Yummy Wine Alert! The Paring, 2008 Pinot Noir

Image from the Paring's website

I just had to take this wee aside from Wine Show Wind Up to tell you about last night's bottle.  I'd hate for you to miss it; it's a Vintages wine, and once they're gone, baby they're gone.  So go get a bottle before they all get scooped up and you're left without!

I had a totally wicked craving for Pinot Noir last night.  And as it happens, our Midland LCBO had only one for sale.  Out of all that wine, one Pinot Noir!  Tsk tsk tsk, Midland LCBO!  Lucky for me, their only one turned out to be a good 'un.  The Paring 2008 out of California is textbook Cali Pinot Noir.  I've said it once, I'll say it again: you can taste the sunshine in Californian wine.  It wasn't quite that light, perfumey Oregon pinot style I love, but not that over-oaked, heavy handed style I deplore.  It was just so well rounded; beautifully refined tannins, woodsy, earthy with raspberry at the start and a little pepper at the finish.  Definately worth the $32 I parted with.

One word of caution: Pinot Noir is an emotion-inducing wine.  Something about it just makes a person feel things deeply.  I've heard it called the world's sexiest wine, which I totally believe, because it just has a way of magnifying the intensity of one's feelings.  And it's not just a sexy thing; something about its earthy quality stirs up intense feelings of all kinds.  If this sounds hocus-pocusy to you, I agree, but it's true nonetheless.  Champagne is for drama, Pinot Noir is for passion.  Unfortunately it put me in a state of 'let's drunk text my sister, and slather on the hero worship whilst degrading myself to the status of lowly serf'.  So Lorri, if you're reading this, my apologies for the pity party.  If it helps any, you might wish to know that I spent a healthy portion of my day sitting with my face to the sun, picking away at my guitar, and contemplating how extremely lucky I am to have such a good life (and forgiving sister).  It's a good antidote for self-pity and wretched feelings of any kind, and I prescribe it to anyone who might be in need of such a tonic.

xoxo

Barb

Wine Show Wind Up--It never ends.

One of the nifty things about the wine show was being able to try multiple samples of the same varietal side by side.  I hardly ever get the opportunity to do this; it would mean buying several bottles, opening them all at once, and well then you're kind of obliged to drink them, aren't you?  That maybe isn't the healthiest thing for the wallet or liver.  Karen and I have done a 3 bottle horizontal rosé tasting, but the least favourite bottle went into the risotto, which left us each a bottle to kill over an 6-8 hour period (no difficulties there!).  Unless you're part of a wine club, you prolly don't do this often either (why is there no wine club in Midland?).  It's a pity, because it's an exercise that's so revealing.  You can really begin to identify the characteristics of a region when you try several examples side by side.

The four of us were already fully 'marinated' by the time we got to the Wines of New Zealand booth, but that didn't stop us from tasting four different Sauvignon Blanc.  What a great exercise!  It was one of those a-ha! moments for me.  So this is what they mean by grassy and pineappley!  I get it!  I think forevermore I will be able to pick up New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc out of a lineup (bring on the blind tasting!).  Lorri called it 'headache wine', I'm guessing because of that sharp acidity, but I think she might have liked these wines much better if they had been paired up with some nice, fatty cheeses.

I didn't get the name of all the Sauv Blanc's, but the one standout I liked was Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough.  It's inexpensive--$15.95--and accessible (LCBO# 426601).  It had those very distinct grassy aromas, with exotic fruit flavours to fill it out a bit.  I'd be inclined to pair this with a rich meal, lobster or simply with a cheese tray.

Right!  We're near the end of Wine Show Wind Up, and I'm saving the best for last.  Next up, I'll introduce you to the most friendly, lovable, generous wine agent and chef, and we three girls renew our commitment to go to Italy.  Stay tuned!

xoxo

Barb

Wine Show Wind Up--Part..what are we at? Six?

Geez, I'm sure getting a lot of mileage out of this show!  I've barely drank a drop since, and it seems I haven't needed to; I gleaned enough material that day to keep me going for awhile. 

