Hearty Lentil, Pesto and Colby Soup with Cotes du Rhone or Pinot Noir

Take a mid-week break with fast and delicious comfort food. Hectic work days. Long commutes. Multitasking half a dozen household crises. How can parents be expected to prepare something tasty in the precious little time they have between getting home and their children’s first cries of hunger? They can’t be – not without a little help. So this week I’m suggesting a nutritious and delicious recipe that is so fast to prepare it will leave you with enough time to treat yourself to a nice glass of wine. This hearty lentil, pesto and Canadian Colby soup pairs wonderfully with Côte […]

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Wolf Blass Wine Tasting: An Unforgettable Evening

  What a spectacular evening we had in Toronto last week at the Wolf Blass tasting! A full-house of 90 guests packed the waterside restaurant Against the Grain. As I interviewed Wolf about his experiences, we tasted his wines and some delicious tapas. More details on the event as well as the Canada AM clip below …     Here’s the clip from Canada AM … Wolf has a great sense of humour and such a long history in the wine industry.     Wolf talks about the wines we’re tasting as did the current winemaker Chris Hatcher.     […]

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Stuffed Zucchini Recipe and Sauvignon Blanc

By Pat Anderson I’m sure most people who have grown zucchini have had the experience of finding the zucchini they missed… which has grown to a massive size, is seedy, and too big to be used in the normal way. What do you do? Here’s what I did: Serves 4 Ingredients: 1 massive overgrown zucchini… this one was 2 pounds 5 ounces. Failing that, use 4 6″ zucchini. 1 small onion 2 cloves garlic 1 oz (by weight) grated romano cheese One large roma tomato, seeded & diced 1 cup cooked arborio rice ¼ fennel bulb Handful of flat parsley, […]

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An Unforgettable Evening of Wine, Laughter and Storytelling

Join Natalie MacLean and Wolf Blass in Toronto Sept 10 and Ottawa Sept 17 for a tasting of 12 Wolf Blass wines, a range of sumptuous tapas dishes prepared by Toronto’s award-winning Against the Grain Restaurant and a personally signed copy of Natalie’s book Unquenchable. Natalie MacLean, named the World’s Best Wine Writer at the World Food Media Awards, will interview one of the most witty, provocative and colourful characters from her book Unquenchable: Wolf Blass of Wolf Blass Wines Australia. Yes, this is the man who once described his Red Label Shiraz as “the leg opener,” but he’s also […]

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La Font Des Grieres Gigondas, Columbia Crest, Gemma Barolo: Best Cellar Wines in LCBO Vintages Release September 15

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. GPCi top 4 for up-to $22: #1 choice – Italy – Abruzzo – 2008 Barba I Vasari Old Vines Montepulciano D’Abruzzo – $18.95 It’s not every day that you see Gambero Rosso giving a high 3 out of 3 glasses rate and for a $19 (!) bottle of wine. Besides… I have a very soft spot for Montepulciano wines. Seems like an excellent QPR wine-of-the-house option. I’d buy 3-12 bottles. #2 choice – […]

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Loosen Bros. Dr. L Riesling, La Marca Prosecco, Torres Floralis Oro Moscatel: Top LCBO Wines Vintages Release September 15

  Here are my top picks from the September 15 Vintages Release. You can also get all 54 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 posted my wine reviews for the September 29 release. You can add my wine picks to your shopping list by clicking on the little shopping cart icon. You can also create a custom list just for this release that will be saved in your account. Print a text-only version of the reviews.   2011 Loosen […]

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Atlantic Canadian Wines Compete on the World Stage: CTV News

In the CTV News video clip below, we chat about the exciting development in Atlantic Canadian wines, including those from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI. From the Olympics to a Tidal Bay of refreshment, it’s worth taking a second (and fifth) sip of these wines.       Here are my wine reviews for Jost Vineyards, Gaspereau Vineyards, Benjamin Bridge, Rossignol and Magnetic Hill Vineyards. Coming soon, reviews for Domaine Grand Pre, Newman Estate Winery and Luckett Vineyards.   Posted with permission of CTV News.

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