9 Sparkling Wines That Make Great Holiday Gifts

On CTV’s Your Morning, we chat about how most people think of sparkling wine as the drink of choice for the holidays. What’s the difference between champagne and other sparkling wines, and the two you recommend?   Although champagne only comes from the Champagne region of France, almost every other region of the country and many other countries around the world produce sparkling wines, often using the same winemaking methods and grapes as champagne.   I have two classic champagnes:           Taittinger Brut Reserve Champagne Champagne A.O.C., France                 […]

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Perfect Pairings and Recipes for Asparagus and Wine

  Sponsored Post by the Wines of Austria Seldom have young wines gone so well with springtime’s most distinctive calling-card as do Austria’s 2018 wines. Completely harmonious and beautifully blessed with refined acidity, they provide an ideal partner to the dazzling variety of asparagus dishes due to dominate Austria’s menus in the coming weeks.   Asparagus & Wine from Austria: Delicious Essence of Springtime Asparagus Season is once more in session! No other vegetable stands for culinary pleasure in springtime like the delicious white or green shoots, which are certainly best when locally grown.   Whether with Hollandaise sauce or with […]

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Canadian Wine and BBQ Food Pairings Video

Leanne and I chat about the great Canadian wines nominated to pair with grilled food in The Great Canadian Wine Match: BBQ Edition. Find out why  these wines are great matches for barbecued chicken, pork, beef, seafood, vegetables and dessert. The wines hail from all of Canada’s major wine producing wine regions, including: Okanagan Valley, BC Niagara, Pelee Island, Lake Erie and Prince Edward County in Ontario Eastern Townships in Quebec Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia Just 4 days left to vote for your favourite Canadian wines! Hashtag #GCWM       Canadian Wine and BBQ Food Pairings Video   […]

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Smashed Raspberry and Feta Salad with Slow Press Chardonnay

Smashed Raspberry and Feta Salad Cue your tastebuds…Slow Press Chardonnay wine creates an entrée salad, as beautiful as summer itself. Sweet & tender leaves of butter lettuce are tossed with Slow Press Chardonnay Wine Raspberry Mustard Dressing (Chardonnay, olive oil, grain mustard, fresh smashed raspberries, honey, seasonings), ribbons of sugar snap peas, fennel, matchstick carrots, salted sunflower kernels, sweet bites of fresh (raw) golden corn and creamy feta. Prep Time: 15-20 minutes Portions: 1 salad Serving Size: 4 servings Ingredients: ¼ C + 1 Tbsp – Slow Press Chardonnay wine¾ C – extra virgin olive oil14 each – raspberries, fresh, […]

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Bargain Wines, Pairing Wine and Artichokes, Wine Region Vacations with the Restaurant Guys Mark Pascal and Francis Schott

Introduction In today’s episode, I’m chatting again with Mark Pascal and Francis Schott, on their excellent radio show The Restaurant Guys. If you missed part one of our conversation, go back to episode 56 after you listen to this one. Mark and Francis have been in the fine dining and wine retail business for more than 25 years, and co-own Stage Left Restaurant in New Brunswick, New Jersey, which the New York Times has ranked in their excellent category and Citysearch named among the Top 10 Restaurants in America and Worth The Drive from any Major City. They also own […]

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Getting Graphic with Wine and Madeline Puckette of Wine Folly

Introduction In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, we’re chatting with Madeline Puckette, the content director and co-founder of Wine Folly whose passion for helping beginners learn about wine is the inspiration behind the award-winning website winefolly.com, and the NYT best-selling book, Wine Folly: The Essential Guide to Wine. Enjoy!   Highlights What is the connection between music, art and wine? What inspired the creation of WineFolly.com? How did Madeline transition from hugely popular infographics on her site to writing a book? What role did Seth Godin play in making the Wine Folly book a reality? What can […]

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Champagne Special with the Restaurant Guys Mark Pascal and Francis Schott

Introduction In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Mark Pascal and Francis Schott, on their excellent radio show The Restaurant Guys. They’ve been in the fine dining and wine retail business for more than 25 years, and co-own Stage Left Restaurant in New Brunswick, New Jersey, which the New York Times has ranked in their excellent category and Citysearch named among the Top 10 Restaurants in America and Worth The Drive from any Major City. Since I’ve chatted with them, they’ve launched a second restaurant called Catherine Lombardi and their Stage Left Wine Shop is booming. Although their radio show was […]

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Pairing Veggies & Wine, Chilling Wine Quickly, Resveratrol & Depression

Introduction What makes veggies so hard to pair with wine? Are some types of wine better suited to veggie-pairings? How do you pair wine and veggies, especially the wine stalkers – asparagus and artichoke? How can you chill room-temperature wine in under 15 minutes? What does a new study say about the resveratrol in wine combatting depression? If you’ve ever been stumped about how to enjoy wine with your salad or forgot to chill your wine in time for a dinner date, you’re going to find the tips on this very helpful. Enjoy!   Highlights Why is it more challenging […]

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5 Tips to Pick the Best Thanksgiving Wines: Gobbling Good

In the CTV News video above, we chat about how no other holiday celebrates the gift of wine like Thanksgiving. Wine is a taste of the harvest along with all the delicious dishes on the table. But actually choosing a bottle can feel like a thankless task, especially with so many flavors to match. Relax. Have a drink. Try some of my suggestions for great wines to pair with Thanksgiving turkey and all the trimmings. These are some of my favourite wines for Thanksgiving. Here are my five quick tips for choosing a terrific Thanksgiving wine: 1. Start with bubbly. […]

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Pickled Beef Tongue Recipe, Creamed Spring Leek Tart + Ravine Vineyard Cool Climate Chardonnay

Pickled Beef Tongue Recipe in Creamed Spring Leek Tart This vibrant summer dish pairs beautifully with the clean notes of cool climate chardonnay. Meet Chef Young at the Moveable Feast brunch on Sunday, July 22nd. Tickets on sale at coolchardonnay.org. Ingredients: 1 beef tongue Water Salt Pickling Liquid: 2 cups white vinegar 2 cups water 2 bay leaves 10 peppercorns 2 cloves garlic crushed Method: Simmer tongue in pot of salted water for 3 hours. Peel off outer skin layer covering tongues. Bring pickling liquid ingredients to a boil. Place liquid in refrigerator to cool for approx..5 hours. Once liquid […]

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