Feel lost in the liquor store? Wine mobile apps are changing the way we buy wine. It’s like having a pocket sommelier or your best friend who’s wine savvy shopping with you. Scan a bar code and instantly access: – wine reviews and ratings – food pairings – current stock of each wine in the liquor store closest to you – add wines to your virtual cellar log Download the free wine app now. Our team was thrilled that our app ranked #5 on the iTunes store! >>> It’s also available for Android. This video is […]
Wine Videos
Best Sauvignon Blanc Wines Tasting Video
Mouth-watering sauvignon blanc wines are the focus of the wine tasting video below. Sauvignon blanc is a zesty white wine that pairs well with vegetables, quiche and seafood. It’s often described as having “green aromas” such as canned peas and asparagus. I think of it as fresh liquid salad in glass! Sauvignon Blanc wines featured in this video: Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc, South Africa Arboleda Sauvignon Blanc, Chile Best Sauvignon Blanc Under $20 Top Rated Sauvignon Blanc
Canadian Wine and Cheese Pairings Meet Their Match
CJAD, Montreal’s most popular talk radio station, featured The Great Canadian Wine & Cheese Match yesterday. You can listen to the clip above by clicking on the arrow. Winners and runners up will also be announced on Global Television and CTV News in June. You still have time to nominate and/or vote for your favourite Canadian wines to pair with Canadian cheeses. If you do, you could also win one of three Balderson Cheddar Cheese and Gourmet Gift Baskets, each worth $500. Canadian Wine and Cheese Pairings Meet Their Match Sheila: I know you like wine. Well I like wine […]
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 […]
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.
Top 5 Turkey Wine Pairings: Bottles for the Big Bird
In the second part of our holiday wine series on the CBC radio drive-home shows coast to coast we chatted about great wines to pair with your turkey dinner. You can listen to my tips above on choosing those wines plus my top 5 picks. Join us again next week, on December 30, when we chat about great sparkling wines for the New Year. Natalie MacLean, editor of Canada’s largest wine review site, selects her top five wines for your holiday dinner to pair with turkey and the side dishes: Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut […]
Romancing the Score: What do Wine Ratings Really Tell Us?
The biggest problem with wine scores is that they evaluate the obvious: how a wine tastes. What really matters is how interesting the wine makes your dining companion. Now that would be worth rating. Indeed, you have to wonder why we rate wine in the first place. After all, it is just a drink. We certainly don’t rate orange juice or lemonade; we don’t have beef shank critics talking about the region from which the cows hailed or syndicated cabbage columnists talking about how the September rainfall affected the leaf set. Perhaps this scrutiny is a testament to the way […]
Bring Your Own Bottle BYOB Wine to Restaurants Tips
Bringing your own bottle of wine to restaurants is now legal in many provinces and states, but what are the rules of engagement? I shared some tips on CBC radio this week on the etiquette of doing so, including the types of wines to bring, corkage fees and tipping. Does the thought of bringing your own wine to a restaurant make you feel cheap and arrogant? Get over it by practicing good BYOB etiquette. 1. Even when the practice is legal, check if the restaurant allows or encourages it. When you make the reservation, ask if you can […]
How to Cellar Wine: Temperature, Humidity, Light Conditions
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist understand the basics of wine storage: temperature, humidity and light conditions for wine cellars. Temperature The proper storage temperature of 10 to 15oC enables wine to age slowly to its full complexity. Excess heat cooks off its finer characteristics, while too much chill retards its maturation. Humidity Humidity should also be stable, at about 70 percent, so that corks don’t dry out. When dry, corks shrink slightly, allowing air into the bottles that oxidizes the wine. This is also why bottles are stored on their sides: the wine keeps the cork wet, […]
Wine Pairings for NS Lobster, BC Salmon, Alberta Beef
From CTV’s site: Our resident wine expert, Natalie MacLean, stopped by The Social to share Canadian wines that pair perfectly with the hosts’ favourite patriotic goodies. We had lots of fun pairing the hosts’ favourite Canadian dishes with Canadian wines. Melissa loves Nova Scotia lobster, Traci is a fan of BC salmon, Lani loves beef and Cynthia has a fondness for butter tarts. Ladies, there’s a wine for that … in fact, many. Join us on The Social again July 24 when we chat about great wines for dinner parties. Cheers! P.S. Take The Great Canadian Wine Quiz to find out […]