ALRIGHT, Sauternes!  Sauternes, Sauternes, Sauternes!  My new love, obsession, indulgence and amber restorative.  It's a wine I've read lots about in my books, but never had the opportunity of it--until now.  So for the uninitiated, here's the skinny on Sauternes:

It begins in the Sauternais region of Bordeaux, where you'll find vines full of Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle bouncing in the Maritime breeze.  This region experiences lots of misty weather and, as a result, has conditions that foster a particular type of mold called botrytis cinerea.  This is different than the mold in your basement, my loves.  This is actually a beneficial mold that creeps over fruit on the vine, making them fuzzy and ugly, and creates conditions for the most fascinating dessert wine you've ever tried.  The mold (once kept a secret by cautious winemakers, now celebrated as the 'noble rot') shrivels grapes, concentrating their flavours, but doesn't steal their acidity.  Grapes are treated extremely gently; harvesters pick only grapes fully affect by the mold.  They make several passes through the vineyard of a period of several days and weeks hunting for moldy grapes, selecting only small bunches and even singletons off the vine.  Essentially, the wine making is done in the vineyard by the botrytis; yields are typically very low (thus accounting for Sauternes high prices.  The world's most famous Sauternes--Chateau d'Yquem--costs hundreds of dollars per bottle in lesser quality years and thousands per bottle in good vintages).  Newer Sauternes are beautifully honey coloured; aged bottles darken in colour, taking on a more amber hue.
So what does this sweet nectar taste like?  Like the sweat on the brow of an angel, that's what.  Sweet honey, peach and apricot flavours are the most prominent.  It's a sweet wine, but not syrupy or cloying because the acidity has been preserved.  In short, it is one of the most capivating wine experiences you're ever likely to have.
At the wine show, we tried the LCBO's upcoming release: Chateau Rieussec 2006 1er Cru.  James Suckling gave it a 93, and describes it as "An intense nose, with vanilla, lemon cream, apple tart and honey.  Full-bodied, very sweet and powerful, with a fabulous finish.  So generous, with layers of delicious, sweet fruit."  Supposedly it'll be best after 2014, but if I had a bottle here right now you'd better believe I'd be tucking into it. 

The LCBO number for this wine is 563395 and the cost is a bargain $52.00/375ml bottle.

Below is a video of me and my adorable dad, talking about Sauternes.  I mispronounce everything, but you should be used to that by now.

Cheers! 

B.

Wine Show Wind Up--Part 5

Have you ever tried raw milk cheese?  I'd never really give the whole raw milk/raw milk cheese thing much thought until I tried some at the show.  Apparently some folks really have their knickers in a knot over the whole raw milk product thing.  If this is all new to you, I'll give you the Cole's notes version on both sides of the argument:

-People who like raw milk products say unpasteurized milk is healthier for you, as helpful nutrients and organisms are killed by pasteurization (that's a fancy word for boiling milk and cooling it down really quickly).  They also say raw milk/raw milk cheese is more digestible and tastes better than pasteurized, and that for hundreds of years people have enjoyed milk this way so what's the bfd already?  Discussion boards on the subject are plastered with comments like "I've drank raw milk all my life and it never did me any harm" or "I never had stomach problems until I moved from the farm to the city and started drinking pasteurized milk" etc etc.. Lots of cheese in European countries is made with raw milk, where the rules are more loosey goosey than here in North America.  These folks argue too that artisan farmers that produce raw milk are cleaner and more careful than evil factory farms.

-People against raw milk products say "Fools!  Have you forgotten that TB and e.coli and listeria killed all kinds of people pre-pasteurization?  The olden days weren't necessarily better you know!" One elderly discussion board participant brought the message home by recalling a story from her youth, of how her mother died and she and her sister became seriously ill by drinking TB infected raw milk. Our government (Canada) forbids the sale of raw milk, but hard raw milk cheeses are perfectly legal, if they've been aged a minimum of 60 days, and farmers can drink raw milk from their own farms.  As for taste, anti-raw milk persons argue that raw milk is simply higher in fat, which would account for why some people find it richer tasting.

My big, fat opinion is this: I get why the government forbids it.  Harm reduction on a large scale is always their biggest concern, particularly when it comes to health and epidemics.  Laws are made to protect the many, not the few, I get it.  But, I don't see why a fully informed person with a desire to drink raw milk couldn't source out a clean, disease-free farm of their choice and go for it.  One could argue that alcohol and gambling machines pose an even greater social threat, and yet the government is our 'dealer' in both these cases.  Could raw milk not come with a warning, a la cigarette packaging?  ANYWAY...

