Recently, Canada’s top wine writers and sommeliers gathered in the nation’s capital for a Dourthe portfolio tasting with Head Winemaker, Frédéric Bonnaffous. Established in 1840, Dourthe is recognized as a leader in the Bordeaux of France, with a particular passion for the various soil types and the wines best suited to them. The nine estates that comprise Dourthe all focus on the unique character of their respective appellations. Here are the team’s notes and impressions. Jennifer MacDonald Havers Wine Columnist, Ottawa Citizen What an honour to meet head winemaker, Frédéric Bonnaffous, and to learn about the various châteaux of Dourthe in Bordeaux. […]
Wine Articles
Errazuriz Wines: Chile’s Cool Climate Grapes Shine
This is the first in a series of team tastings by top reviewers in our community, most of whom are graduates of either the Algonquin College Sommelier Program or La Cite Collegiale Sommelier Program. They share with us their overall impressions from the tasting, as well as reviews of each of the wines presented. You’ll also find their reviews shared on Twitter and Facebook as they are all very active on social media. “The Errazuriz wine tasting at Daly’s restaurant in Ottawa on September 26th was an absolute treat. Francisco Baettig, head winemaker at Errazuriz, is a supremely knowledgeable and […]
Pickled Beef Tongue Recipe, Creamed Spring Leek Tart + Ravine Vineyard Cool Climate Chardonnay
Pickled Beef Tongue Recipe in Creamed Spring Leek Tart This vibrant summer dish pairs beautifully with the clean notes of cool climate chardonnay. Meet Chef Young at the Moveable Feast brunch on Sunday, July 22nd. Tickets on sale at coolchardonnay.org. Ingredients: 1 beef tongue Water Salt Pickling Liquid: 2 cups white vinegar 2 cups water 2 bay leaves 10 peppercorns 2 cloves garlic crushed Method: Simmer tongue in pot of salted water for 3 hours. Peel off outer skin layer covering tongues. Bring pickling liquid ingredients to a boil. Place liquid in refrigerator to cool for approx..5 hours. Once liquid […]
Shrimp & Lobster Burger Recipe Paired with Cool Climate Chardonnay
Shrimp & Lobster Burger Chef Michael Pasto’s burger is perfect for al fresco summer dining, paired with a crisp chardonnay while you’re attending coolchardonnay.org. Serves 8 Ingredients: 3 Cups shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 Cup cooked lobster, diced 7 oz coconut milk 3 tsp. lemongrass, finely chopped 1 tsp. kaffir lime leaf, finely chopped 1 tsp. fresh chili, finely chopped 4 tsp. fresh coriander, finely chopped 2 Tbsp. fish sauce 1 ½ tsp. salt 2/3 Cup asparagus, blanched and diced Garnish: 8 sesame seed buns 1 Cup bean sprouts ½ Cup carrots 2 Tbsp fresh coriander 1 Tbsp fresh Chilli […]
Tasting the Cool Climate Wines of Argentina’s Secreto Patagonico
By Melissa Pulvermacher Another tasting during my time at the 2016 i4C Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration was with Secreto Patagonico’s Production and Sales Manager, Tomas Groppo Parisi. Secreto Patagonico is in the southern hemisphere in Patagonia, Argentina. A lot of us immediately think of Mendoza, heat and Malbec when we think of Argentina, which may leave us a bit confused with the relevance to cool climate wines in this situation. Patagonia is actually in the south of Argentina and remember that in the southern hemisphere, the south is a lot cooler than the northern regions. Mendoza, the Malbec-famous region, […]
Errazuriz Winery Puts Chile on the Wine Map with Cool Climate Viticulture
By Melissa Pulvermacher On October 31, I had the pleasure of joining Eduardo Chadwick and fellow industry professionals for lunch at the Shangri-La Hotel in Toronto. Bosk restaurant catered the intimate meal and Eduardo spoke about the wines that we tasted from Errázuriz Vineyards. Eduardo Chadwick Aconcagua Costa The majority of the wines tasted at the luncheon were from a relatively new wine region –Aconcagua Costa. About 12 km from the cool Pacific Ocean, Chile is able to successfully grow and harvest in a cool-climate zone that is very well suited to white varieties, as well as Syrah and Pinot […]
Crab Cakes, Corn, Fennel Recipe with Inniskillin Chardonnay
Crab Cakes with Corn & Fennel A tasty summer dish where the corn and fennel enhances the natural sweetness of the crab. The richness of the crab and the toasted notes from the panko crust is enhanced with the balanced characteristics of cool climate Chardonnay. Explore the versatility of cool climate chardonnay with your favourite summer foods at the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration July 20-22. Tickets on sale at www.coolchardonnay.org. Serves 4 1 lb Jumbo Lump Crab Meat (or Backfin) 2 Tbsp Mayonnaise 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter ½ cup Fresh Corn Kernels (or frozen) ½ cup Fennel, finely […]
Niagara Wine Pioneer Reif Estate Winery Video Tasting
Last night, we were joined by special guest Klaus Reif, Head Winemaker and Owner of Reif Winery, who chatted about making wine in Niagara and his vision for Ontario wines. Click on the arrow above to watch the video. What an amazing conversion last night! Klaus’ audio is fixed after 4 minutes, so hang in ;) Klaus shared some wonderful stories about when he first made #wine at age 10 and (hid the bottles behind some bottles in his father’s winery), and then at age 24 making a new style that upset his uncle and then won an award at […]
Tasting History with Washington’s Chateau Ste Michelle Winery
Yesterday, Canada’s top writers and sommeliers gathered in our nation’s capital for two tastings with Chateau Ste. Michelle Head Winemaker, Bob Berteau. These were historic tastings, with mature vintages drawn from the winery’s library, as well as new vintages in the market now (or soon). It was also an historic first for a Facebook Live Video Winemaker Event in Canada, as we were joined virtually by many other wine lovers in real-time who were also able to ask Bob questions. You can see a snippet of that live stream above by clicking on the arrow, and watch the complete wine […]
How Oyster Bay Tamed Prickly Pinot Noir in New Zealand
By Greg M.P. Hughes Winemakers who specialize in Pinot Noir are some of the hardest working viticulturists on the planet. This grape’s thin skin makes it extremely vulnerable to diseases, makes colour extraction torture to get right, and yields are minuscule (not a tremendous ROI compared to Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz). Pinot Noir’s idiosyncrasies are enough to make even hardened pro winemakers tear their hair out. That is why Pinot Noir is one of the most misunderstood selections that wine experts explain to their audiences. Most people understand it as byword for a quality wine, but have no idea what […]
