The Grand Cru Culinary Wine Festival is Canada’s largest wine and culinary fundraiser for medical research, raising more than $11.4 million since it started in 2005. In the video below, chef Massimo Capra, who writes a column for the Globe & Mail and has appeared on the Food Network, is one of the celebrity chefs who will be cooking a special dinner this year. He reveals the details of this special meal in the video. You can also watch our second wine video chat here. Chef Massimo Capra has been involved with Grand Cru since it began in 2005, and […]
Wine Type
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 […]
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 […]
Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Tasting Video
Cabernet sauvignon is the focus of the short wine tasting video below. Discover why cabernet sauvignon is the world’s best known red wine, what sauvignon means and terrific cabernet sauvignon and food pairings. Bordeaux is the benchmark for cabernet sauvignon but many regions around the world also make this robust red. Taste along with me and see the difference in style between Old and New World cabernet sauvignon. Best Cabernet Sauvignon Under $20 Top Rated Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon and Food Pairings Mouton Cadet 2010 Bordeaux, France Jackson-Triggs Reserve Series Meritage 2010 Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario […]
Shiraz Syrah Wine Tasting Video
Shiraz and Syrah wines are the focus of the video tasting above. Both come from the same grape clone, but different regions around the world have chosen one name or the other and produce different styles of this robust red wine. The wines tasted in this video include: Famille Perrin Les Cornuds Vinsobres, Rhone Valley, France McWilliams Hanwood Estate Shiraz, Australia The Stump Jump D’arenberg Wines, Australia Best Shiraz Under $20 Top Rated Shiraz What’s the best Shiraz or Syrah that you’ve ever tasted?
Wine and Cheese Tasting on Google Video Hangouts October 10
The Wine & Cheese Gang is back together again for another Google + Video tasting on October 10 at 8 pm. After the fun we had during our first tasting, we started planning this one. The wines and cheeses are different, but we’ll take the same conversational approach, weaving in some great insights on pairing wine and cheese. Taste along with us that evening! In the meantime, we’ll also be on Twitter using the hash tag #CDNcheese. Cheers! La Fromagerie du Presbytère Bleu d’Élizabeth, Sainte-Élisabeth-de-Warwick, Quebec Elizabeth Blue is an organic semi-soft cheese made from pasteurized milk with non-interior mold. […]
Frolicking with Sheep and Hawks in Niagara
One of the highlights of my recent visit to Niagara was meeting husband-and-wife Louis Engel and David Johnson at Featherstone Winery. They, in turn, introduced me to one of their hawks, Zeke. He was an adorable little fellow that we took out into the vineyard with us. I noticed that as we walked down the rows of vines, the birds went silent. That’s because Zeke is a hunter, trained to go after the number one enemy of ripened grapes: starlings. Other birds, such as robins and orioles, also attack the fruit, but starlings cost the industry hundreds of thousands of […]
