It’s one of my favourite times of the year! Not only because October is my birthday month, but because Thanksgiving is one of my favourite food-and-wine holidays. AND it’s Libra season, when calm and balance are key. Now if only we could get past this darned Mercury retrograde…
Continue readingCategory: Wine and food pairing (Page 1 of 3)
This month, the French Winophiles are exploring French grapes grown around the world. To keep it local, I am focusing on glorious gamay from Niagara, Ontario!
Continue readingHave you ever been to Barcelona? If so, you’ve been just a hop, skip and a jump away from the Penedès winemaking region in Catalunya. Though it is best known as the home of cava (i.e. Spain’s version of Champagne), there is a huge range of amazing wines coming out of this region. Today we’ll be exploring its innovative winemaking, and tasting Familia Torres’ Gran Coronas Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon.
Continue readingAhh Provence. Those of you who know me well know that this is a region that is close to my heart, since half my family lives there. When it comes to wine, the area is best known for its rosés, but its reds should not be overlooked. Today, the French #winophiles and I are exploring these hearty red wines from Provence. I’ll be tasting Château Calissanne’s Rocher Rouge.
Continue readingHappy Hour: Friday, February 12, 7:30 pm EST
For our next virtual happy hour, we’ll do a quick recap of wine tasting, and up our game with some food and wine pairing basics!
Continue readingIt’s the time of year where we all start thinking about bubbles! Whether for gift‑giving purposes, or just to open in honour of surviving another day, there is a bubbly for every occasion. To that end, I have compiled a list of the top Ontario sparkling wines to get you through the holidays and celebrate the New Year. I think we can all agree that it’s time for this godforsaken year to come to an end already (don’t let the door hit you on your way out, 2020!).
Continue readingPeople often tell me they don’t like Ontario wines.
I understand where they’re coming from. Many Ontario vines are babies in the grand scheme of things. They haven’t had time to settle into the terroir and establish themselves, so the wines they produce may not be at the same level as Old World wines that have been around forever.
That said, there are many wineries in Ontario whose vines have been around long enough to make absolutely stellar wines. Today I am sharing four stunning Niagara wines, one from each wine group (sparkling, red, white, and rosé!). Let this be a reminder to all the skeptics that it’s time to try Ontario again.
Continue readingDid you know that Côtes du Rhône wines are some of the most popular blends in the world? And then there is Côtes du Rhône Villages. What’s the difference? Is one really better than the other? This month, as part of the French #winophiles meet-up, I set out to investigate Côtes du Rhône Villages. As in any legitimate experiment, this involves tasting some examples of the different classifications to see if the wines at the top of the “quality” pyramid really are tastier.
Continue readingHow is summer almost over? The days are already getting depressingly shorter. Sunset at 7:30? No fair! It feels like we were all just getting the hang of summer living in COVID times. But despite this crazy year, we can’t stop the passage of time. So here are my red, white and rosé top summer wine picks (all under $25!) to send summer off in style:
Continue readingThe senses can be a truly powerful force. I recently opened a bottle of Vernaccia di San Gimignano and found myself in Tuscany! Read on as I recount our last evening in Tuscany and the amazing farm-to-table meal at Fattoria Poggio Alloro.
Anyone else embarking on wine travel these days?
I love drinking a wine and being transported to far-off places through the sensations on my palate.
Continue readingI’m talking about pulling the cork and being whisked away to a foreign land by the bouquet. You close your eyes and with that first sip you can hear the Mediterranean breeze whispering through the olive trees.
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