Cheddar Orzo Salad The only thing scary this Halloween is not having tried this tasty Cheddar Orzo Salad. This salad comes packed with flavour from the bold characters of the Canadian Smoked Cheddar to the refreshing green Swiss chard. This salad is so delicious even the trick-or-treaters will want a taste! To get the best ingredients I shop local – right down to the cheese I use. Right now I’m obsessed with the intensity of Cows Creamery Appletree Smoked Cheddar and love how it tastes mixed with orzo, grapes, and chicken. To top it off I pair it with a […]
Author: Natalie MacLean
Thanksgiving Wines Top 10 Best Bottles
Here are my top 10 gobbling-good wines that I recommended on CBC radio this week. (You can listen to the radio interview below.) Got a favourite? I love matching wine with side dishes … pinot noir and cranberry sauce or riesling with green beans. The bonus is that they both work well with the big bird. Enjoy your holiday weekend! Mission Hill Family Estate Five Vineyards Pinot Blanc, Okanagan Valley, BC Terrifically fresh and vibrant! Like a basket of white melons on a summer afternoon. Lovely as an aperitif or companion to many dishes. […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews: Vintages Ratings October 3
You can access the 121 wines that I reviewed for October 3 as a text wine list with my complete tasting notes, scores, food matches. You can also see my wine reviews for September 19, 2015. If you are a Paid Member, you can add my wine picks to your custom shopping list with one click and access that list on your smartphone to find the stock for each wine in your closest LCBO store. These are just some of the benefits of supporting out wine community as a Paid Member. Inventory stock numbers are usually posted online a […]
Jane’s Gems: Ontario Shines in September 19 Vintages Release
Exciting Times for Ontario Wines By Jane Staples Exciting things are happening in Ontario’s wine industry and wine tourism is developing in great strides. One trend is that women now participate in every facet of the business and perform in every role, whether as winemaker, planting in the vineyards, or in marketing. Women like Ann Sperling, Winemaker at Southbrook Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, are making waves. Southbrook’s winemaking philosophy is based on biodynamic, organic farming practices. Every aspect of their operations reflects their commitment to these principles. Carolyn Hurst co-owns Westcott Vineyards in Niagara Peninsula with her husband, Grant Westcott. Victoria […]
How to Pick a Wine Class? Learn About Wine to Satisfy Your Thirst
You’ve started to learn about wine and find yourself thirsting for more knowledge. Choosing a wine course can be challenging, especially with so many options these days. Selecting the right wine class depends on your goals: 1. Is it to become more knowledgeable as a wine drinker and to increase your personal enjoyment of wine? 2. To find a new hobby that you and a friend or partner can pursue together? 3. To learn more about various wine regions in order to plan gastro-vacations? 4. To make a career change or start one in the wine industry? I’ve always felt […]
A Tasteful Wine Journey from Provence to Paris
Town centre of Beaune By David Skinner Provence stands as Southern France’s glorious gateway to the viticultural and gastronomic treasures awaiting discovery along the Rhône River Valley. A river cruise from Provence to Burgundy is likely one of the best ways to experience these famous wine regions and cruising is the most leisurely and convenient way to uncover abundant appellations and epicurean adventures. Of course, one of the attractions of seeing the countryside by boat is that you only unpack once and this simply eliminates the worry of transportation and lodging, granting more time to create memories of fabulous food, […]
Tania’s Magical Matches: Wine Pairing for Beef Bourguignon, a French classic
By Tania Thomas Fallen leaves crunch underfoot while crisp fall air brings in chill and a whiff of wood smoke. Fall has arrived to eastern Canada. The harvest season is upon us. It’s time to put away refreshing rosés, crisp unoaked whites and light reds we enjoyed all summer long. Instead, bring in complex, robust and hearty, savory flavours of fall. As we start to cocoon, our cooking style changes to stewing, baking, roasting, and soup-making, while ripe & earthy seasonal vegetables and fruits take over our kitchen counters. We turn to warming soups, comforting stews and roasts. Our choice […]
Tania’s Magical Matches: Wine Pairings for the Late Summer Bounty
By Tania Thomas With so many choices in an array of dazzling, vibrant colours, late summer at the farmers’ market is a true sensory overload. I can never resist the urge to buy a little bit of everything and then try to come up with some creative ways to use it all up before it passes its prime. Golden corn, juicy red tomatoes, shiny plump eggplants, sunny-yellow squash and sunset-hued ripe peaches, it’s hard to choose. Summer is the time for effortless entertaining and relaxed patio dinners, and the wine that accompanies it should be exactly that; simple and effortless. […]
Israeli Couscous and Emmental Salad Recipe Paired with Chardonnay
Israeli Couscous and Emmental Salad One of my favourite summer past-times is planning and pulling off the perfect picnic. Picnics make for a great way to spend quality time with your family, or a romantic date. All you’ll need to do is to find your perfect spot and pack your supplies. Just make sure not to forget the most important part, delicious Canadian Cheese. Just as red and white blankets are essential to picnics, so too are salads. This Israeli Couscous and Emmental Salad is absolute heaven and couldn’t be easier to make. The Canadian Emmental really brings the salad […]
Cheddar Onion Butter on Steak and Corn Recipe Paired with Cabernet Sauvignon
Cheddar-Onion Butter on Steak and Corn on the Cob Imagine this: a grill stacked high with juicy burgers, sizzling steaks, and corn on the cob. Sounds delicious right? But I’ve got a recipe that will take your grill skills to the next level, Cheddar-Onion Butter on Steak and Corn on the Cob. The sharpness of Aged Canadian Cheddar gives this dish the kick it needs. Just throw together some butter, chopped kale, onion, pecans, and of course some delicious Aged Canadian Cheddar, then refrigerate. Once finished I like to spread it on corn, steak, and even toasted bread. Mature cheddars […]