I did try the most exquisite raw milk cumin-infused Gouda at the show, and guess what?  I'm still here!  In fact I think I'm better off for having it; this cheese was so good it has made me absolutely determined to go and investigate raw-milk cheeses further.  It took all my willpower not to run off with the half-wheel sitting on the sample table in front of me.  Made by Adam and Hanny van Bergeijk of Mountainoak Farm in New Hamburg Ontario, this cheese was seriously, seriously to die for.  Their black truffle Gouda was outstanding too.  Adam and Hanny have been making cheese for a looooong time, first in Holland (they know a little something about making cheese over there!) and now here in Ontario.  These nice people are moving, so their cheeses won't be available until later in the year.   Email them at mountainoak@can.rogers.com to find out when/where you can buy their insanely supple, flavourful cheeses.  Below is a clip of Adam talking about Mountainoak cheese:



Next on Wine Show Wind Up--How Sweet It Is: Dad and I drink Sauternes!

Wine Show Wind Up--Part 4

I have not yet had a bad bottle from Ontario's Malivoire winery.  Doubters of Ontario wines take note, Malivoire consistently delivers good wine at a very good value.  And that's kind of what it's all about, isn't it?  I mean, we'd all drink the Mouton-Rothschilds and Chateau d'Yquems if we won the 6/49, but most of us can't afford expensive or even mid-range priced wines on a regular basis.  We want the best wine we can afford; if all we can part with is $10, it should be the best damn $10 bottle we can find.  I've had $30 and $40 bottles that don't hold up to Malivoire's $15 offerings.  So it should be no surprise at all that I was very enthusiastic about the samples enjoyed at the wine show.
Malivoire sampled their Guilty Men red and white, Ladybug rosé and Gamay; I partook in the red and Gamay.  I've had Guilty Men red before, so I just had a little sip and let Lorri and Karen slurrup those samples up (which they liked very much); then it was the straight up Gamay for me.  Wowee!!  I was expecting something much fruiter and lighter but this had a wonderful intense spiciness to it, coupled with deep, ripe red berry flavours.  DELICIOUS!  Malivoire, you've done it again *pat pat pat*  I think you would all do very well to put a bottle or two in your wine racks this spring.  This wine would be superb at a bbq!!  I just popped over to their website, and the '08 Gamay is $17.95/bottle, but you have to purchase at the winery or order a case online.  It'd worth it going splitsies with one or two people on a case of this one!

Here's the winery website: http://www.malivoire.com/ 

Next on Wine Show Wind Up--Raw Milk Cheeses by Dutch-Canadian Dairy farmers.  Are you salivating?  : )

xoxo

Barb

Wine Show Wind Up--Chablis and Oysters Video

Watch me eat oysters and drink Chablis above, then run out and find your own.

xo

B.

Wine Show Wind Up--Part 3

In one of my favourite cookbooks--Obsessions, by the Two Fat Ladies--Jennifer Patterson describes oysters as "..lovely, like kissing a mermaid!"  She is, of course, dead on in her description.  Oysters are as delicious as they are ugly; I think its such an odd coincidence that a food so scrumptious should look like a giant booger, and I can only imagine that the first man to eat an oyster did it on a dare (this would be one of those rare circumstances where the dare didn't horribly backfire!). 

My first introduction to oysters was from my dad and sister. Years ago they brought me to Rodney's Oyster Bar in Toronto, where you can buy every critter that crawls the sea for your gastinomic delight.  We ate tray upon tray of oysters, washed down with raspberry wheat beer from the Kawartha Lakes brewery.  Heaven!  It was there I learned the finer points of oyster cuisine, comparing East and West coast offerings, experimenting with dabs of horseradish and squirts of lemon.  I have to say I am content with absolutely no garnish on my oyster at all; straight up in a puddle of its own juice is just fine with me!  I am partial to Malpeques above all others, and East coast oysters over West coast, but if anyone wishes to challenge me on this please feel free to fly me out to Conneticut or Galway Bay or anywhere else and I'll happily gobble up the challenging oysters for a comparison!

Lorri was the first to spot the giant banner reading OYSTERS at the wine show, and with a crazed gleam in her eye, she ran knees-up across the floor to secure her place in line.  While Lorri was busy loading up on Malpeques, I beelined to the Vintages preview booth just 10 paces away, where I got everyone a nice glass of Drouhin Vaudon Les Clos Chablis Grand Cru 2008.  I'd been dreaming of this moment.  The moment where I'd finally, finally get to have oysters and Chablis together.  I'd had both multiple times, but seperately, and I knew that there could not be a more perfect food pairing in the world.  You often hear of folks pairing oysters and champagne, and that's just fine, but nothing could possibly be more perfect than a knobby, plump, cold oyster--maybe with a teeny squeeze of lemon--followed by a mouthful of stoney, seashelly Chablis.  For the uninitiated, Chablis, a region of Northern Burgundy, used to be entirely under the sea.  The tiny town of Chablis and it's immediate area make the most stunning unoaked chardonnay.  The wine is kept in steel or cement tanks, preserving that wonderful seashell flavour.  The best Chablis is like a razor's edge-- bone dry; it's a sharp balance between minerality and lemony-citrus flavours.  This particular sample fit the bill perfectly, and I can tell you there was a lineup for samples at the booth as word got out.  In fact, the shelf in the neighbouring LCBO store had just two bottles left when we went wine shopping at the end of day, and I don't imagine they had any to pack up and take back with them at the end of show.  No small achievement at $75/bottle!

