Mark and I had a wide-ranging discussion on his province-wide call-in show with listeners trading tips on their favourite bargain wines, and discussing why Argentina has risen so quickly in popularity to the differences soil and oak make to the taste of a wine. Click on the arrow below to listen. Posted with permission of CBC Radio.
Wine Articles
How much do you have to pay to buy a good wine? CBC Maritime Noon
Norma Lee MacLeod and I chat with listeners who call in with their wine suggestions and questions. We explore why wine prices have come down and what price do you have to pay to get a good wine. Just how low can you go? Are all boxed wine and bottles with screwcaps plonk? How long can you keep an open bottle of wine before it spoils? At what temperature should we serve wine? What do you miss if a wine is served too cold? Posted with permission of CBC
Serving Temperature: Wine, Beer, Cocktails
His friends may call him a snob, and waitresses may give him odd looks, but David Turley isn’t about to drink a beer with chunks of ice floating in it. But that’s what can happen at restaurants that insist on serving his favorite beverage in icy mugs. And so Turley has no qualms about insisting upon another, unfrosted, glass. “I’m pretty passionate about it,” says Turley, a 50-year-old information technology worker from Fredericksburg, Va. “The first thing I look at in a restaurant is the beer menu. I consider it a food.” Even casual drinkers of wine know that white […]
Wine and Food Pairing with Memories and Laughter
As part of the CBC’s Food Fantasy fundraiser for the Food Bank, I raffled myself off to visit the home of the winner and pair wines with a three-course meal. You can listen to our group chat above and discover some surprising tips on pairing wine and food. The winners were Merle and Richard (far right in the picture below), a lovely couple who hosted a fun evening filled with wine, laughter and memories. Wines Tasted and Food Pairings Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 2014 Marlborough, New Zealand Grassy and smoky and absolutely great! This New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc […]
California Wine Fair 2015: Taste Bottled Sunshine
Sponsored Post The 2015 California Wine Fair travels across Canada in April and features tasting events in eight cities from coast to coast. This year, there’ll be more than 400 wines poured representing more than 100 wineries, with lots of winemakers on hand to chat. The Californian Wine Fair is one of the best organized and most comprehensive wine events in Canada, so get your tickets now because they do sell out and there are no tickets at the door: Call the California Wine Fair Hotline 905-336-8932 or 1-800-558-CORK (2675) Visit www.calwine.ca Tastings are held in the evenings, but check […]
Asparagus and Brie Tartlets Recipe Paired with Riesling or Merlot
Eat Green this St. Patrick’s Day I love the month of March because it is a sign of fresh things to come. The weather is beginning to warm up and green is starting to poke out from under the snowy landscape. And of course that’s not the only green we’re seeing; St. Patrick’s Day will bring a whole new slew of green things. And there’s no better way to incorporate the festive colour into your St. Patty’s day than with a delicious asparagus and Canadian Brie-based appetizer. Impress your guests with these Asparagus and Brie Wonton Tartlets – trust me, […]
Canada’s Best Sommelier Competition: Bruce Wallner Video
In this video chat, Bruce Wallner, recently named Ontario’s Best Sommelier, talks about participating in the Best Canadian Sommelier Competition this month in Halifax. He’s already a certified Master Sommelier and has worked in restaurants around the world, including Australia, Spain and the UK. We also talked about what made him want to become a sommelier originally (some interesting comparisons with the world’s oldest profession), the role of a sommelier and what he enjoys most about the job. Tell us about the competition: who enters and what do you have to do to compete? This event is […]
Walk in the Clouds: Winemaking in the Movies
In anticipation of the Toronto Film Festival #TIFF kicking off this week, this is the first in a series of articles about wine in the movies. First, I’d like to nominate a few of my favourite Oscar-worthy Canadian wines in honour of TIFF being held in Toronto: Featherstone Black Sheep Riesling Flat Rock Cellars Gravity Pinot Noir Painted Rock Red Icon Blue Mountain Brut Sparkling Luckett Vineyards Phone Box Red Stay tuned for more nominations this week. Now let’s travel back to 1995. Although not written as a comedy, the movie A Walk In The Clouds offered many laughs for […]
New Wine from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have just launched their first wine, a lovely, pink petal, bone-dry rose from Provence called Miraval Rosé. The wine is being released in the LCBO Saturday. The couple owns the winery and estate Château Miraval, even though you’ll find no reference to them on the label. This wine doesn’t need to ride on the back of their celebrity: it stands alone as a terrific, refreshing rose with aromas of small field strawberries, orange zest and light spices. Should I add though that there’s a hint of drama on the nose, with a surprise twist finish? […]
Chocolate and Wine Pairings for Valentine’s Day
In this short video, we pair wine and chocolate for Valentine’s Day … and every day in the year. Who needs a special occasion? You can find more tips on pairing chocolate and wine here. Explore delicious new matches that will surprise you with their flavour combinations. Here are my favourite wines for chocolate in stores now. This video is part of an ongoing wine series with Canadian Press and is posted with permission.
