In this interview, I chat with Jimson Bienenstock, Head Sommelier, The Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto about pairing wine with cheese and other vinous matters. This interview was originally published in the luxury lifestyle magazine Homefront. What was your first memorable wine? In 1990, I went to Paris to become bilingual in French. My first visit to a winery was to the small, artisanal Château Gobinaud in the Listrac Haut Medoc region of Bordeaux. It actually wasn’t a “château” at all—more like a big old shed. We bought one barrel of wine from Jean “Papi” Gobinaud, who then showed […]
Month: April 2012
Wine and Chocolate Pairings for Easter – Food Network Canada
Here are my top ten wine and chocolate matches for Easter for your sweet enjoyment, courtesy of the Food Network Canada. Dark Chocolate Mousse and Blackstone Winery Zinfandel Winemaker’s Select, California Mini White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecakes and Dow’s Port Late Bottled Vintage, Portugal Flourless Mini Chocolate Orange Cakes with Ganache and Quady Winery Muscat Orange, California Chocolate Almond Cake and Delaforce Port Late Bottled Vintage, Portugal Malted Milk Chocolate Cakes and Quinta Do Noval Port Tawny, Portugal Flourless Chocolate Biscotti and Fleur Du Cap Noble Late Harvest, South Africa Warm Bittersweet Chocolate Souffle and Farina Le Pezze Amarone Della Valpolicella […]
Arneis: White Wine with a Past but Little Known as a Grape Today
Nod To The Odd: Arneis By Holly Bruns A memory can rest, tucked away, until suddenly, in an instant, something unlocks it. It might be a certain song that brings back the high school gym and that first dance, it may be the scene of a particular vista that triggers thoughts of a time and place long gone, or a particular aroma may work to capture a feeling of the past. A few years ago, after a long, leisurely lunch, I tried a sip from a bottle of Arneis. At the time it reminded me of an arboreal landscape, pine […]
Michel Picard Chardonnay, Wine Men Of Gotham Shiraz Grenache, Faustino V Tempranillo: Best LCBO Wines Vintages release April 14
Here are my top picks from the April 14 Vintages Release. You can also get all 73 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 my wine picks to your custom shopping list by clicking on the little shopping cart icon. Stock up for the weekend, then enjoy! Natalie 2011 Famiglia Bianchi Chardonnay, Mendoza Lovely especially for the price. Rich and round with green apple aromas and a toasty […]
Food Lover’s Guide to Wine – Meet the Authors (also What to Drink with What You Eat)
You can meet Karen Page & Andrew Dornenburg at the Ottawa Book Launch of The Food Lover’s Guide to Wine at Play Food and Wine restaurant. Come help celebrate the exciting release of their latest book with the New York-based, two-time James Beard Award Winning Authors. The Food Lover’s Guide to Wine Named “#1 Wine Book of the Year” as chosen by 195 ‘Best Of’ lists (including The Chicago Tribune, LA Weekly, San Francisco Chronicle and The Wall Street Journal) Monday, April 9, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. / $50 per person, plus HST includes: 1 signed copy of the book […]
Buying Wine at the LCBO that’s Worth the Price – Toronto Star
As do many people, I like drinking wine. But I don’t know how to assess which wines are worth the money and which aren’t. One day, I stumbled upon a book at an Indigo store and bought it right away. I liked the cartoons on the cover and the title, Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World’s Best Bargain Wine. I started following author Natalie MacLean, an Ottawa-based sommelier, on Twitter. I found MacLean as bubbly in person as in her videos. In a phone interview, she told me about her free mobile apps for iPhone, Android and Blackberry devices. […]
