For such a mild-tasting fruit, the avocado has a racy reputation. In its native Central America, the avocado was an aphrodisiac, thanks to its pear shape and creamy flesh. Avocados found their way to California in 1871, where about 90 percent of today’s U.S. crop is grown. The two most widely cultivated varieties you’re likely to find in the grocery store are Hass and Fuerte. Hass avocados have a pebbly skin that starts out green and ripens to purple-black, while Fuerte avocados are green with a smoother skin. The flavor difference is subtle: Hass avocados are smoother with more oil […]
Riesling
Summer has arrived in the United States, which means thousands of bottles of Chardonnay are being uncorked or unscrewed across America. But Chardonnay’s near stranglehold on the American palate may finally be facing its first serious challenge in years from a fellow European ancestor: Riesling. The grape which London wine merchants Berry Bros. & Rudd says accounts for 20 percent of total plantings in Germany, has already made strong inroads among the vineyards of the New World like Australia and the United States. Now Riesling is getting a grip on a share of the drinking market that Chardonnay used to […]
Spring Wines
Just as we put away sweaters and hockey gear at this time of year, replacing them with shorts and golf clubs, so too is it the time to adjust our wine-drinking habits to reflect the changing seasons. “We want to cast off all the heavy, alcoholic, over-oaked wines that might have comforted us and warmed us in the winter,” says noted wine author Natalie MacLean. “Now we want light wines that go with seafood, shellfish … because if you’re sitting out on the deck and it’s hot, the last thing you want is a really hot, alcoholic wine.” The most […]
Biodynamic Wines
Gena Nonini pops open her favorite French oak barrel and siphons off a little brandy. She cuts it with a little water, gives a swirl and then offers a drink. It’s smooth on the palate, with a pleasing hint of caramel, or maple, as Nonini likes to say. She talks of the flavor imparted by barrels with light, medium and heavy toasts. She shows her copper still, which lends a better taste to brandy than a still made of stainless steel, she says. All common talk for a brandy maker, but Nonini isn’t typical at all. This Fresno-area farmer is […]
Champagne 2
Rappers pay homage to it. Marilyn Monroe was rumored to have bathed in it. And it’s probably what’s in your glass when you’re toasting the new year, your anniversary or any other special occasion. Champagne has long been synonymous with luxury. Although it is a sparkling wine, make no mistake — not all sparkling wines are Champagne. The only wines that can bear the name are those produced in the Champagne region of France — an area particularly primed (thanks to cold weather and chalky soil) for creating the more earthy taste that Champagne is known for. (Other types of […]
Raspberry Cocktails
Leave it to Ottawa wine writer Natalie MacLean to advocate vino elbowing out liquor. On a book tour stop in Toronto recently, she asked superstar chef Jamie Kennedy, who is a resident of the budding wine region of Prince Edward County, to whip up a couple of wine-based cocktails to celebrate the launch of her new memoir, Red, White and Drunk All Over: A Wine-Soaked Journey from Grape to Glass. MacLean, who publishes an online newsletter called Nat Decants, collected stories for the book about vineyards from Burgundy to California. She worked as a sommelier in the haute-est of restaurants, […]
Winter Wines
You call it fall but Brian Rosen knows this time of year as red wine season. “Last night, I’m not ashamed to say, I had two bottles of red wine. If it was two months earlier, it could have just as easily been a Gewurztraiminer or a Riesling,” said the 36-year-old Rosen, who shared the bounty with three others. Rosen, owner of Sam’s Wines and Spirits, a longtime family business in Chicago and its suburbs, knows wines. He also knows the Midwest weather. Like Rosen, for a lot of us here, the turning leaves signal more than winter is on […]
Africa Uncorked
Africa Uncorked by John and Erica Platter Africa Uncorked won the coveted Glenfiddich Award. The husband and wife team chronicled their trek across Africa visiting vineyards and meeting winemakers who deal with severe droughts, elephants and antelopes and tribesmen packing AK-47s. A beautifully written travelogue that will make you want to pack your bags and go. Buy it from Amazon Canada: CDN $15.72 Buy it from Chapters/Indigo Canada: CDN $20.96 Buy it from Amazon U.S.: US $24.95 Buy it from Barnes & Noble: US $24.95
World Atlas of Wine
World Atlas of Wine by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson An excellent reference book that should be part of any wine library is the World Atlas of Wine, which has sold more than four million copies since it was first published in 1971. Buy it from Amazon Canada: CDN $59.00 Buy it from Chapters/Indigo Canada: CDN $59.00 Buy it from Amazon U.S.: US $50.00 Buy it from Barnes & Noble: US $50.00
Wine with Food
Wine with Food by Joanna Simon Wine with Food suggests wines to serve with spicy, hot and sweet dishes, as well as the less-challenging, everyday fare. The summary charts at the back of the book are worth the price alone. Buy it from Amazon Canada: CDN $23.80 Buy it from Chapters/Indigo Canada: CDN $22.44 Buy it from Amazon U.S.: US $17.50 Buy it from Barnes & Noble: US $25.00
