Not a breath of wind caresses the snow-blanketed vineyards. The tar-black sky is pin-pricked with stars, and a full moon sends shadows slithering out between the scarecrow vines. Stooped figures in Arctic gear coax their bare fingers to snap off bunches of frozen grapes. That’s what the annual icewine harvest looks like in Niagara at this time of the year. It results in a wine that combines the sweetness of lusciously ripe fruit with a silver edge of acidity that’s as crisp as the winter wind. Despite its modern association with Canada, icewine was actually discovered in Germany, by accident, […]
Food & Wine Pairing
Balderson Cheddar Cheese and Canadian Wine Pairing Contest
You can read the 85 comments from our interactive tasting on Facebook. Savour your holidays with these terrific Balderson Cheddar Cheese and Canadian wine pairings. Congratulations to the winners of the Balderson Cheddar Cheese and Wine Pairing contest! It was a fierce race for 10 days … Lori Kilmartin Sommelier & Blogger Lynn van der Linde Certified Sommelier and Event Planner Donna Hargrove Wine Blogger & Tasting Group Leader Which Balderson Cheddar & Wine Pairing Gets Your Vote? This poll closed on December […]
Sex in a Glass: Getting up Close and Personal with Pinot Noir
By Rebecca Meïr- Liebman of Chef & Somm “Pinot Noir is like young love,” opined my private sommelier client in his luxurious house in Muskoka as I pulled the cork on a Romanée-Conti. “You do not know what to expect, but it will always make the blood run hot; either melt your heart or break it, sometimes even both.” Pinot Noir has been described in many ways. Master Sommelier Madeline Triffon went so far as to call it “sex in a glass”. So what is it about this grape – a variety also known as the heartbreak grape – that inspires […]
Balderson Cheddar Cheese and Canadian Wine: A Natural Pairing
Leanne and I chat about pairing Balderson Cheddar Cheeses with Canadian wines on CTV News. You can discover more terrific wine pairings for Balderson. Posted with permission of CTV
Ontario Sparkling Wine for New Year’s and All Year
On CBC’s Metro Morning we chat about terrific Ontario sparkling wines for New Year’s Eve, plus one splurge-worthy Champagne. More sparkling wine chats here. Plus, why is sparkling wine the most food-friendly wine on the planet? Shabby-chic pairings, from potato chips to buttered popcorn. Natalie MacLean, editor of Canada’s largest wine review site, picks her favourite sparkling wines for New Year’s Eve: Henry Of Pelham Cuvée Catharine Blancs De Blanc Short Hills Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario V.Q.A., Canada Zesty, refreshing and balanced Niagara sparkling wine with crisp notes of green apple and baked bread. Superb quality. Great persistence of beaded […]
Holiday Gift for Wine Lovers: Give the Gift of Great Wines Year Round
Wondering what to give the wine lovers in your life? How about a guarantee that they’ll enjoy every bottle they open? With a gift subscription to my wine reviews, they get exclusive access to my best value and top rated wines: red, white, rose, sparkling and dessert wines from around the world at all price points. They’ll discover wines they’ve never heard of that go amazingly well with a wide variety of dishes: bottles they would never have pulled off the shelf based on the label alone. No more disappointing bottles, no more paying too much for too little taste […]
Balderson Cheese and Olive Nuggets Recipe
A Tasty Look on any Serving Plate with Cheddar Flavour Baked Right In ¼ lb (125 g) shredded Balderson Royal Canadian 2 Year Old Cheddar Cheese ¼ cup (50 mL) softened salted Lactantia butter ¾ cup (175 mL) all-purpose flour 8 oz (250 g) pimento stuffed olives (1 jar) 1 tbsp (15 mL) celery or poppy seeds Prep Time: 20 minutes Baking Time: 15 minutes Makes about 3 dozen Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Blend shredded Balderson Royal Canadian 2 Year Old Cheddar Cheese with butter, stir in flour and knead well to form dough. Drain jar of olives and […]
Pairing Balderson Vintners Cheddars and Wine
Tips for Serving Wine As a rule of thumb, plan on a half bottle of wine per person. White wines should be chilled for two hours (no longer) before being served. Red wines should be opened and allowed to breathe at room temperature for two hours before serving. If you’re serving several wines, start with the lighter whites, move through more robust reds and end with a port or sherry. If possible, use the correct stemware for each of the wines. The right glass does make a difference. You could win one of three Balderson Gift Baskets valued at […]
South Africa’s Spier Wines Respect What the Vineyard Hands Them
New Life on the Old Werf Life on the Spier farm is textured, diverse, nurturing. Our Fair Trade accredited hotel and modern conference facilities offers peace in the vineyards, riverside rambles, food experiences and encounters with eagles. Our restored historical farmyard, the Werf, is surrounded by the original farm precinct buildings. These feature 21 architecturally noteworthy Cape Dutch gables – the most on any South African wine estate – making Spier a landmark destination in the Cape winelands. At our wine tasting room on the farm, we give visitors an opportunity to experience what we value most at Spier, in […]
Frescobaldi Wines Find New Respect with Old World Elegance
Recently, Canada’s top wine writers and sommeliers gathered in Toronto to taste an impressive line-up of wines from the Italian estate Frescobaldi with Stefano Benini, the winery’s export director. You can watch the video above to hear Stefano discuss Frescobaldi wines. Priya & Alex, A Vine Romance Wine Show Hosts & Sommeliers Alex: Overall we both enjoyed the Frescobaldi style. They’re like a bridge between traditional Italian winemaking techniques, coupled with powerful Californian-style fruit, which makes their wines appealing to all sides of the wine-drinking spectrum. Priya: It’s true. Alex and I don’t always agree on red wines especially – he […]
