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. […]
Wine Videos
John Duval Wines Australia Video
In the video below, we chat with John Duval, who was the winemaker for one of Australia’s most coveted labels, Penfolds, for 29 years. He’s won many awards over his career, including Winemaker of the Year at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London. In 2003, he left Penfolds to start his own winery. Why is Penfolds such an iconic wine? What has been your most memorable winemaking experience to date? How are you own wines different from Penfolds? Why is there a myth that Australian wines can’t age? We’ll post part two of our conversation […]
Fast Food and Wine: Drinking Outside the Box
Knowing that Kobe beef with braised oxtail and potato rosti will make Château Pétrus sing is useful if you have a fat trust fund and a kitchen staff of twenty. However, most of us are racing from work to soccer practice to ballet class and then home again, so we’re far more apt to grab some take-out food or heat a frozen TV dinner than to prepare a multi-course dinner every night of the week. Although wine consumption has increased 20 percent in the last five years, only 42 percent of drinkers say that they have wine with take-out […]
Kung Pao Chicken Recipe with Grant Burge Summers Chardonnay
Grant Burge Summers Chardonnay won a Silver Medal at the Hong Kong International Wine Challenge 2011 for ‘Best Wine Paired with Kung Pao Chicken’. I was inspired to create a version of this classic dish for the home cook to enjoy. Kung Pao Chicken Ingredients: For the marinade: 3 boneless chicken breasts cut into small cubes 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry 1 tbsp cornstarch For the sauce: 2 tsp sugar 2 tsp Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar 2 tsp sesame oil 1/3 cup water 3 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice […]
Wolf Blass Wine Tasting in Ottawa, 2 Videos
The excitement for the Ottawa Wolf Blass tasting started with a long lineup that snaked down the sidewalk in front of Restaurant 18. The great vibe from the people who attended, Wolf’s rascal humour and the tasty wines made it a wonderful evening. Here’s more on that plus two video clips from CTV News below … Wolf loves women … I couldn’t find any pictures of him with men :) I couldn’t keep up with the tweets during the event, but it was lovely to see how much people enjoyed themselves with the comments […]
Grant Burge Wines Summer Chardonnay, Miamba Shiraz
We continue our discussion with Grant Burge or Grant Burge Wines Australia and his two wines the Summer Chardonnay and the Miamba Shiraz. Below you’ll also find reviews for two of the wines that we discussed. You can also watch part one of our conversation. Grant Burge Summers Chardonnay Barossa Valley, Australia Love the hazelnut richness and green apple vibrancy that mingle on the nose of this wine! The palate is a rush of white peach, nectarine and nutmeg with refreshing lime acidity on the finish. I love the back story on this wine: it was named in […]
Grant Burge Wines Australia Video Chat
In this video chat, Grant Burge recounts his most memorable winemaking experiences, the difference that old vines make to the taste of a wine and the importance of a family-owned business that now has the fifth generation of winemakers coming to the fore with Grant and his wife Helen’s three children. We’ll post part two of our conversation this week. You may also enjoy these video chats: Blue Cheese and White Wine Pairing: Video Part 3 Building a Persuasive Wine Brand: Arlene Dickinson Restaurant Wine Service: The good, the bad and the ugly with […]
Wolf Blass Wine Tasting: An Unforgettable Evening
What a spectacular evening we had in Toronto last week at the Wolf Blass tasting! A full-house of 90 guests packed the waterside restaurant Against the Grain. As I interviewed Wolf about his experiences, we tasted his wines and some delicious tapas. More details on the event as well as the Canada AM clip below … Here’s the clip from Canada AM … Wolf has a great sense of humour and such a long history in the wine industry. Wolf talks about the wines we’re tasting as did the current winemaker Chris Hatcher. […]
Atlantic Canadian Wines Compete on the World Stage: CTV News
In the CTV News video clip below, we chat about the exciting development in Atlantic Canadian wines, including those from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI. From the Olympics to a Tidal Bay of refreshment, it’s worth taking a second (and fifth) sip of these wines. Here are my wine reviews for Jost Vineyards, Gaspereau Vineyards, Benjamin Bridge, Rossignol and Magnetic Hill Vineyards. Coming soon, reviews for Domaine Grand Pre, Newman Estate Winery and Luckett Vineyards. Posted with permission of CTV News.
Blue Cheese and White Wine Pairing: Video Part 3
In the final video chat below, Janice and I discover a surprisingly great new pairing between blue cheese and a light zippy white wine with just 6.5% alcohol. Who would have thunk it? Port’s not the only partner when you’re blue. You may also enjoy these video chats: Cheese and Wine Pairing Part 2 Pairing Wine and Cheese: Cheddar, Gouda, Blue Dragon’s Den Arlene Dickinson talks about wine, women, business Social Media & Wine Part 2: How wineries need to use Social-Local-Mobile See all wine video chats here. Is there someone else with a fascinating wine […]