So there we were, hunkered down at a cafeteria-style table having this otherworldly experience.  Funny, I'd always pictured myself having oysters and Chablis for the first time in some posh bar or restaurant, not out of a plastic container in a food court.  No matter; nothing could have diminished the extrasensory delight of eating these two foods together.  I just feel bad that poor Karen, who detests all seafood.  She had to endure a table full of fishy blobs and discarded shells while Lorri, Dad and I moaned and went on and on about how wonderful it was!

Before I sign off, I will say that I tried another wine at Vintages preview that would also appeal to Chablis lovers.  Domaine Jean-Marc Les Caillerets Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru 2007--phew, that's a mouthful!  But what a nice wine!  It's from further south than Chablis, in Burgundy still, and was more peachy and floral than the Chablis, but still very refreshing.  Like Chablis, but muscled up with fruit a bit.  Again, $75/bottle, so maybe it's a birthday gift to self.

The LCBO #'s for these wines are:  222133 for the Drouhin Vaudon and  205955 for the Domaine Jean-Marc Morey.  These wines are not available quite yet, but look for them later this spring.

Next on Wine Show Wind Up: Malivoire!  I swear they are one of Ontario's most reliable wineries! 

xoxo

Barb

Wine Show Wind Up--Part 2

Okay, so I've already got you hungry for cheese after singing the praises of Thornloe's Camembert and blue goat cheeses (not to mention those curds!  Anne, you're so right!  All others are pretenders to the throne!  And yes, they do squeak!  The squeakiness is all part of the pleasure of eating them.).  But what to wet your whistle with whilst enjoying your creamy blue?  Lucky for us, across the aisle from cheese heaven was the Fielding Estate Winery booth, where we got our mitts on a sample of their upcoming pinot gris. 

I love pinot gris! I don't think I've met a pinot gris/grigio that I haven't liked.  True story, I used to pronounce it pinot 'grig-ee--o', because I am so very, very lame when it comes to languages.  I have trouble saying 'haute couture' too.  It's a disability, I swear.  ANYWAY, no matter how you say it, pinot gris is always soooo refreshing.  It's great for starters and goes with so much.  And this particular example is extra yummy AND it comes from Ontario, so isn't that a nice bonus (I'm looking at you Lorri!)?  Fielding's offering was very honey and citrusey, and tasted really fresh and lovely in the kind of way that you could sip through a bottle in no time.  There was a lovely acidity to it too, that'd cut through those fatty cheeses making for a nice balance.  Now tsk tsk to Fielding Estates for not providing any vintage information, but cheers for giving us the where's and when's and how muches: you can find Fielding Estates Pinot Gris at the LCBO starting in May, LCBO number 223610, and it'll cost you $18.95 for a bottle (nice price!).

Tomorrow on Wine Show Wind Up: Chablis and Malpeques--I can finally cross this one off my bucket list!

xoxo

B.

Wine Show Wind Up--Part 1

Okay peeps, you might think I've been neglecting my wino duties, but if you do you're WRONG!  Nooooo, in fact, I've been a drinkin' and testing and trying loads of the good stuff.  It's all for you, you know.  I don't want you to waste your hard earned dough on something crummy.  See, I'm only thinking of YOU *guffaw guffaw*.

This past weekend I was sipping and stumbling at the Toronto Wine and Cheese Show.  I was accompanied by my three main winos: Karen, Lorri and Dad, man, did we have a good time!  I have so, so, so much to write about, I'm going to have to do it in installments.  I figure we tried at least 20 wines, and noshed on lots of goodies too, so I'm breaking up these posts to make things more organized.

