcohol red wines 11% - 13.5%

2. Drink a glass of water for every glass of wine that you enjoy . - always
3. Avoid fruit bomb, jammy styles of red wine like new world, warm climate Shiraz, Zinfandel & Cabernet Sauvignon for example.

4. Choose cooler climate wine regions like Wines of Nova Scotia, Northern Italy, Austria and Germany. Wines tend to be lighter and lower in alcohol in cool climates.

One other factor to consider when enjoying a glass of red wine is temperature. A room temperature red wine is too warm. It feels heady, heavy and headachy. A cooler “cellar temperature” is so much more enjoyable.

If you find that you get headaches from red wine, but not from vodka or a cocktail, it is usually the combination of higher alcohol, higher sugar and histamines in red wines that are the culprits.

Perhaps you might be able to enjoy red wine after all.
Choose wisely and stay hydrated!



Grand Pré Wines

02/23/2026

It is soon time to have more wine tastings. Tuscany is all I think about lately. Are you interested?