Wine, Cheese and Brunch make the Perfect Trio Running out of dinner party ideas? Change things up by inviting your friends over for brunch instead. It’s less stressful than planning a dinner and gives you a whole afternoon to chat and catch up. If you’re looking for something different to make, this recipe for Berry, Mascarpone, and Oat Crisp Salad is just the thing. With Canadian Mascarpone cheese, it’s deliciously refreshing and very simple to prepare. In fact, it’s bound to become a staple in your brunch rotation. And to complement the wonderfully creamy taste of the cheese, you want […]
Author: Natalie MacLean
Wine of the Week: Ste. Michelle Wine Estates 14 Hands Hot to Trot
As a wise woman once observed: There is only one shopping day left until tomorrow. Here’s your bargain bottle for this week’s wine shopping list. Sale Ends: May 26, 2013 Sale Price: $13.15 | Save: $2.00 (Usually $15.95) Natalie’s Score: 89/100 Ste. Michelle Wine Estates 14 Hands Hot to Trot Red Blend Horse Heaven Hills, Washington Dynamite for the price! Simply wow. Smooth, full-bodied and packed with luscious dark plum and blackberry aromas. This wine takes its name from the time when wild mustang horses ran freely around the hills of eastern Washington State where this wine is made. Heavenly […]
The Great Canadian Wine Match: Red, White and True North Food
In The Great Candian Wine Match, an annual battle of the bottles, you can vote for your favourite Canadian wines to pair with Canadian cheese, chicken, beef, seafood, pizza and dessert. As the people’s choice awards for Canadian wines, the competition takes a grassroots, “bottoms up” approach to get us rallying behind our favourite bottles from coast to coast. How do I nominate a wine? Go to the nomination wall for one of the six Canadian food categories: chicken, beef, pizza, cheese, seafood or dessert. Simply enter the name or product code of the wine. You can find product codes […]
Grant Burge The Holy Trinity, Gerard Bertrand Syrah: Best LCBO Wines May 11
Here are my top wine picks from the May 11 Vintages Release. You can also get all 55 of my Best Value Wines and Top Rated Winesfor red, white, rose, sparkling and dessert wines that encompass many price points, styles and regions. You can also see my reviews for the April 27 LCBO Vintages 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. Here are […]
Angels Gate Sauvignon Blanc, Yalumba Shiraz, Veuve Clicquot Champagne: Best LCBO Wines April 27
Here are my top wine picks from the April 27 Vintages Release. You can also get all 55 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 reviews for the May 11 Vintages 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. These […]
Vancouver International Wine Festival Chardonnay Kitchen Party
By Mari Kane When I got the invite to a Chardonnay Kitchen Party at the Miele appliances showroom in downtown Vancouver, I didn’t quite know what to expect. I’d heard of tastings there, but having walked by the store many times, I couldn’t work out how they’d fit so many bodies into it. The Chardonnay Kitchen Party was part of the Vancouver International Wine Festival, and organized by consultant Dana Reinhardt and wine writer Tim Pawsey. With its labyrinth of demonstration kitchens, Meile turned out to be a fantastic venue for wine and food grazing. One kitchen after another had […]
Recipe: Canadian Swiss Cheese and Roast Beef Sandwiches
Plan the Perfect Spring Picnic There’s nothing quite like finding the perfect picnic spot. However, choosing the spot is only half the battle. The other half is packing the right wine and Canadian cheese. Luckily, I found a great combination of flavours that will have you and your fellow picnicers giddy with anticipation. This Canadian Swiss Cheese and Roast Beef Sandwich is a delicious picnic treat. With melted Canadian Swiss and savoury roast beef, you will be full and satisfied while you sit and chat the afternoon away. Tote along a wine with a touch of sweetness like a Riesling […]
Wine of the Week: Henry of Pelham Sauvignon Blanc
This week’s bargain bottle is a spritely white for spring. This week’s quote is a shopping credo for life: “Veni, vidi, visa” – I came, I saw, I charged it. Cheers, Natalie Sale Ends: April 28, 2013 Sale Price: $13.95 | Save: $1.00 (Usually $14.95) Natalie’s Score: 89/100 Henry of Pelham Estate Winery Sauvignon Blanc Niagara, Ontario Lovely! Fat, luscious aromas and flavours of melon. Not herbal or grassy (thank-you). I like it a lot, and the price even better. Bring on summer, bring on refreshment, bring on that bottle and top me up. Pair this wine with white-fleshed fish, […]
Swiss Wines and Sommelier at Four Seasons
Although Fabio Masi, chief sommelier at Four Seasons’ Restaurant Il Lago in Geneva was born and raised in Milano, Italy, his interest in Swiss wines is anything but neutral. He spoke to us about how the revolution in the country’s wines, his remarkable experiences in the dining room and his own path in developing a passion for wine. When did you develop a taste for wine? When I was four years old, my grandfather would dip a piece of bread in wine at dinner and let me taste it, so my passion for wine started early. My first real wine […]
Pairing Wine and Cookies Video Tips
Pairing wine and cookies? Oooh yes! In this video chat, Laura Englander and Leah Kuo, the founders of Cookies n Corks, talk about how you can match cookies and wine. They discuss the types of cookies that work best with white wine, red wine and sparkling wine — and they have great ideas on how to host a fun tasting party with friends. How did you came up with this idea? What were the challenges in starting this business? Don’t cookies make dry wine taste bitter? How did you adjust the recipes for the cookies to go well […]