First on the Wine Show Wind Up list: Thornloe Cheese.  Thornloe Cheese is a 70+ year old institution, and part of my family history.  I was thrilled to see them front and centre at the show!  Thornloe is a teeny zibbity-zibbit of a town North of New Liskeard.  When we were kids, my folks would pack us into the car and make the monthly trek from our suburban home in the South, back to the North for a visit with parents and siblings.  We would always break our trip at Thornloe Cheese; in fact, on the ride up it was one of the signals that our journey wouldn't be *too* much longer.  We would get loads of the most delicious cheese curds; I've tried many since but none have ever been as good as Thornloe's.  They also made ice-cream that was better than anything you could ever get at the grocery store (and probably still is). 

And there they were, Thornloe Cheese at the Wine and Cheese show.  Dad was tickled!  And I'm happy to report they are still making top quality cheese, using local fresh milk.  We parted with a few of our show tickets to try their artisinal cheese and WOW.  The standout for me was Evanturel, an ultra-creamy Camembert that has a slightly earthy quality.  We also tried a blue cheese--I think it was blue goat cheese--that was lovely.  And good news, my foodie friends: you can buy Thornloe cheeses online at www.thornloecheese.ca .  Isn't that good news?  Ps. Dad, if you're ordering, buy me a bag of cheese curds.  I want to make sure they're as good as I remember.

Tomorrow I'll tell you about a wine that would go brilliantly with either of the above mentioned cheeses. 

xo

B.

The bottle said "Drink Me."

I had the strangest dream...

I dreamt I broke out into a million hives.  Only it wasn't hives.  It was a thousand tiny little oak barrels.  I panicked, thinking I was having an allergic reaction to something, so I ran for the antihistamine.  Only by the time I got the medicine, the 'oak barrels' were already subsiding.  The allergic reaction that caused my oak barrel rash was already beginning to fade.  I took the antihistamine anyway, just to be on the safe side.

What does this dream tell us?  It says:

a) I think too much about wine.

b) I should refrain from snacking before bed.

c) When a little girl sneaks into 'the middle' after a bad dream, she will pinch and slap you all night, making your sleeping self believe you are having an allergic skin reaction.

After a non-stressful day of playing dollies with my daughter, doing laundry and catching giant snowflakes on our tongues whilst walking to town, I am relaxing with a bottle of Pecchenino 2005 San Giuseppe Barolo.  Barolo is still pretty much uncharted territory for me, but I am willing to explore further if future offerings are as delicious!  It has very pleasing licorice, raisin and red currant flavours, with very smooth tannins.  Nom nom!  Not cheap, if I remember correctly (I think it was in around the $40 mark), but so worth it!

Short and sweet, my pretties.  Next time, I will explore the origins of winegums!

xo

B.

Beware, it'll kick your ass...

Just 2 posts for the entire month of February.  Pathetic.  Miserably pathetic.  Wretchedly, miserably pathetic.  Wretchedly, miserably, inexcuably pathetic.  You get my drift.

If I were a smart wino I would have written this down as it happened, but seeing as my fingers have had a case of the lazies, here's a recap of last month's drink and foodables:

-Karen and I made homemade ravioli a few weeks ago, and I now have a homemade pasta fetish.  Making your own pasta isn't hard; it's just time consuming when you're doing more involved things like stuffing ravioli.  Fettucine would be a breeze!  Still, how zen is it to hang in the kitchen for hours, drinking wine, rolling out pasta and preparing the filling.  We had butternut squash with goat cheese and sage.  Proud to say there was no ravioli leakage this time around.  I absolutely couldn't tell you what we drank; sadly it wasn't memorable, but the rest of the meal was. 

-Realizing I had 5 turkeys in my freezer, I brined one in wine, cranberry and orange.  Hell yes!  I love brined turkeys, you can't fuck them up.  You could cook them within an inch of their lives and they'd still come out perfectly brown and moist as can be.  Also for the first time I overcame my turkey dyslexia.  I have a special talent for roasting turkeys upside-down.  I am aware of it and I still do it.  I think to myself " Self, take the turkey, and put it in the pan the way you think it should go, then do the opposite."  I do this every time, and every time I cook that bastard breast side down.  This time I didn't!  Not only did my turkey turn out gorgeous, I had a wonderful wine to go with it: Masi Costasera Amarone Classico 2006.  This was my first amarone; I learned this wine is made with corvina, rodinella, molinara and negrara grapes.  They are picked super-late so the grapes are busting with sugar.  Then they're spread out and left to dry a bit so the sugar is even more concentrated.  The result is massively concentrated flavours and very high alcohol content. Freaking incredible.  Italy, Italian winemakers, I heart you.  I heart you a lot.  Flavours are a mix of earthy, raisiny, spicy goodness.  Just beware and take care; amarone will kick your ass.  One glass is enough.  Two glasses and you'll lose your underpants.  Three glasses and you'll call your ex-best friend at 2 a.m.  Beware.

