By Travis Oke When it comes to American wine I think you need to understand Zinfandel.  It’s as misunderstood as how Al Gore invented the internet.  Zinfandel used to be your Grandmother’s pink sweet wine. In fact, I had somebody at a party recently ask me, “How is this red wine a Zinfandel, I thought [...]

By Gaby Israel For the cellar France - Chateau Haut-Surget 2009 – $24.95 So much has been said and written about this amazing vintage in Bordeaux especially in terms of  comparing its quality to other legendary vintages such as 1990 and 1982. This wine from Lalande-de-Pomerol is a typical Right-bank blend of 70% Merlot, 15% Cab [...]

Here are my top picks from the March 31 Vintages Release. You can also get all 77 of my Best Value Wines and Top Rated Wines for red, white, rose, sparkling and dessert wines that encompass many price points, styles and regions. I’ve also already posted my picks for April 14. You can also add [...]

Tagliatelle with Mushroom Ragù A rich, hearty pasta dish featuring earthy mushrooms in a tomato red wine sauce. The recipe is fairly quick to prepare for an easy weekday meal. Enjoy the dish with a fruity, lush red like Illuminati Riparosso Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2009, a terrific bargain at $12.95. Serves 4 to 6 Ingredients 1 [...]

My good friend and chef extraordinaire Tracey Black developed this tender and juicy recipe for Spring Navarin of Lamb. Tracey will be re-opening her fine food store and Ottawa-based catering and gourmet take-away store in early April. Details below along with my wine pairings for this dish. Serves 4 Ingredients 2 pounds boneless lamb leg [...]

In this CBC 6 p.m. newscast, I went bargain wine shopping with the anchor of the show, and used my free mobile app for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry. We also managed to pair wines with chocolate Easter eggs.

Warm Chorizo Cheese and Black Bean Dip A crowd pleasing dip featuring oozing melted cheese and black beans with a touch of heat from jalapeno peppers and chorizo sausage. A perfect pairing to try would be La Posta Cocina Tinto 2010, a blend of Malbec, Syrah and Bonardo from Argentina. If you are unable to [...]

Thursday, March 22, 2012 6:30pm Reception 6:30 7:15pm Jazz and Wine Matching After a year off, our unique Jazz and Wine Matching event is back by popular demand … this time at Casa Loma in partnership with the Kiwanis Club. The live jazz will be performed by Elise Legrow and friends. The wines for the [...]

Reif Estate Winery invites you to explore their Wine Sensory Garden at Canada Blooms March 16 through 25 at the Direct Energy Centre, in Toronto. Contemplate the colours, aromas and flavours used to describe wines in a relaxed garden oasis created by Mori Gardens. It is sure to inspire! Reif Estate will share VQA wines [...]

How do you know which LCBO stores closest to you have the wines you want? Easy! Just takes 4 clicks… no more running from store to store to shop. 1. Join our community (you get two free months to try this premium service, basic is always free) and half way down your account page, fill [...]