By Gaby Israel Here’s my best cellar wines list for this release as a shopping list that you can print and will show you LCBO stock availability. Top picks $16-$26 #1 choice – Italy – Mazzei Ser Lapo Chianti Classico Riserva 2007 (288530)-$25.95 It’s not that often you see WS rating a wine with 95 and the wine costs $26.00. 2007 (together with 2006) was an outstanding vintage in Tuscany. This Chianti Riserva sounds more than promising. These wines can gracefully age for 8-12 years. I would buy 3-12 bottles. #2 choice – Spain – Arrocal 2009 (067868)-$16.95 This wine […]
Chateau des Charmes: Making wine is not what we do, it’s who we are
By Susan Desjardins A long history of winemaking, dating back seven generations to Alsace, stands behind Château des Charmes. In the 1840s, the Bosc family ancestors were granted land in Algeria, then a French colony. Paul Bosc Sr. was born and married there, eventually working as General Manager of one of the country’s largest and most successful wine cooperatives. With the revolution which led to Algeria’s independence in 1962, the Bosc family found itself evacuated back to France, forced to leave all behind and start anew. The French Algerians, known as ‘pieds noirs’, found it difficult to re-establish themselves, leading […]
Red Wine Glazed Meat Loaf Recipe Paired with Tilia Cabernet Sauvignon
Red Wine Glazed Meat Loaf Not your mother’s meat loaf! A red wine reduced glaze caramelizes on top as the dish bakes. Moist, tender comfort food and the perfect pairing for a full bodied, juicy red wine like Tilia Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina. Red Wine Glazed Meat Loaf Ingredients: For the glaze: 1 ¼ red wine ¼ cup brown sugar 1 tomato, seeded and finely diced 1 tsp molasses pinch of allspice For the meat loaf: 2 thick slices bacon, cut into matchstick sized pieces 1 small onion, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup fresh bread crumbs ¼ […]
Wine and Book Pairings: Breakthrough Research Published in Unquenchable
This decidedly tongue-in-cheek video interview below focuses on the new chapter in the paperback edition of Unquenchable, which hits stores October 23. Find out why wine and book pairing is the new food and pairing and the reason I’ve dedicated my life to this field of research. (Many have tried, but no one makes fun of me like I do.) Here’s the link to online booksellers. In addition to paperback, Unquenchable is also available as an e-book for Amazon’s Kindle, Sony e-Reader, Indigo-Chapters Kobo, Barnes & Noble Nook and Apple iPad. Dorothy Parker said it best: “There’s a […]
Wine Quotes and Wit Round 6
Sometimes when I reflect back on all the wine I drink I feel shame. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the vineyards and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this wine, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, “It is better that I drink this wine and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver.” ~ Jack Handy 24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not. ~ Stephen Wright […]
Toronto Symphony Wine Auction November 8
Toronto Symphony Wine Auction Imagine your delight sipping a fine wine, say a 1990 Chateau Cheval Blanc or a 1999 DRC Richebourg, that you acquired at auction for a fraction of its appraised value. This fantasy could become reality by attending the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Annual Fine Wine Auction on Thursday, November 8. Discover the many gems from around the world that will be up for auction this fall. Share the wine list with your friends, colleagues and followers. We are at: http://tsvc.ca/wineauction The complete auction catalogue will be available for download on October 1. This year’s auction will take […]
Open Wines and Suggestions for What to do Tonight
Open Riesling Gewürztraminer Niagara Peninsula, Ontario: This is an incredible wine for the price point! Joyous notes of peach, peach and lychee. The gewurztraminer really comes through in this blend. Pair with: honey glazed BBQ chicken, Asian fusion, fresh salads, and a variety of soft, mild cheeses. Drink: 2012-2014. 988092 11.50% MD 750 mL $11.95 Score: 88/100. Open Sauvignon Blanc Niagara Peninsula, Ontario: A lovely, subtly flavoured Sauvignon Blanc with white melon and lime notes. Not grassy and there’s no aggressive acidity here. Very pleasant aperitif. Top me up! Pair with: grilled seafood, quiche. Drink: 2009-2013. 178681 […]
Celebrity Wines: Dan Aykroyd, Sonja Smits, Arlene Dickinson
The month’s column in More Magazine focuses on wines made by or endorsed by celebrities such as Arlene Dickinson, Sonja Smits and Dan Aykroyd. Surprisingly, these are well-made wines and range widely in price. Pair them with your favourite movie or television series featuring these stars …
Nova Scotia Wines: Top 25 List
Here are my top 25 wines from Nova Scotia, and like my Top 25 BC Wines, this has been in the works for the last few months. Nova Scotia holds a special place in my heart because I grew up just outside of Halifax, spending my summers in Cape Breton. Although I’ve visited most of the wineries several times when I’m home, I’ll be visiting all of them over the next year again as I start the research for my third book, which will be exclusively about Canadian wines from coast to coast. Nova Scotia’s wine industry may be small, […]
BC Wines: Top 25 List from the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
I’ve been tasting through hundreds of wines for the last few months to select my top 25 wines from British Columbia. This isn’t based solely on numbers, but rather on a broader view of a range of styles and grapes. In fact, wine scores taken out of context are meaningless. I hope that this list will provoke debate, even controversy, as that’s what we need to kick-start a national conversation about the great wines that we produce in this country. What’s easy is sniping from the shadows; what’s hard is taking a stand in the public spotlight for your convictions. […]