-Loving the Masi amarone, I ran out and bought another: Tesdeschi 2006.  Know what?  It was kind of a let down.  At 15.5 % alcohol, I am surprised I have any eyebrows left this wine was so hot.  My tongue was instantly paralyzed.  I just couldn't taste the nuances with a tongue so immobilized by alcohol.  Is this what Newfie screech is like?  I even tried it with strong cheese, as you're supposed to do.  No luck.  At least I don't have to landscape any nose hair for awhile...

-Left over turkey turned into homemade turkey ravioli.  My wee girl had a cold, so I kept her home from school one day, and we spent the afternoon making ravioli--she was in charge of cheese, I did the meat.  This was awesome fun for us both.  She's one of those craft-loving kids who can spend hours doing fiddly things, so this was right up her alley.  How proud was she when her daddy said "You made this?  It's delicious!"  We have a young foodie in the making.

-Visited Dad this week who was quick to open a bottle of Franciscan 2006 Merlot.  Why is merlot out of fashion?  I don't get it.  Merlot is totally easy to drink.  This one had a nice, vanilla oakey flavour.  Note to self (and to all): do not brag about being an anti-merlot snob.  Not only will people think you're behaving like a self-important douchebag, but you'll also be missing out on some very yummy wine.

-Lorri, my brilliant sister who's taking a course at Harvard (that never gets old), went back to Cambridge for a week and had drinks with Eileen, our favourite wine steward.  Eileen, modest Eileen, who I hear is shy about being mentioned in this blog, to which I say phooey, Eileen, you are wonderful and wonderful at what you do and it's all because you LOVE wine as much as anyone can.  Lorri brought back two very special bottles for me to try: a 20 year old white Rioja (it has netting, just like the wine bible said it would!  Squee for authenticity!) and a 5 year old Barolo, which I'm not sure if I'll drink or hold.  Lorri tried and loved both, and said the barolo was pretty muscley, so I *might* hang onto that one for another year *if* I can stand the suspense.

March: wine show, poeple!  Cheese and wine show at the international centre in Toronto!  If you're a Wine Align member you get $5 off of tickets bought online!  So buy your tickets online already!  And don't drink too much Guinness on St.Patrick's Day, because the show starts the very next day!

Done fer now.  Stay tuned for Cambridge wine reviews!

B.

Layer Cake Wines Exercise Program - Part 1

Look everyone! It's the man version of me! In Australia! On the beach! Exercising whilst drinking wine! Mom, why didn't you tell me I had a long lost twin brother?!

Catch-up! Dinner with Janet and Karen and Annie.

So, so, so busy.  Crazy busy.  Koo-koo ka ka busy.  And tired.  Haven't gone this long between posts in a looooong time.  But I'm back, saucier than ever.  In fact, I declare 2011 to be the Year of Sauciness.  This year, make an inappropriate comment at exactly the right (or wrong time).  Wear red lipstick.  Show some cleavage.  Life is short; sauciness makes it so much more...flavourful!  Pour it on thick, my kittens.

In the last 2 weeks I've been preparing for and exhibiting in a trade show.  It's kind of a big deal; I write a lot of my years' business at this show.  Therefore, there's been little time for wine-ing.  But it did go EXTREMELY well, my sweetie peaches.  So happy.  So, so, so happy.  It feels great when people love my artwork and then buy my artwork and then sell my artwork then lather, rinse, repeat.  I am incredibly lucky that I get to make my living by being creative.  Life goal achieved.

So another person who gets to live her life as a creative person/entrepreneur(euse?) is my aunt Janet.  My gorgeous, talented, clever, marvellous aunt Janet, who is a---wait for it---a mustard maker.  Wha? you say.  Mustard maker?  Is this a for real job?  Yes, kittens, yes it is.  You see, there are wine people, and there are chocolate people, and there are coffee people and there are mustard people.  I remember when I first heard about Janet's mustarding 20 years ago and thinking 'quoi?', but I came 'round real quick like upon first taste.  Because, my loves, this mustard--oh this mustard!--this mustard takes you on a magic carpet ride.  Yellow guck from the grocery store, I banish thee to the pits of hell!  Give me Hot Whisky mustard, Wasabi Lime mustard, Creamy Champagne mustard, Honey Tarragon mustard, Canadian Maple mustard...are you drooling yet?  This, my friends, is the condiment that bitch slaps all other condiments.  It's won international awares, y'all.  You so want this mustard.  I will provide you with the link, but not until the end of this post, because you will immediately abandon my blog in search of the perfect mustard.

