Editor’s Note: I wrote this magazine piece on wine and civility two months after 9/11. You can also listen to this as a podcast here. In Vino Civilitatis The trouble with moderation is that it’s hard to get excited about it. Until now. After September 11, moderation seems to be rarer than a California cult cabernet. Finding the moderate and the civilized in everyday life has become all the rage. Few things embody these values more than wine, and the food we eat with it. A river of wine flows through most of human history — from the ancient clay […]
Cheese & Wine
Salmon Dill Crepe Recipe Paired with Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand
Salmon Dill Crepes Paired with Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc By: Shari Goodman When you need a break from the busyness of the holiday season, it’s nice to catch up over a delicious but deceivingly simple make-ahead brunch. I used to think crepes were too difficult to make home. I thought of them as something special to be ordered when dining out. But I’ve discovered that although the first crepe often ends up in the garbage, a batch of crepes is easy to make and impressive to serve guests. You can make the crepes ahead of time and store them layered […]
Versatile Vinho Verde: Spring Splendor in the Glass
Last night, we were joined by special guest, Pedro Costa, Head Winemaker of Aveleda Winery chatting about his Vinho Verde wines and why they’re such a great wine style for spring. This was actually a 2-part video series as I managed to melt down my computer’s CPU with multiple simultaneous broadcasting streams to Facebook Live, Twitter Live vis Periscope and YouTube Live Stream ;) You can watch part one above by clicking the arrow, then part two below. Cheers, Natalie Join us on the Sunday Sipper Club, April 9 at 6 pm eastern (Toronto time) with special guest Food Network […]
Plonk Wine Videos Stumble Blindly into Brilliant Insight
In his book How to Love Wine, New York Times wine columnist Eric Asimov observes: “I’m sometimes dismayed that sommeliers confuse their professional training with what consumers need to know to enjoy wine. We don’t need to know whether you can identify wines blind. “Those are just parlor games for professionals. I think that professionals, like sommeliers, need to be able to communicate with the public in a language that they understand and that they find useful.” When I tasted wines blind with Eric at the paper’s headquarters several years ago, he lived those words. The blind tasting was to […]
The Wine that Came in from the Cold: Icewine
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, […]
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 […]
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
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 […]
Tale of Two Niagara Wineries: Reif Winery Makes Big Impression
As a photographer, I capture many wonderful moments in life, with no two moments ever being quite the same. This weekend, I found out in my travels to the Niagara Region, the same can be said for its wonderful abundance of world-class wineries. This is my story about visiting two wineries in the Niagara region at opposite ends of the spectrum, one small and one large, to see just how different they really were with respect to service style, approachability, ambiance and overall experience. In Part One of Tale of Two Wineries, I wrote about my experience visiting Ravine, considered to most as […]
Catelli SuperGreens Spaghetti with Steak & Garlicky Parsley Sauce Recipe Paired with Lindeman’s Bin 50 Shiraz
Although we’re all unique, there are a few similar things that often make us smile – entertaining family and friends, enjoying good food and wine or creating moments of real connection. Whether you are looking for a recipe and wine pairing for a dinner party or simply to share with a special someone, Catelli® and Lindeman’s wines have come together to help you create pairings you’re sure to enjoy. Unexpected guests for dinner? Grill up one great steak; then toss with tender pasta and a zesty no-cook sauce for an effortless, entertaining dish for four. The hint of peppery spice […]
