Meet Your Rainy Day Remedy April showers might bring May flowers, but in the meantime the rainy weather can get a touch depressing. While you’re waiting for the beautiful buds to bloom, cheer yourself up with a bowl of comforting Canadian Creamy Brie and Fresh Mushroom Soup. This deliciously hearty recipe will melt the blues away. While you’re sipping your soup at home, have a glass of wine and watch the rain come down. I recommend a zesty and zingy Riesling like Gunderloch Fritz’s Riesling, or the extra dry Sol de Andes Reserva Especial Syrah to balance out the wet […]
Wine of the Week: Mia Freixenet
As Carrie Bradshaw in the tv show Sex and the City said, “I like my money right where I can see it – hanging in my closet.” I’d agree … almost: I like my money where I can drink it, lying in my cellar. Here’s a bottle that’ll help you shop til the last drop. Cheers, Natalie Sale Ends: April 28, 2013 Sale Price: $11.95 | Save: $1.00 (Usually $12.95) Natalie’s Score: 87/100 Mia Freixenet Spain Lovely, light and floral with peach and apple blossom notes. So pretty. If you like Torrontes or Viognier, try this wine. Nice aperitif or […]
The Great Canadian Wine Match: Recipe Cards, Bottle Neck Tags
Neck tags will be available to wineries and agents whose wines are either nominees and or winners in The Great Canadian Wine Match. These would have the competition logo and category in which the wine is a nominee or winner, such as Best Canadian Beef Wine, etc for seafood, chicken, cheese, pizza or dessert. Please provide your feedback on how to make these as effective as possible: Would you use a neck tag if it were designed for you? Do you prefer portrait (above) or landscape (below) for layout? Both orientations would open to 2 panels inside and there would […]
Best Wines for Your Buck: University of Western Ontario Alumni Magazine
Remember finance class at Ivey? P/E multiples, ROI, EPS … don’t keep those concepts just for your investments. Use them to maximize the present value of your everyday living too. I pride myself in being a wine cheapskate as I don’t think you should pay more for pleasure than you have to. And these days, you don’t have to as you can find terrific wines in the liquor store at great prices. Here are my top five bargain bottles at the moment. Henry of Pelham Estate Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Cathedral Cellar Kwv Chardonnay 2011 Inniskillin […]
Wine of the Week: Cave Spring Riesling
The only reason many families don’t own an zebra is that they have never been offered a dollar down on a zebra and 26 easy weekly payments. You can still earn your shopping stripes with this Wine of the Week, the spritely Cave Spring Riesling. Get to the LCBO before the rest of the herd. Cheers, Natalie Sale Ends: April 28, 2013 Sale Price: $13.95 | Save: $1.00 (Usually $14.95) Natalie’s Score: 89/100 Cave Spring Riesling V.Q.A. Ontario, Canada You simply won’t find a better price/quality ratio among white wines. Gorgeous aromas of vibrant peach, pear and dry apricot. Zippy […]
Funny Wine Quotes + Sayings: Liquid Laughter 5
My grandmother is over eighty and still doesn’t need glasses. Drinks right out of the bottle. ~Henny Youngman How come if alcohol kills millions of brain cells, it never killed the ones that made me want to drink? ~Author Unknown Take life with a grain of salt, a slice of lime, and a shot of tequila. ~Author Unknown They speak of my drinking, but never think of my thirst. ~Scottish Proverb Bacchus has drowned more men than Neptune. ~Giuseppe Garibaldi Drunkenness is nothing but voluntary madness. ~Seneca Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors… […]
Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc, Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir: Best LCBO Wines April 13
Here are my top wine picks from the April 13 Vintages Release. You can also get all 55 of my Best Value Wines and Top Rated Wines for red, white, rose, sparkling and dessert wines that encompass many price points, styles and regions. You can add my wine picks to your shopping list by clicking on the little shopping cart icon. You can also create a custom list just for this release that will be saved in your account. Print a text-only version of the reviews. Here’s my review of Candor Lot 3 Zinfandel published in the April […]
Vegetarian Wines with Sommelier Instructor Video
In our second video chat below, Dave Loan shares some specific vegetarian and wine pairings, such as the Seitan dish above, which is a protein made from high-gluten flour, has the texture of a cutlet and a higher protein value than beef. He coats it in a pecan crust, pan fries it and serves it with a black rice cake, sautéed vegetables, a thick tomato chutney and a robust red wine. Dave also discusses his course on New World wines for the sommelier program at Algonquin College. What’s the most memorable wine and vegetarian pairing you’ve ever […]
Wine and Chocolate Pairing with a Chocolate Sommelier
In my recent column for the Ontario interior design magazine Homefront, I featured wine and chocolate pairings, including an interview with chocolate sommelier Roxanne Browning, who teaches classes on pairing wine and chocolate. You can also watch a couple of video interviews with Roxanne on this topic. What was your first experience with wine? My two brothers and I grew up in Oceanside, California, and neither of our parents drank wine. When we moved to the suburbs of Long Island, New York in the 1970s, drinking was the right of passage for young people. Cheap wine, Boones Farm Strawberry Hill, […]
Wine and Vegetarian Pairing Video
In our video chat below, David Loan, co-owner of Ottawa’s best vegetarian restaurant, Zen Kitchen, chats about pairing wine with vegetarian dishes. In particular, he discusses styles of wine that work well with vegetarian dishes and how both protein and umami play a pivotal role. And why is it that green vegetables always seem to clash with tannic, red wines? Is there any hope for a wine lover when it comes to artichokes and asparagus? Are there any general guidelines you suggest when pairing wine with vegetarian dishes? Are there particular styles of wine that tend […]