ANYWAY, Janet was at the same trade show this week, selling her wares, and we finally, FINALLY got to have dinner together.  Mlle K was there, my eager helper and sales seductress (handy to have her there so she could dazzle my French speaking customers in their native language).  We met at the Holiday Inn restaurant at Janet's request. 

Wine list was really nice, but the company was what made the meal.  Janet brought her friend--and now MY friend--Annie.  There are people in this world who you can meet once and then instantly know they are the most decent, genuine kind of person who is a friend for life.  That was Annie.  She rescues animals.  Are there any better people in the world, I ask you, than those who take in abused dogs and cats and make them whole?  Annie has a halo.  Annie is the kind of person that holds up the universe.  Annie is the kind of loving person who stands at your back with pom-poms cheering for Team You.  I so love Annie.

ANYWAY, ANYWAY, food= nom nom.  Wine list was very nice, and I had a nice buttery chard to go with my shrimp and scallop fettuccine.  I talked Janet and Annie into buying a bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir (I told them the Belle Pente story.  Look at blog history for further details.  Life changing experience).  Graciously, both let me have a sip.  Good freaking goblins, there is NOTHING in this world like Pinot Noir from Oregon.  It is so distinct.  One wishes to dab it behind the ears, like perfume.  If you did, I'd follow you around, sniffing your earlobes. This particular PN was Amity 2005 from the Willamette Valley.  As gorgeous as you would expect.  And apparently available at the LCBO (thank-you, Dionysus). We all agreed we should try very hard to go to the Pinot Noir festival.  I'm thinking it'd be a good destination for my 40th next year.  What better place to turn forty, I ask you, than where the sweetest nectar in the world is made.  I am resolved!

ANYWAY, ANYWAY, ANYWAY, more importantly, Karen and I got to pick Janet's brains about Italy.  Janet, who is in many ways living my dream life, goes to Italy twice a year.  If you read this blog regularly, you know that Karen and I fantasize with alarming regularity about going to Italy.  Janet speaks Italian, and hosts a culinary vacation bi-annually in Umbria.  *le sigh*  This year she is thinking about making her fall excursion all about olive oil and harvesting olives.  Can you imagine, harvesting your own olives?  Pressing them into oil?  You should have seen how excited Karen was at the idea, it was adorable.  I so want.  I want to go.  I WANT TO GO.

Final note: Annie, whose family is from Basque, says there is a tradition where if you enjoy a really good bottle of wine with friends, you cut a slot into the cork and insert a dime, and then everyone who partook writes their name on the cork.  Like this:

Janet says she has a drawer full of these.  So soon shall I.

Visit http://www.mustard.ca/ for more information on Mrs. McGarrigle's Mustards and Fine Food Shoppe.

xoxo

'Til next time,

B.

This is what happens when you eat chili before bed.

Okay, before I get to the clip, a quick blurb about what I'm up to.  Light posts lately, I know, forgive please!  I am exhibiting in a trade show which starts Sunday, so there's a lot of scramble! scramble! in the month of January.  Also, I am behaving myself and eating super crazy healthy and drinking no more than 10 oz of wine per day, if at all.  Doesn't leave a whole lot of space for sampling, but I have very much enjoyed Generation Seven from Chateau des Charmes 2009 red this month.  When I first read the list of grapes that goes into the bottle, I thought someone had gotten a bit over-zealous in the lab--Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Gamay Noir.  I know!  Seems like a wacky combo, right?  In fact, it's really nummy.  This is one of those good value wines; I think I paid all of $12 for the bottle, and the wine totally overperforms for the price.  It's in the VQA section, so go find and enjoy.  Score one Ontario!

Okay, the real reason I got off my butt to post was to show you this.  I thought maybe I was having one of those dreams again, the kind you have when you eat chili or cheese right before bed.  Vincent Price as a polar bear selling wine coolers.  Because that makes sense, right?

Enjoy!

Toronto Wine and Cheese Show

Hell yes.

Folks, the Toronto Wine and Cheese show is coming up in March.  Do you think I can get John Szabo to autograph my bosom?

Ticket's are $15 in advance.  I'll be getting a hotel room nearby so we can wine and cheese without having to drive.  Who's in?

http://www.towineandcheese.com/

2011 Spring Show


Friday March 18 to Sunday March 20, 2011

International Centre, Hall 5

6900 Airport Rd., Mississauga

Friday: Noon - 10 p.m.
Saturday: Noon - 10 p.m.
Sunday: Noon - 6 p.m.

