by Susan Desjardins In June 2012, Bill C-311, presented by Dan Albas, MP for Okanagan-Coquihalla, received royal assent just before the House of Commons rose for the summer. Why do we care?  Laws governing the transport and sale of alcohol across provincial boundaries dated back to 1928 and the Prohibition Era. Until the passage of [...]

Importing Wine for Pleasure & Profit Seminar (9:30 a.m.-4 p.m) Saturday November 10th – Toronto – The Old Mill Inn & Spa, 21 Old Mill Road Saturday November 17th- Ottawa – Novotel Hotel, 24 Nicholas Street Featuring C. Steven Trenholme, a 30-year veteran of the international beverage alcohol industry, with details on how to import [...]

Matt Fowles is the man behind the Australian wine called Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch. In the video chat below, he discussed how to pair wines, including his shiraz and cabernet, with game and wild meats, especially those you hunt yourself as he does. When did you develop your passion for hunting? How is the [...]

Lamb Shepherd’s Pie A beloved British classic perfect for a comforting Sunday dinner. This shepherd’s pie combines the earthy flavour of lamb with rosemary, thyme and russet potatoes. Look for those tastes in a wine- earthy and herbal with dark cherry and plum flavours. A terrific match would be Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 from [...]

Ratatouille au Gratin How to Cook Two Meals at Once Hosting adults is one thing. Hosting families is another. While children aren’t exactly demanding when it comes to decoration and music, they can be extremely picky with food. This typically leaves you with two options: “dumb down” your entire meal to accommodate everyone or make [...]

Turkey Cutlets with Squash, Canadian Swiss and Honey Sauce What’s old is new again. And more delicious than ever. As beautiful and timeless as most of the holiday traditions are, in my humble opinion, there’s one that could use a little updating. That’s right. I’m talking about the Christmas turkey. So this week I’m suggesting [...]

In the video chat below, Louisa Rose of Yalumba Wines Australia has some fascinating insights into the lovely floral white wine Viognier, including how it affects the robust red wine Shiraz when even just 5% is added to the blend. This is one of the most aromatic and under-appreciated white wines, perfect for a variety [...]

Our second Canadian wine and cheese Google Video tasting below was terrific! We had just as much fun as the first tasting, but this time we incorporated more pairing tips and background on the cheeses. We’re pioneering the use of this hottest new social media tool, so each time is a technical leap forward and [...]

By Loukia Zigoumis I’ve always been a wine lover… red, white, I wasn’t picky. I went through a phase where I  only drank Chianti, and then I made a switch, and decided to only drink Pinot Grigio. Now, I enjoy it all, and will experiment with different flavours and types of wine depending on where [...]

Root Vegetable Gratin  It only tastes like you slaved over it. In an ideal world, your refrigerator is always filled to the point of bursting and you have all the time you need to cook a meal that everyone will love. In reality, however, your refrigerator may be pretty barren, especially towards the end of [...]