How do you serve icewine? Serve icewine chilled; an hour or two in the fridge will allow it to reach the ideal drinking temperature of 10C-12C. The traditional time to serve it is at the end of the meal, when most people already feel full. Many producers feel that icewine shouldn’t be called a dessert wine, as it stereotypes the wine into being consumed only at the end of a meal, when most people are already full. Conversely, French sauternes is also served at the beginning of a meal with dishes such as foie gras and cheeses. Icewine […]
Food & Wine Pairing
How to Pair Wine with Chips, Nuts and Snacks?
On Global Television’s Morning Show yesterday, we paired wine and snacks, from fish tacos to Sriracha chips from Loblaws’ President’s Choice Black Label line. Yes, there is a wine for sea salt giant corn nuts ;) . Click the arrow above to play the video. Wine: Yalumba The Strapper GSM Grenache Shiraz Mataro Food: PC 85% Cocoa Solids Extra Dark Chocolate Bar (100g): imported extra dark chocolate. Food: PC 70% Cocoa Solids Dark Chocolate: Irresistibly delectable, imported pure dark chocolate. Excellent for snacking or baking. […]
Video: Icewine Cocktails and Pairing with Chili Chips
Karen King, who co-owns The Ice House in Niagara with her husband Jamie Macfarlane. In the video above, she chats about how they’re literally shaking it up with icewine, from slushies to pairings with chili snacks and wasabi peas. Click on the arrow to play the video. Questions: You did research that revealed surprising insights about icewine in terms of who’s drinking it and when? What kind of sensory food and wine research were you doing? Icewine is probably Canada’s most iconic wine, but you’re shaking up that perception: how is your style different? Tell me about […]
How to Savour Wine Over Time with Molly Watts of the Alcohol Minimalist Podcast
Introduction What does a healthy relationship with wine look like? Which tricks can you use to lower the alcohol content of your wine? How have my thoughts on overdrinking changed over the years and over three books? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m being interviewed by author Molly Watts of the Alcohol Minimalist Podcast. You can find the wines we discussed here. Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Video Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wednesday at 7 pm eastern on Instagram Live Video, Facebook Live Video or YouTube Live Video. I’ll […]
Video: Wine Supertasters, Vinotype Quiz and Your Taste in Wine?
On CTV’s The Social yesterday, we chatted about how to find your Vinotype, or taste in wine. Click the arrow above to play the video. We also discussed what a Supertaster is: “Someone who lives in a neon taste world,” according to researcher Linda Bartoshuk, “whose taste sensations are roughly three times as intense to them as non-tasters.” I’ve also heard compared to having 500 fingers rather than 10. So yes, I was tested, did the blue dye tongue test and measurements with Tim Hanni in California (see our video chat below). You can take Tim’s quiz to find your vinotype […]
Wine Buying and Pairing for Valentine’s Day and Beyond
You’re asking me what’s the way to a woman’s heart? Forget flowers and candy … I’d like Pinot Noir please! Wine is the drink of conversation. You’re usually over a glass of wine watching each other, you’re talking, it’s over an evening, it lasts a long time, just like love should. Think about it. You don’t give a six-pack of beer for Valentine’s Day; you give a bottle of wine and often a bottle of sparkling wine and flowers or chocolates. It’s meant to be shared. It’s meant to be savoured slowly. But which bottle do you buy? How […]
8 Sexy Wine + Food Pairings: Aphrodisiac Wines
Pairing wine with aphrodisiac foods sparks a passionate debate on CTV. (It’s never to early too think about it … wine, that is.) We match libido-lifting dishes with different wine types to stimulate all of your senses. Many ingredients have historically been considered aphrodisiacs, sometimes because the food physically resembled male private parts (avocados, which according to the Aztecs, grew on the testicle tree) to their female counterparts (oysters and figs). Other foods, such as chili peppers, provoked the fiery passion of love, with its increased heart beat and sweating. Yet other foods may have contained minerals that increase energy, […]
From Andes to Amazon: A Wine Lover’s Guide to South America’s Hidden Vineyards with Amanda Barnes
Introduction Which types of global dishes can you pair with South American wines? What’s one of the best but little-known Chilean wine regions you need to try? Which types of wine do they make in other South American countries, such as Uruguay, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Amanda Barnes, author of The South America Wine Guide. You can find the wines we discussed here. Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Video Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wednesday at 7 pm eastern on Instagram Live Video, […]
Malbec Magic: Argentina’s Bold Twist on a Classic with Amanda Barnes, Author of The South America Wine Guide
Introduction How did the South American wine industry develop? What might surprise you about the variety of wines produced in South America? How has Argentina’s flagship red wine, Malbec, changed over the past five years? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Amanda Barnes, author of The South America Wine Guide. You can find the wines we discussed here. Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Video Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wednesday at 7 pm eastern on Instagram Live Video, Facebook Live Video or YouTube Live Video. I’ll be jumping into […]
Beer versus Wine Tasting, Cicerones versus Sommeliers with Mandy Naglich, Author of How to Taste: A Guide to Discovering Flavor and Savoring Life
Introduction What’s the difference between tasting wine and beer when you want to identify specific aromas and flavours? What are some of the similarities and differences between a Cicerone or beer sommelier and a wine sommelier? How do retronasal aromas give you a different, deeper sense of the aromas of both beer and wine? In this Unreserved Wine Talk podcast episode, I’m chatting with author Mandy Naglich. You can find the wines we discussed here. Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Video Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wednesday at 7 pm eastern on Instagram Live Video, […]