Wine shoe revisited

What a month so far!  Besides having a gold-star hangover on New Year's day, I managed to give myself food poisoning, and had a kid sick at home this week.  Oh, and there's a mountain of work to do before the gift show at the end of the month.  Needless to say, wine has not been on the menu for almost two weeks now.

Now that I've chased the evil micro-invaders out of my stomach, I should be back to wine reviewing in no time.  Meanwhile, I can't believe I forgot to tell you all this: at Christmas, I opened a bottle of wine with a shoe!  Remember that wine shoe video that was going around a few months ago?  Well, we were in a pinch with a broken cork, so I borrowed dad's shoe, headed out to the garage and gave it a go--and what do you know, it worked!

I will have to repeat for the video camera sometime, but meanwhile, please enjoy this drunk French dude doing the very same thing out on the street.  At around :51 he bends over to pick up his shoe, and I thought for sure he was going to land on his ass.  Apparently drunk Frenchmen weeble and wobble, but they don't fall down.

Enjoy!

The cure for champagne is...

...champagne!  And lots of it.  If you find yourself jonesing for the bubbly, do what Karen and I did on the first day of 2011 and kill four bottles of the sparkly stuff.  Guaranteed to make you not want anything bubbly for at least 4 days.  Or at least that"s true for some of us.  While I lay in bed having a near death experience, Karen popped in to coo and pat my head and feed me gingerale, with barely a scratch to her liver!  It's those good French genes, I tell you!  Karen, you were meant to drink champagne EVERY DAY, preferably on a chaise lounge, in a satin dress and feather mules.

ANYWAY, I reveal my champagne-drinking inadequacies not to garner any sympathy (I deserve none), but rather to share with all my lovely precious-doves (you) the different bubbles that led to my near-demise.  Now I've been saying champagne, but truthfully I don't think any of our bubbles were actually champagne!  Ah yes, it's all coming back to me now; we drank alternate bubblies on purpose to sample fare from different countries!  Starting with

MezzoMondo Sparkling Rosé from Italy



With nice, fine bubbles and all the yummy goodness of the berry patch, this off-dry sparkler was a nummy way to start the night.  When that bottle went bye-bye, we moved on to...

...Mumm's Napa Brut Prestige.  We've had this before, and I was looking forward to the repeat.  I swear on my life you can taste the sunshine in this wine!  Light as a fairy, fruity as a fashion designer. 

Next up we have Bottega Brut Prosecco from Italy...



The design on the bottle is a bit sperm-like, so I already know you sluts out there are going to be all over it *heh heh heh*!  But seriously folks, it truly was the best find of the night. (Know-Nothing wine education alert: Prosecco is the grape in this delicious offering.  According to Karen MacNeill's Wine Bible, Venetians quaff spumante prosecco every afternoon as a 'pick me up'.  How civilized!) This is what I would say is a good value wine.  It had lovely, never-ending fine bubbles, was just the right amount of dry and a pleasing acidity that made it very refreshing.  AND it was a mere $12.95!  Bargain!  I am making this my default sparkler until further notice.

Still adding to the mix, we tried a wee bottle of Freixenet Brut Cordon Negro Cava.  It's those little black bottles of sparklies you'll see at the cash counter in the LCBO.  This was my first foray into the world of cava.  I think I need to keep searching.  The most memorable thing about it was asking Trevor to please help me open this bottle (as I was beyond tipsy at this point), only to have him discover that underneath its faux plastic stopper lay a screw top!   Hardly any bubbles at all, and they were 'frog-eyes' at that (big, clumsy bubbles, not those lovely fine streaming bubbles you'll find it finer offerings).

Lastly was a bottle of President's (This was my affordable drink of choice as a young acting student.  I remember drinking the pink version once at a closing-night party for a play, and having a killer hangover the next day.). We intended it for orange juice, but what to do?  We had cleaned up our other fare.  So chug a lug.  And you know, it wasn't that bad.  Not really.  You could do worse.

I am much recovered, and frankly, not drinking ANY wine at all.  I have a feeling the next few posts will be largely academic, rather than actual wine reviews.  And that's ok, right?  I mean, it's the new year--we're all being a little extra good right now...at least for another 2 weeks until we all decide dieting and exercise in large doses is BORING and go back to our wicked ways.

Wicked me, signing off,

B.