Fall & Stormy Today’s aptly named cocktail comes from one of our favourite barkeeps, Shaun Layton from Vancouver’s L’Abbatoir. Erin’s used the talented Mr. Layton for many of her pieces in theloop.ca, and felt it was high-time he made a guest appearance here on our blog. Being that it is a cloudy, sort of damp...
Q “How long will a wine last once it’s opened?” – Tanya, a participant in a recent bridal shower wine tasting A Well Tanya, that all depends on the wine, as frustrating an answer as that is. Wines deteriorate at varying speeds once they come into contact with the air, and everyone’s tolerance of this...
It’s is one chilly weekend here in Toronto. Rainy and grey, forecasters say we’ll be lucky to see double digit temperatures. Time to dig out the thick sweaters, Hunter boots, red wine and Dutch Ovens. This calls for comfort food. Red Wine Braised Ribs Serves 4 When we think comfort food, braised meats comes pretty close to...
Luccarelli Negroamaro, Puglia 2012 $9.94 LCBO 380972 This week’s Wine for the Weekend travels to Italy with a little-known grape called Negroamaro. Literally meaning “black bitter,” this wine is anything but, though it does offer soul-warming vinous comfort for what looks like will be a very autumnal weekend. With short ribs braising in the oven right now...
It’s fr-fr-fr-freezing outside! Last night was so humid – albeit rainy – that the air conditioner was *this* close to be turned on … this morning, waking up to wide-open windows and a brisk breeze whipping through the house, it’s definitely time to pull on a sweater. In honour of the grey and chilly September...
Corked adj. |kôrk| A common question of wine drinkers is, “how can I tell if my wine is corked?” The good news is once you know what you’re looking for it can be strikingly obvious, but the news is, sometimes cork taint is very subtle and tough to pick out. Wines become corked when they come into...
Earth and Sky Riesling, VQA Niagara on the Lake, 2011 $14.95 LCBO 343350 It’s feeling more like the middle of August right now in Toronto, rather than the start of September. At 41℃ with the humidity, we’re currently under a heat warning – a sticky, sweltering, sweaty heat warning. Well, since in our humble opinion,...
Our cocktail this week is the Aperol Spritz. Remerging in popularity, it artfully blends sweet and bitter, and is perfect for these hot, humid, sticky, sweaty days … that we were supposed to be enjoying in August. These stunning photos and easy-as-pie recipe comes from Prairie Rose, the mastermind mixologist behind the fabulous blog, Bit...
Decant verb \di-ˈkant, dē-\ On today’s Wednesday Wine 101, we’re discussing decanting; when you should do it and why. From Merriam Webster: to pour (a liquid, especially wine) from one container into another Full Definition of DECANT transitive verb 1 : to draw off (a liquid) without disturbing the sediment or the lower liquid layers 2 : to...
It’s Day 2 of Back to School Week, and while we’re positive schedules will get into a reasonable chaotic rhythm shortly, we are currently contending with the general upheaval of a hard stop to summer and acceleration into fall. When our agendas really hit the fan, it’s imperative to stay organized and on top of things....
