How do you marry cheese and wine? As with any hopeful pairing, a little counseling never hurts. “I always think you should drink what you like and eat what you like and put them together in ways that create the most pleasure for you,” says Natalie MacLean, a wine expert who wrote Unquenchable and Red, White and Drunk All Over. “But I wouldn’t have a job if I didn’t give more guidelines for which wines work better with certain cheeses.” Among useful features on her website, nataliemaclean.com, is the Wine & Food Matcher, which allows you to select a food […]
Dessert & Wine
Mascarpone Truffles Recipe Paired with Chardonnay
Take Holiday Entertaining to a Delicious new Level There’s something about the holiday season that I just can’t get enough of. Sure last minute holiday shopping and menu preparing can be stressful, but sitting down with loved ones for a savoury holiday feast makes it more than worth it. I have a big family, so when it comes to holiday meals it can be tough deciding what to make. Aside from my tried and true holiday recipe favourites, I decided to get a little adventurous this year and experiment with a new dessert. And I’m so glad I did. This […]
Joy to the World Holiday Wine Match
You can help create the ultimate holiday wine shopping list in the Joy to the World Holiday Wine Match! Nominate and/or vote for your favourite wines from around the world under $25 to pair with holiday dishes. As the first people’s choice awards for holiday wines, the competition takes a grassroots, “bottoms up” approach to get us rallying behind our favourite bottles so that we can pour like Santa, but save like Scrooge. In the video above, three festive wine lovers and I get into the spirits of the season and chat about wines to pair with […]
Fruitcake Recipe: Holiday Wine Match
A traditional United Kingdom dessert made from candied fruit, dried fruit, nuts and spices that is soaked in spirits. It is especially associated with Christmas and weddings. The earliest known recipes came from ancient Rome, and then soon spread throughout Europe. In the U.K., a round fruitcake is usually covered with marzipan (sugar and honey), and then a hard white icing made from beaten egg whites. Ingredients Preparation Please share your tips on preparing this recipe or another fruitcake recipe in the comments below. Return to the Joy to the World Holiday Wine Match.
Campfire Chili Recipe with Banana and Cream Cheese S’mores
Camp out in Style When most of us think of camping, visions of shoddily made wieners and messy marshmallow confections come to mind. Sure they can be tasty, but they’re hardly anything to write home about. That is, until now. Try these following two recipes for Campfire Chili and Banana and Cream Cheese S’mores; with Canadian Monterey Jack and Canadian Cream Cheese, they’ll turn your carefree camping trip into a gourmet getaway. And, of course, the only other thing that a gourmand needs with good food is good wine. Here are a couple of my camping suggestions. Cave Spring Cellars […]
Red Wine and Cupcake Pairings: Red Velvet and Chocolate Guinness Meet Their Match
In our second video, we chat about pairing red wines with cupcakes: think red velvet, chocolate chocolate and chocolate Guinness (Belgian dark chocolate dipped in Guinness beer). Even lighter and drier red wines, such as pinot noir, have a place beside cupcakes. Discover some great combinations with the owners of Ottawa’s Cupcake Lounge. You can also watch part one of our chat where we pair carrot, butterscotch bourbon and maple cinnamon cupcakes with white wines and sparkling wines. The research never ends ;) Natalie: We are back with Claudia Arizmendi and Bill McGuiness, owners of Ottawa’s Cupcake Lounge. We are […]
Wine and Cheese Pairing with a Blockbuster BC Wine
In our second video, we chat about visiting Quails’ Gate winery, winner of the Gold Medal in The Great Canadian Wine Match: – Tips on visiting the winery, including the special menus at the winery’s Old Vines restaurant – How long can Optima age for those wanting to cellar this dessert wine? – Why don’t more Canadian wineries make botrytis affected dessert wines? – What role do people’s choice awards play in our wine and food culture? Natalie: And we’re back with Matt Steeves the wine lover who championed Optima, Quails Gate Optima in the Great Canadian Wine Match and […]
Canada’s Best Wine with Cheese: Quails’ Gate Video
In this video, we chat with the Gold Medal Winners of Canada’s Best Wine with Cheese in The Great Canadian Wine Match. Winemaker Tony Stewart joins us from his winery Quails’ Gate in BC’s Okanagan Valley along with wine lover Matt Steeves, in Ottawa, who championed the winning wine during a very competitive voting process. We talk about: – Why Optima made such a big impression on Matt the first time he tasted it – How Optima pairs with cheeses, and which types are best suited to it, as well as some desserts – What makes Optima unique on the […]
Wine and Cupcake Pairing: Best Matches Video
This video is all about pairing wine and cupcakes, yes cupcakes! Husband and wife Bill McGuiness and Claudia Arimendi, owners of Ottawa’s Cupcake Lounge should know. They take cupcakes to a whole new level: dark Belgian chocolate, Madagascar bourbon vanilla, sweet butter cream, 50 flavours, hand iced. As if their cupcakes weren’t enough on their own (and they are), we talk about how to pair them with different styles of wine depending on the cupcake flavour. Have fun with friends and a tasting party. Natalie: Ottawa’s Cupcake Lounge takes cupcakes to a whole new level. Think dark Belgian […]
Best Canadian Wine + Food Pairings: Contest Winners
This news story ran in the print and online editions of leading newspapers across the country, as well in more than 50 regional papers. The article was written by a reporter with the Canadian Press (CP), and so this was not our distributed press release. We’re thrilled that it warranted such wide news coverage. You can also read the first story that another Canadian Press reporter wrote about the launch of the wine competition. OTTAWA – Oenophiles from coast to coast have waged a little friendly rivalry over wine pairings and come up with half a dozen of their favourites. […]
