Pull Up a Chair for Friendsgiving
Thanksgiving is this weekend, but it’s also Friendsgiving and Come Over October.
Come Over October is a global movement that’s changing how we gather. It invites us to break free from scrolling on our phones and rediscover the magic of real connection, by having the people who matter most come over.
Here to help us with who we should invite and what to pour is Natalie MacLean, editor of Canada’s largest drinks review site at nataliemaclean.com.
Welcome, Natalie.
Great to be back with you! Friendsgiving is Thanksgiving without the seating chart. That’s why Come Over October pairs so well with it.
Pull up a chair, invite someone over and open a bottle. So, we’ve pulled up a few chairs and each one is waiting for a different guest, who gets their own drink.
Who’s sitting in the first chair?
Toi Toi Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2025
Marlborough, New Zealand
That’s the friend you’ve been meaning to catch up with. It’s been too many months, so pour them something worth the wait.
Toi Toi is a family-owned New Zealand brand named after a native flowering grass. That grass thrives in all kinds of landscapes. It inspired wines that taste of where they grow.
This Reserve comes from several blocks of their Calrossie Vineyard in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley. They bought the vineyard in 2022. These are the parcels they chose as their top expression of the 2025 vintage.
The grapes were picked in the cool of the evening to keep them fresh. Most of the wine was made in stainless steel, with a small amount fermented in barrel for texture and complexity.
Reserve doesn’t mean heavy or oaky. This wine is still lively, unmistakable Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. It’s only $24.95 at the LCBO and I rated it 96 points.
Feel free to try the Toi Toi Reserve Sauvignon Blanc.
You’ll get lime, fresh green herbs and a hint of jalapeño. Then comes nectarine with a subtle coastal note.
It’s bright and refreshing, with enough texture to hold its own beside a meal. Serve it chilled, around 8 to 10 degrees.
It’s a lovely white for the Friendsgiving table. How about a warm goat cheese salad with roasted beets while you finally catch up at the dining table?
More Pairings
- Potluck prawn skewers with lime, ginger and fresh herbs: The prawns char on a hot grill until pink and lightly smoky. A squeeze of warm lime and a shower of coriander and mint finish them, while the ginger meets the hint of jalapeño in the glass.
- Long-table pan-seared trout with lemon and dill: The skin crisps golden in a hot pan while the flesh stays moist and flaky. Lemon and fresh dill pick up the herbs in the wine.
And who gets the second chair?
Monin Autumn Collection
France
Monin Coffee Collection
France
This one might surprise you. It’s your barista, the one person who knows your tastes better than most of your friends do.
Baristas and bartenders have trusted Monin for generations. Georges Monin started the company in France in 1912. He loved hosting family dinners, and he wanted the drinks to taste as good as the food.
Three generations later, Monin is still a family company. Now you can make café-quality drinks at home.
The Monin Autumn Collection has five mini bottles to flavour up to 15 drinks, including Pumpkin Pie, Cinnamon Bun, Caramel Apple Butter, Cranberry and Brown Butter Toffee.
The Monin Coffee Collection features café classics including Caramel, Amaretto, Hazelnut, Irish Cream and Vanilla to elevate any coffee experience.
Together, these two collections provide a versatile assortment for flavour discovery in hot and iced beverages, mocktails, coffees and desserts. They make a lovely host gift and are easy to take with you when you travel during the holidays.
They have no gluten, dairy or alcohol, they’re non-GMO, kosher, and only $18 each at monin.ca.
Feel free to try the Monin Hazelnut Iced Coffee.
It’s espresso and Monin Hazelnut over ice with cold milk. It’s nutty, with a rich caramelized finish.
Add Pumpkin Pie syrup to half-and-half and club soda, and you’ve got a pumpkin pie cream soda. For a toast, stir a little Caramel Apple Butter into a glass of sparkling wine.
Use sparkling apple cider for anyone who isn’t drinking. Either way, pour it with apple crisp at the kitchen island.
