You can access the 93 wines that I reviewed for March 21 as a text wine list with my complete tasting notes, scores, food matches. Taste more Californian wines when the California Wine Fair stops in 8 cities across Canada. You can also see my wine reviews for March 7. If you are a Paid Member, you can add my wine picks to your custom shopping list with one click and access that list on your smartphone to find the stock for each wine in your closest LCBO store. These are just some of the benefits of supporting out […]
Starbucks Barista is No Joe Job: The Real Story
When I open the door to Starbucks on O’Connor Street, long shafts of September sunlight stream in, ricocheting off the chrome espresso machine and the cellophane-wrapped bags of coffee. The smoky, dark chocolate aroma of brewing coffee snakes down my central nervous system. I feel faint with the need for caffeine. On most Sunday mornings, I’m less bright-eyed squirrel, more startled raccoon. A young auburn-haired woman named Bethany Wade bounds to the door and greets me with the perky inflection of the highly caffeinated. “Welcome!” she says. “We’re so glad you can join our group.” Wade trains Ottawa recruits to […]
Listeners Ask About Wine and Food Pairings, Buying Value Wines, Cellaring Wine – BC Almanac, CBC Radio
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.
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 […]
Peppercorn Roasted Beef Tenderloin Recipe Paired with Carmenere
Peppercorn Roasted Beef Tenderloin Prep: 5 min Inactive: 10 min Cook: 25 min Ingredients: 1 whole beef tenderloin, trimmed of all visible fat Salt 2 teaspoons sugar ½ cup tri-color peppercorns, crushed with a rolling pin 1 stick butter 2 cloves garlic, crushed Directions: Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Place the tenderloin on a roasting rack. Sprinkle generously with salt and sugar, which will deepen the savory flavors. Press the crushed peppercorns all over the surface of the meat. Insert a meat thermometer and place in the oven until the beef registers 120 to 125 degrees F for […]
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 […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews and Ratings: Vintages March 7
You can access the 93 wines that I reviewed for March 7 as a text wine list with my complete tasting notes, scores, food matches. You can also see my wine reviews for February 21. If you are a Paid Member, you can add my wine picks to your custom shopping list with one click and access that list on your smartphone to find the stock for each wine in your closest LCBO store. These are just some of the benefits of supporting out wine community as a Paid Member. Inventory stock numbers are usually posted online a […]
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, […]
