Top 5 Bubblies to Celebrate New Years

Can you believe it that we’re already here at the end of 2009?! I’m looking forward to celebrating tonight with some excellent bubbly. Champagne is classic, but many regions around the world make sparkling wine. Here are 5 of my favourites: Poema Cava Brut, DO Penedès, Traditional Method, Spain: Toasty, zesty goodness with bubbles galore! Aromas of green apples, lemon-buttered bread, and limes.  121152  11.50%  XD  750 mL  $15.95  Score: 88/100. Santa Margherita Prosecco, D.O.C., Veneto, Italy: VC: Here’s a Prosecco with a surprisingly rich, toasted quality that translates into roasted almond, walnut and yellow fruit flavors. The toasted notes […]

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Top 10 Best Value LCBO Wines Under $15

  ‘Tis the season for count-downs as we approach 2010! Here are my top 10 best value wines for 2009. These are wines that I thought offered amazing taste and quality for the money. I’d love to hear what your favourite value wines were this year. Here are my top 10 best value wines at the LCBO. What are yours? Post a comment here or e-mail me and I’ll add them to this list. You can find more details about each wine along with complementary recipes in my wine reviews. Here’s to a wine-soaked 2010!   2008 Ogio Pinot Grigio, […]

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Buying the Best LCBO Wines

  How do you buy the best wines at the LCBO? Can you find wines less than $20 that are tasty? Less than $15? How can you pair those wines with great dishes & recipes? Here are my tips to help you get the most from your shopping at the LCBO. It helps to understand the categories of wines at the LCBO: 1. General list: regularly stocked items, often in the store year-round and often moderately priced. This category includes the larger brands that have the production to fill most stores, most of the time. I recommend wines from this […]

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Holiday Wines on CBC

Join me on CBC radio Tuesday, December 22 when we’ll be chatting about wines for the holidays with the hosts of the drive-home shows from coast to coast. Here are some more details. I’ll be posting theschedule of interviews as soon as they’re confirmed today, but we’ll be chatting about how to pair wines with holiday dishes and treats, from mince meat pie to chocolate Santas. We’ll also discuss how to choose the perfect wine as a gift for the wine lovers in your life. Join us!   3:00 QUEBEC CITY 3:20 VICTORIA 3:40 REGINA 4:20 WINDSOR 4:40 WINNIPEG 5:30 WHITEHORSE […]

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Take the Holiday Wine Quiz and Win 1 of 5 Signed Books

Try your luck with this holiday wine quiz: only 5 questions and you could win 1 of 5 signed copies of my book Red, White and Drunk All Over. I’ll be drawing randomly from those who complete the quiz correctly so there’s still time to enter before December 24 at 5 pm! You don’t have to be a wine expert, pour yourself a glass and have fun with this wine quiz. There are only 5 questions: you can do it! E-mail me your answers at [email protected]. (You need only send me your list of 5 answers as your letter choices so […]

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Top Wine Retweeters on Twitter

  A few months ago, a wine friend sent me a list the top wine lovers on Twitter whose tweets get reteweeted most often: which tweets do wine lovers find most interesting or valuable, and forward to others, answering that eternal question: Is anyone out there listening or am I just twittering to myself? It’s a fascinating way to look at how the worlds of wine and social media are coming together. I think that Twitter in particular suits wine lovers who can dash off a quick note about a wine they’ve just discovered or they can ask others which wine to […]

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‘Tis the Eating Season

Of course, with all the holiday feasting, it’s easy to let your good eating and exercise habits fall by the wayside. Here are some neat ways you can enjoy without ruining your good habits. First, try eating something before you go to the dinner party and make sure you drink plenty of water. If there’s an open service area, or buffet, try taking only one thing at a time, going back to your place and going back for another choice afterwards (you’ll fill up more quickly). Another tip – if you just have to indulge, make it on something worthwhile, […]

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Food & Wine Pairing Rules Aren’t What They to Be

It used to be so simple: Red wine went with red meat, white wine went with white meat, and that, essentially, was that when it came to pairing food and wine. These days, it’s a bit more complex. For one thing, wines are being made in more styles and more regions than ever before. For another, our diets now include flavours from all over the world as well as casual fare that once we would never have dreamed of enjoying with wine. By Joanne Sasvari The old rules don’t always apply. But what has replaced them? Are there any rules […]

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New Wine Reviews

Number of Wines Recommended: 73 Review date: December 5, 2009 The highlights in this Vintages release include: – 17 wines under $20 – Best value white: Orange zest and apricot lively Pinot Gris from Alsace for seafood and pork $13.95 – Favourite white: Chardonnay from the wine that put New Zealand on the map for for roast chicken 93/100 – Best value red (tied): Berry-ripe red from Chile for steak and hamburgers $14.95 – Best value red (tied): Spanish red for mushroom and rice dishes $15.95 – Favorite red: Cult Cabernet from Napa Valley that will age for decades 95/100 […]

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