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 […]
Food & Wine Pairing
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 […]
Chicken Kebabs with Lemon Recipe with J. Lohr Cabernet Sauvignon
By Liz Pearson If you love souvlaki, then you’ll love this recipe. It’s melt-in-your mouth delicious and bursting with lemony flavour. You can serve it in whole grain pita pockets or tortillas, along with a bit of tzatziki, shredded lettuce and tomatoes. It’s also wonderful served along side brown rice and a green salad. It’s makes a great leftover meal for lunch too (served hot or cold)! Chicken Kebabs with Lemon, Oregano & Fresh Parsley Serves 4 Meat Ingredients: 2 chicken breasts (400 g/14 oz) Marinade Ingredients: Juice of one medium lemon (about 3 tbsp/45 mL) Zest of one medium […]
Wine and Charcuterie Pairing at Halifax Wine Bar
Heather Rankin is co-owner (with her brother, Christian Rankin) of Obladee Wine Bar in Halifax. The oldest of five kids, she was born and lived in the Halifax area until she was a young teen, when her parents moved to the fishing town of Port au Choix on the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland. After studying at St Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, NS, and at Carleton in Ottawa, she spent 15 years working in web development in places like New York and London, England. “It was when I was in London that I decided it was time to move back […]
Creamy Brie and Fresh Mushroom Soup Recipe with Riesling or Syrah
Meet Your Rainy Day Remedy April showers might bring May flowers, but in the meantime the rainy weather can get a touch depressing. While you’re waiting for the beautiful buds to bloom, cheer yourself up with a bowl of comforting Canadian Creamy Brie and Fresh Mushroom Soup. This deliciously hearty recipe will melt the blues away. While you’re sipping your soup at home, have a glass of wine and watch the rain come down. I recommend a zesty and zingy Riesling like Gunderloch Fritz’s Riesling, or the extra dry Sol de Andes Reserva Especial Syrah to balance out the wet […]
The Great Canadian Wine Match: Recipe Cards, Bottle Neck Tags
Neck tags will be available to wineries and agents whose wines are either nominees and or winners in The Great Canadian Wine Match. These would have the competition logo and category in which the wine is a nominee or winner, such as Best Canadian Beef Wine, etc for seafood, chicken, cheese, pizza or dessert. Please provide your feedback on how to make these as effective as possible: Would you use a neck tag if it were designed for you? Do you prefer portrait (above) or landscape (below) for layout? Both orientations would open to 2 panels inside and there would […]
Vegetarian Wines with Sommelier Instructor Video
In our second video chat below, Dave Loan shares some specific vegetarian and wine pairings, such as the Seitan dish above, which is a protein made from high-gluten flour, has the texture of a cutlet and a higher protein value than beef. He coats it in a pecan crust, pan fries it and serves it with a black rice cake, sautéed vegetables, a thick tomato chutney and a robust red wine. Dave also discusses his course on New World wines for the sommelier program at Algonquin College. What’s the most memorable wine and vegetarian pairing you’ve ever […]
Wine and Chocolate Pairing with a Chocolate Sommelier
In my recent column for the Ontario interior design magazine Homefront, I featured wine and chocolate pairings, including an interview with chocolate sommelier Roxanne Browning, who teaches classes on pairing wine and chocolate. You can also watch a couple of video interviews with Roxanne on this topic. What was your first experience with wine? My two brothers and I grew up in Oceanside, California, and neither of our parents drank wine. When we moved to the suburbs of Long Island, New York in the 1970s, drinking was the right of passage for young people. Cheap wine, Boones Farm Strawberry Hill, […]
Wine and Vegetarian Pairing Video
In our video chat below, David Loan, co-owner of Ottawa’s best vegetarian restaurant, Zen Kitchen, chats about pairing wine with vegetarian dishes. In particular, he discusses styles of wine that work well with vegetarian dishes and how both protein and umami play a pivotal role. And why is it that green vegetables always seem to clash with tannic, red wines? Is there any hope for a wine lover when it comes to artichokes and asparagus? Are there any general guidelines you suggest when pairing wine with vegetarian dishes? Are there particular styles of wine that tend […]
Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Tasting Video
Cabernet sauvignon is the focus of the short wine tasting video below. Discover why cabernet sauvignon is the world’s best known red wine, what sauvignon means and terrific cabernet sauvignon and food pairings. Bordeaux is the benchmark for cabernet sauvignon but many regions around the world also make this robust red. Taste along with me and see the difference in style between Old and New World cabernet sauvignon. Best Cabernet Sauvignon Under $20 Top Rated Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon and Food Pairings Mouton Cadet 2010 Bordeaux, France Jackson-Triggs Reserve Series Meritage 2010 Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario […]
