Bourbon, Mint Juleps + Kentucky Derby: A Spirited Race

When the Kentucky Derby runs this Saturday, the horses won’t be the only ones racing. Over at the Seelbach Hotel, the mint juleps will be flying too. By the end of the day, the hotel staff and its bartender, Edward Duffy, will have concocted more than 3,000 of these traditional cocktails made with bourbon and fresh mint hand-picked from the hotel grounds. Built in 1905, the Seelbach Hotel was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s favorite watering hole—and it was also his setting for the wedding of Daisy and Tom Buchanan in his novel The Great Gatsby. But today, amid the creaking bar […]

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Books & Wines With Great Structure & Finish

We often chat about pairing wine and food, but what about pairing bottles with books? You can also watch part two of our book and bottle pairings from CTV yesterday.   What’s the first pairing you recommend?   We’re starting with one of my favorite wine books, The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil. It’s sold more than a half a million copies worldwide and is a go-to reference book that’s also engagingly well-written.         Karen lives in Napa Valley, so I’d pair this book with this full-bodied, complex Cabernet Sauvignon from Charles Krug, Napa Valley’s oldest winery […]

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Stave & Steel Wines Aged in Bourbon and Canadian Whisky Barrels

Steve & Steel Winemaker James Foster was raised on a family farm, the historic Roseland Plantation in Eufaula, Alabama, where they farmed peanuts, hay and cotton.   James FosterWinemaker   Although James grew up in Alabama, his father worked in the California wine industry, and James began to follow in his footsteps.           Stave & Steel Bourbon Barrel Aged Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 California, United States             Great pairings include grilled burgers, ribs, steak and charcuterie.           Curious about the winemaking process and inspired to learn more, he […]

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Food and Wine Pairing Book: Inspired by The Flavour Principle

In the video above, two of Canada’s most respected food and drink writers, Lucy Waverman and Beppi Crosariol, discuss their new book The Flavour Principle. It’s packed with delicious recipes that are paired with wine and other drinks, based on 11 key flavour categories. The two writers are also weekly columnists for the Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper. They share their tips on pairing and some surprising insights they discovered while writing the book that make it different from other cookbooks and pairing guides. You’ll question your assumptions about red wine and cheese and find out why texture and […]

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