Burrowing Owl Cabernet Franc, VQA Okanagan Valley, BC 2012 $43.95 Vintages 349019 Cabernet Franc is one of our favourite varietals – and Burrowing Owl is one of our favourite BC producers. Too bad we don’t see it more often here in Ontario, but we have it on good authority that there is plenty in stock...
A. Can you decant white wine? Q. This is a free country and you’re an adult, so you can decant anything you’d like. But absolutely, yes, you can – and in many cases – should decant white wine. As we discussed a few weeks ago, decanting helps to aerate the wine, meaning allow oxygen to...
By now, you have probably heard of the wine order fiasco at celebrity chef Bobby Flay’s steakhouse. If not, here’s the punch line: a man asked for a recommendation for a bottle of wine for his table, the server suggested one, he asked how much and allegedly got the reply “37-50.” He gave it the...
Chicken Cacciatore and Chianti Sunday Supper is a weekly blog post highlighting the dinners we make for our family and friends. The inspiration came from the simple fact that nearly every Sunday we get together to break bread, relax and recharge. The recipes we share are our personal favourites, and since no meal is complete...
Beaujolais Nouveau This is a fun time to be a wine drinker in France. For that matter, if you’re a wine lover who doesn’t take yourself too seriously, then it’s a fun time to be a wine drinker here, too. The third Thursday of November is the release day for Beaujolais Nouveau. Everywhere from the...
Q. What’s the proper level wine should be poured? A. While members of your book club may offer generous high fives for your ability to pour until the wine trembles at the very top of the glass, yet not tumble over the edge (and to be fair we would high five your efforts as well),...
Warm Butternut Squash and Lentil Salad with Chardonnay This week’s Sunday Supper takes up a few more pans than the one-pot wonders we’ve been whipping up as of late, but we promise the effort is still safely in the easy category. Looking for something healthy yet still substantial, and of course tasty, we remembered a...
Rocca delle Macie Chianti Riserva, Tuscany, Italy, 2010 $15.95 LCBO 111641 Not a bad little weekend sipper at a tidy price. Pouring brick garnet, the nose shows advanced aromas of aged red fruits, prune, leather, and clove. The palate is medium bodied, with fine-firm tannins, balanced acidity and earthy flavours of leather, tamarind, sour cherry...
The Sidecar This beauty is what we were sipping yesterday for National Happy Hour Day. Yep, there truly is a National Day for just about anything and National Happy Hour Day has to be one of our all-time faves. In fact, we’re thinking about hitting up change.org to make it a stat holiday. Like...
Q. Can you tell a wine is corked by smelling the cork? A. Yes. When a wine has been affected by TCA, the cork will often smell, well, more … corky. For some time now, people in the know would roll their eyes at a diner smelling the cork when presented to him or her...
