A recipe for a fun summer night on the patio. Don’t believe what these back-to-school commercials imply – summer is not over. The weather is going to be great for a good long time, and now is the time to enjoy a nice summer evening. So I propose that you invite your friends over for [...]

By Gaby Israel Here’s my best cellar wines list for this release as a shopping list that you can print and will show you LCBO stock availability. Spain – Montsant – Celler Besllum Besllum 2008 (283515) – $15.95 My #1 “must try” wine of this 8/18 release. RP gave it 93 and its GPCi is [...]

In part two of our video chat, Janice Beaton and I discuss pairing wine with ash-crust cheeses (not as nasty as I make them out to me), including the lovely Tidal Bay wines of Nova Scotia … bring it! You can also watch part one of our wine and cheese chat. We’ll post part three [...]

In the video below, Roxanne Browning and I continue our chat about pairing wine and chocolate, as well as the health benefits of wine. Get out a chunk of artisanal dark chocolate and a robust red wine and taste along with us! You can also watch part one of our wine and chocolate conversation. Roxanne [...]

Here are my top picks from the August 18 Vintages Release. You can also get all 82 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. You can add my wine picks to your shopping list by clicking on [...]

In the video below, New York Chocolate Sommelier Roxanne Browning chat about the difference between great chocolate and candy, pairing it with wine, Fair Trade and serving tips. Roxanne’s life-long search for the “ultimate bar led her down to the Ecuadorian Amazon rain forest where she helped with the cacao harvest … Here’s part two [...]

For more than 10 years, Janice Beaton Fine Cheese has been known as Calgary’s best place to buy artisanal, fresh-cut cheeses from around the world. In the video chat below, owner Janice Beaton joins me today to talk about pairing wine and cheese … Why are many people as obsessive about cheese as they are [...]

This is one of the pieces I wrote last month for my column on the Sympatico Lifestyle site … I’m savouring the books I plan to dive into this summer as much as the wines I’ll enjoy. Just for fun, I’ve paired some of this season’s bestsellers with this season’s best cellars. (Sorry, I couldn’t [...]

By: Travis Oke Week one of my own version of Euro 2012. This one involves my family and I eating our way through Spain and France.  We are in Malaga, an historic city on the Costa del Sol in Spain. What is silly about this country is the price of wine. At the local grocery [...]

Enjoy eating outdoors with this great and easy recipe. Picnics have a reputation for being fun and festive events. The truth is that they often require a lot of work behind the scenes. You have to choose menu items that can keep for a long time, accommodate large groups and of course have lots of [...]