Continued from How to Host a Wine Tasting Here’s a checklist for how to host a wine tasting or start a regular wine tasting club. 1. One Month Before the Tasting Decide who you want to invite Your tasting club could be for your existing friends, or a means to get to know new friends via work or other venues, or a mix. Invite six to twelve guests. These days, trying to find an unscheduled evening with six to twelve busy people is a challenge so you may need to give your group even more lead time than a month. […]
Pork & Wine
The Great Canadian Wine Match: The BBQ Edition
In May 2013, we launched the first People’s Choice Wine Awards with The Great Candian Wine Match. Thousands of wine lovers from coast to coast (and around the planet) voted for their favourite Canadian wines online and via social media. This friendly (and increasingly social ;) competition brought wine drinkers and winemakers together to celebrate the best of what we produce in this country, and garnered considerable media recognition for both nominees and winners. We’re building on that success this year with The Great Canadian Wine Match: The BBQ Edition, pairing Canadian wines with your favourite grilled or barbecued foods, […]
Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloin and Spinach Salad Recipe with Southbrook Cabernet Franc Rose
Spice rubbed pork tenderloin and spinach salad with summer fruit and curry vinaigrette This spice mix is a blend of sweet and heat. A bright, vibrant rose with touch of sweet fruit freshness would be a terrific match for this main course salad. A delicious choice would be Southbrook Triomphe Cabernet Franc Rose 2011, an organic wine from the Niagara Peninsula. Serves 4 Ingredients for the pork one 2¼ to 2½ lb pork tenderloin, trimmed ½ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp garlic powder ½ tsp cumin seed ½ tsp fennel seed ½ tsp chili powder ¼ tsp black pepper 1 tsp […]
Pork, Peach, Feta Recipe Paired with French Chardonnay
A Short and Tasty Recipe for a Long Summer Day I love the long days of June. I love having 16 sun-soaked hours to enjoy the splendour of Canadian summers and relish the prospect of lots of warmth and sunlight to come. It’s important to enjoy every minute of these days, from sunrise to sunset. Let me suggest a simple recipe for the barbecue that will put a perfect end to your day and start you off on a great summer night, preferably with some friends and a bottle of wine. The recipe I have in mind is Pork, Peach […]
Pasta Recipe Sagne e Fagioli All’Abbruzzese and Illuminati Riparosso
Zucca Trattoria tweets: “@TrialtoON that’s right! We are so impressed with Illuminati Riparosso ($12.55) we made a pasta especially for it.” Sagne e Fagioli All’Abbruzzese Recipe created by Andrew Milne-Allan, Owner/Chef (Serves 4) Ingredients 250 g all-purpose flour 150 ml warm water salt 250 g romano beans, fresh or frozen garlic, sage 2 good quality Italian pork sausages wild fennel seed, toasted and crushed extra virgin olive oil 28 oz can plum tomatoes, basil, onion pecorino cheese, grated small glass of red wine … Montepulciano d’Abbruzzo would suit the mood In a mixing bowl mix the salt and flour together […]
Recipe for Grilled Adobo Pork Loin Chop with Blueberry BBQ Sauce Paired with Catena Malbec
Grilled Adobo Pork Loin Chop with Blueberry Barbecue Sauce Paired with Catena Malbec 2008, Argentina The secret to juicy pork chops is to grill on medium low heat. The chops are first marinated in an adobo sauce, a fragrant paste of cumin, garlic, oregano and lime juice which is used extensively in Latin cuisine. The standout here is the sauce. Ginger and red chili flakes make the blueberry flavours pop. You’ll want to eat the sauce by the spoonful-though it goes equally well with grilled chicken, duck or homemade meatloaf. Try the chops and sauce with a Malbec which boasts […]
Cheese Charms As The Grill Heats Up and Wines are Served
Nothing beats a barbecue after a day of fun in the sun. But hungry tummies aren’t always patient as the grill gets ready. A tasty Canadian cheese platter paired with some refreshing wine will help keep the wolves at bay. For the main course, I’m going to suggest one of my favourite Mediterranean-inspired meals, Grilled Pork Chops and Zesty Sauce Vierge with Feta. But first, let’s talk about our tasty cheese starter. Serve the cheese one at a time, and pair it with the right wine as you go. For starters go with a semi-soft Victor et Berthold from Québec’s […]
Stoneleigh Wines and some great summer reads
Sponsored Post With summer finally here, avid readers are finding time to unwind and enjoy a good book. Whether in the backyard, at the beach, or on the dock, summer’s slower pace allows time to tackle that book club reading list. And what better accompaniment to a compelling story than a cool, crisp white wine, or a complex red? Stoneleigh® Wines from Marlborough, New Zealand are the Official Wine Partner of Random House of Canada Limited. Together, they have a range of book recommendations and accompanying wine suggestions. [table id=3 /] [table id=5 /] [table id=6 /] […]
Food & Wine 18
Nat Decants is a Internet site of wine writer Natalie MacLean. It’s full of great articles that she has written and she publishes a regular newsletter which has a personal tone. And now she has considered something new, which will be interesting for all wine lovers. It is a so-called widget, which means: a tool that you can put on your own web site, blog or social media page like Facebook to get wine and food pairings. With this tool, your site visitors can find the right wine for the right dish. The tool is easy-to-use and accessible. There are […]
Food & Viognier
I like to pair wine with foods. I also like simplicity. There are dozens of food types and styles that will go with most wines. I am however not a food critic. It would be very unfair of me to give my thoughts on someones hard work and creativity in the kitchen unless I am entitled to do so! The web (blogs especially), magazines and, I must admit, even the daily broadsheets, have endless examples of self made critics. There is nothing wrong with having a view and expressing it. There is a subtle difference between that and being a […]
