Steven’s Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti “We get rave reviews on our un-oaked Chardonnay-Pinot Grigio blend. It’s so versatile, as a refreshing aperitif, or paired with white fish, poultry or salad greens. We love asking guests what flavours they taste in it. Some say orchard fruits, others comment on its melon or citrus nuances.” – Steven and Chris Spring is here and what better way to celebrate spring than with TREND wines, designed to be fabulous by Steven and Chris! The TREND wine collection will embrace spring this year and be showcased at the Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa starting May 6th […]
Food & Wine Pairing
Wine Mobile App Helps with Food Pairing
To assist both professionals and novices in pairing food with wines and other beverages, Natalie MacLean, publisher of North America’s largest wine e-newsletter (as well as the website NatalieMacLean.com), now offers the Nat Decants Food & Drink Matcher widget. It’s compatible with multiple platforms, including computer desktops, websites, blogs, and social media such as Facebook, MySpace, and iGoogle; there’s also a smartphone application for iPhone, iPod Touch, or BlackBerry devices. The software comes in two sizes to fit various Internet and mobile operating systems. Once installed, it can be quickly searched for drinks to pair with meats, pastas, seafood, vegetarian […]
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Some wines are definitely a better fit with certain foods, but I admit I lived many years without realizing just good a food and wine pairing could acutally be. On my one and only visit to Lumiere – during the Rob Feenie years – I ordered a ten-course tasting menu and the matched flight of wines for each course. I was humbled. The food was good. Each course was either a single bite of something quite special or a few bites of something sumptuous. There was Israeli couscous and paper thin smoked duck breast and goat cheese cheesecake and lots […]
Food & Wine 24
It used to be so simple: Red wine went with red meat, white wine went with white meat, and that, essentially, was that when it came to pairing food and wine. These days, it’s a bit more complex. For one thing, wines are being made in more styles and more regions than ever before. For another, our diets now include flavours from all over the world as well as casual fare that once we would never have dreamed of enjoying with wine. The old rules don’t always apply. But what has replaced them? Are there any rules at all? Well, […]
Food & Wine 23
As mobile phone applications, RSS Feeds and websites become more sophisticated, food lovers no longer need to scan cookery books for inspiration for their evening meal. When four American University students set up a recipe-sharing website in 1997, their motivation was anthropological rather than commercial. However, within ten years their website, designed to explore how people share recipes, had grown into one of the world’s biggest food websites – allrecipes.com. According to vice president of marketing, Esmee Williams, it was people at home rather than web entrepeneurs, who made this site a success. “We just created the technology,” she explains. […]
Food & Wine 22
Excerpted from The Guardian Need to find a wine to match the meal you’re about to eat? When you’re at home, it’s easy. Check out what’s in the fridge, or on the rack next to the bread bin. If there is more than one bottle in either place, use your common sense. If you only have the one bottle, your choice becomes simple. OK, some partnerships are universally acknowledged as perfect. Sauternes and Roquefort cheese is the one that always springs to my mind; for others it is oysters and either Muscadet or Chablis. These are the exceptions. Most food […]
Food & Wine 20
Can wine work on quick-service menus? More restaurants are finding that, in fact, it can. There is a scene in “Sideways,” the 2004 film about an oenophile and his friend road tripping through California’s wine country, where the protagonist, Miles, visits a fast-food restaurant. Having recently suffered humiliations including the rejection of his novel and advances toward the woman he loves, Miles, played by Paul Giamatti, unceremoniously drinks his prized 1961 Château Cheval Blanc from a plastic foam cup over a burger and onion rings. Had he chosen the establishment more carefully, Miles could have saved his precious bottle for […]
Food & Wine 19
It wasn’t long ago that I decided to set out to learn more about wine. As I immersed myself in the subject, I begrudgingly discovered there was more to learn than I ever wanted. The simple fact is, I, like most people, wanted a few simple, easy-to-follow rules to pair wine with my food. Much to my surprise, I learned that a lifetime of eating experiences gives us all the basic tools we can use to understand food flavor combinations and wine compatibility. Instinctively we know that corn-on-the cob tastes best with butter. Or a splash of lemon on seafood […]
Food & Wine 18
Nat Decants is a Internet site of wine writer Natalie MacLean. It’s full of great articles that she has written and she publishes a regular newsletter which has a personal tone. And now she has considered something new, which will be interesting for all wine lovers. It is a so-called widget, which means: a tool that you can put on your own web site, blog or social media page like Facebook to get wine and food pairings. With this tool, your site visitors can find the right wine for the right dish. The tool is easy-to-use and accessible. There are […]
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Natalie MacLean, author of Red, White and Drunk All Over, has launched a new Drinks Matcher widget, a portable version of her popular food and wine pairing tool. The free Drinks Matcher widget is downloadable in just three clicks.