Recipes
Monin Hazelnut Iced Coffee
- 20 mL (2/3 oz) Monin Hazelnut Syrup
- 60 mL (2 oz) espresso
- 100 mL (3 1/3 oz) cold milk
- Ice cubes
Garnish: A sprinkle of coffee powder
Stir the syrup and espresso together in the glass. Pour in the cold milk and stir gently. Add ice. Garnish and serve.
Monin Caramel Apple Sparkler
- 1/2 oz (15 mL) Monin Caramel Apple Butter Syrup
- 6 oz (180 mL) sparkling wine, or sparkling apple cider
- Glass: 12 oz (360 mL) wine glass
Garnish: Apple slice
Pour the syrup into the glass. Top with sparkling wine or cider. Stir gently. Garnish with an apple slice.
Monin Pumpkin Pie Cream Soda
- 1 oz (30 mL) Monin Pumpkin Pie Syrup
- 2 oz (60 mL) half-and-half
- 4 oz (120 mL) club soda
Glass: 16 oz (480 mL) tall glass
Garnish: Whipped cream, a cinnamon stick and a dusting of cinnamon
Fill the glass with ice. Add the ingredients in the order listed. Pour into a second glass and back to mix. Garnish and serve.
More Pairings
- Friendsgiving chocolate truffles: Dark chocolate ganache is rolled by hand and dusted with cocoa. They stay cool and firm on the outside, then melt slowly into the warm latte with each sip.
- Brunch-table coffee cake with cinnamon streusel: The crumb is soft and tender, with a crunchy brown sugar streusel baked on top. A warm slice sits beside a hazelnut caramel latte the morning after the big dinner.
Who takes the third chair?
The Good Earth Big Fork Red
VQA Four Mile Creek, Ontario
That’s your next-door neighbour. They get The Good Earth Big Fork Red from Niagara, because Come Over October is also about supporting local.
My grandfather always had an extra chair beside him on the porch. Neighbours would drop by and sit in it. Unexpected, uninvited, yet welcome.
Well, mostly.
The Good Earth was one of Niagara’s first farm-to-table wineries. It started as a small working farm, where food has always come first.
The Big Fork name says it all. This is a red made for a full table.
It’s a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The Merlot comes from 30-year-old vines. The grapes were picked and sorted by hand.
Each grape was fermented on its own in small open-top tanks. The wine then spent more than 16 months in French oak. Only 410 cases were made.
The winery’s restaurant is on OpenTable’s list of Canada’s Top 100 Restaurants. The Good Earth is part of the Carmens Group family, which also runs hotels. That makes it an easy weekend getaway.
It’s only $24 at the winery and online shipped right to your doorstep. It arrives at the LCBO for the first time early next year.
Choosing a Canadian bottle supports the wineries, hotels, restaurants and communities behind it. Canadians choose Canadian wine only about 30% of the time. The French drink their own wine 83% of the time.
We have room to grow. The Good Earth shows what’s at stake, with a farm, a restaurant and hotels all behind one bottle.
Feel free to try The Good Earth Big Fork Red.
You’ll smell ripe blackberry, raspberry and plum. Toasty oak, caramel and baking spice sit underneath.
On the palate, there’s blackberry, plum and mulberry with a touch of smoke. It’s smooth, with enough weight and grip for a holiday meal. Can you picture it beside a bubbling pan of lasagna on a long table set for twelve?
More Pairings
- Potluck braised beef short ribs: The ribs braise low and slow in red wine and stock until the meat falls from the bone. The glossy, savoury sauce meets the wine’s smoke and dark fruit.
- Potluck maple-glazed root vegetables: Carrots, parsnips and sweet potato roast until the edges caramelize. A glossy coat of maple syrup and cracked black pepper goes on while they’re still hot.
Natalie, these suggestions are fantastic! Any final words of wisdom for our viewers?
It’s Come Over October so pull up one more chair.
Let’s raise a glass: Here’s to open doors, open bottles and open hearts. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you, Natalie! Where can we find you and these wines and drinks online?
On Instagram, I’m at @NatalieMacLeanWine and online, my website is nataliemaclean.com.
Come for the comfy chairs, stay for the kitchen cheers.
Posted with permission of CTV’s CP24 Breakfast Show. Please drink responsibly.
