by Erin The other day my sister brought along a friend to a trade tasting. Her friend, a self-described novice, but with a keen interest in knowing more, asked to join us, looking to glean a tip or two. When we were introduced he immediately apologized for his “gauche” sweet wine preferences, and throughout the...
by Erin Taste Ontario rolled into Toronto this week for its annual big-city love-in for the province’s wineries. It’s one of the few tasting’s Courtney & I would not miss and we were there with glass-in-hand, offering air-kisses and hugs while we tasted out way through familiar favourites, and discovered some new ones. Here’s a...
by Erin This morning I was busy decorating for fall. Sure, I am a bit neurotic to decorate for the seasons as my “friends” tell me, but fall is, without a doubt, my absolute favourite time of year. I love that I can now make small movements without breaking into a sweat, and I breath...
by Erin Our mom says it’s always good to try new things, so when the Wines of Brasil sent out an invite for a tasting downtown Toronto, we couldn’t think of a better way to spend a couple hours on a Tuesday afternoon. Brazil is a burgeoning wine region; the website says it’s been around...
By Erin We spent the weekend at a couple of bridal shows, and wow, what an eye opener. As someone who’s never been married or even paid much attention to weddings (even when I was in them, I was known as the go-with-the-flow bridesmaid), I never realized the choice facing brides today: an contemporary or...
Friday night in Rosedale. The line flowing out of All the Best Fine Foods on Yonge St. stretches for several stores. Television crews wade through the crowd, and grown adults clutching newly purchased and well-loved cookbooks are giddy with anticipation. Lidia Bastianich — the beloved matriarch of Italian cooking in America — is in town...
As a sommelier I am frequently asked about organic and biodynamic viticulture practices. Friends and guests often want to know if organic wines taste better, and if they are better for you. The answers to these questions are not so simple – there are many variables like: who is the producer? Where is it from?...
It’s the most romantic time of the year. Everywhere loving couples are stocking up on boxes of chocolate and bottles of wine to demonstrate their desire for one another. This most amourous day (which, by the way, happens to be Erin’s birthday), got us to thinking: what bottle would we bust out to impress the...
The other day a colleague and I were swapping notes form our vacations in Italy. Mine, taking place 2 summer ago, saw Courtney and I bombing around the Tuscan country side in a 6-gear Renault, stuffed to the gills on cinghiale (wild boar) and pecorino cheese. His, taking place last spring, had him trattoria hoping...
We’re in the grips of a cold snap here in Toronto — having just come out of a couple breathtakingly cold days of minus 20 degree weather, and if the forecasters are to believed, about to head into a week where the balmiest temps will hover around minus 9. This is the time of year...
