Sponsored Post by Philippe Dandurand Wine Agency You can get the complete shopping list of these wines in your closest liquor stores here. Trapiche Reserve Syrah 2013 Argentina Regular Price: $11.95 Sale Price: $10.95 February 1 to February 28 [yellow tail] Shiraz 2013 New South Wales, Australia Regular Price: $23.75 Sale Price: $21.75 February 1 to February 28 HobNob Wine Company George Duboeuf Pinot Noir 2009 Languedoc, France Regular Price: $12.95 Sale Price: $11.95 February 1 to February 28 Yellow Tail Bubbles Sparkling Wine 2010 South Eastern Australia Regular […]
Barbecue Bruschetta Cheddar Recipe
Balderson Cheddar Cheese and tomatoes are naturally made for each other. Their combined acidity accented with fresh herbs is a great base for the following appetizer. Salsa Ingredients: 2½ cups Roma tomatoes, seeded & diced 625 mL ½ cup red onion, minced 125 mL ¼ cup cilantro, minced 50 mL 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded & minced 1 1 garlic clove, minced 1 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 30 mL 2 tsp fresh lime juice 10 mL ½ tsp salt 2 mL ¼ tsp Ground black pepper 1 mL 1 baguette (approx. 18-inches/45 cm) 1 2 Tbsp extra virgin […]
Finding Your Sole-mate: Pairing Sparkling Wine and Seafood
By Melissa Pulvermacher The Vino Enthusiasts wine club is a gathering for people who appreciate wine and want to learn more about it. The group gets together to taste, pair and learn on a monthly basis. At the most recent wine club, the group drank sparkling wine paired with seafood to discover the array of types and how they all pair differently with food. The goal was to compare and contrast the most popular sparkling styles with local, Ontario options that are made and accessible in our own backyards. The food pairings included crab and goat-cheese crostini, lemon-butter calamari, salted […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews and Ratings: Vintages January 24
You can access the 56 wines that I reviewed for January 24 as a text wine list with my complete tasting notes, scores, food matches. You can also see my wine reviews for January 10. 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 day […]
Wine Casks have Captured the Attention of Canadian Wine Consumers
Casks, most often referred to as boxed wines, have traditionally had a bad reputation with consumers. The perception is that wine in a box must be poor quality wine and that no one buys them. As one of the fastest-growing segments of the Canadian wine industry, high-quality boxed wines are finally getting the attention they deserve in this country. Australia has lead the way with casks since the majority of wine Down Under is sold in boxes. Now, Canadians are getting hip to the idea that good wine can come in something other than a bottle. For the first time […]
Chateau Cardbordeaux: Is All Boxed Wine Bad?
What you want: A holiday get-together with friends over a cheering glass of wine. What you don’t want: A budget deeper in the red than an old vine zin. The answer may be in the box. Once the runt of the wine world, boxed wines have come a long way, says Natalie MacLean, author of the Internet wine newsletter Nat Decants. “Get over your hang-ups about boxed wine being plonk. It’s a great way to go with a large party,” she says. Today’s boxed wines are mostly sold in 3-liter containers, the equivalent of four bottles. And while the quality’s […]
Sommelier Loves Pairing Wine with PEI Shellfish and Seafood
Lesley Quinn, Sommelier, Sim’s Corner Steakhouse and Oyster Bar in Charlottetown, PEI Was wine a part of your family’s meals when you were young? I grew up in a small farming community on Prince Edward Island, with two older brothers. Wine wasn’t a part of our meals at home. However, my mother worked in the tourism industry, and she was host to journalists from around the world. She’d take me with her to meals with them, and it was during one of those dinners, that I had my first sip of wine. Apparently, I described it as tasting like sour grape juice. What […]
Warm Cheddar Pretzels Recipe Paired with Merlot
Cheddar Pretzels Find Comfort in the Cold And just like that, the holidays are over; they’re gone as fast as they came. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing else to look forward to this winter. It may be cold and snowy, but that means you can have fun sledding in the park and skiing. And the best part about that is: you get to have some après-skiing snacks. Like this yummy recipe for Cheddar Pretzels. They’re easy to make, and so, so delicious. Made with Canadian Medium Cheddar, they are the perfect salty, sharp, and savoury snack to warm you […]
Best LCBO Wine Reviews and Ratings: Vintages January 10
You can access the 76 wines that I reviewed for January 10 as a text wine list with my complete tasting notes, scores, food matches. You can also see my wine reviews for December 6. 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 […]
A Wine Lover’s Guide to Becoming a Cheese Addict
I’ve decided. This year, 2015, will be the Year of the Big Cheese. My goal is to learn (almost) as much about cheese as I have about wine. However, wine has a head start of 17 years, thus the qualifier “almost.” This ambitious goal is not based on a great epiphany or even a Road to Damascus realization. However, I had a “come to cheeses” moment. Friends in Toronto sent me a gift box of artisanal cheeses from a local gourmet shop here in Ottawa called Jacobson’s for the holidays. I was fascinated with the various cheeses, and their similar […]
