Taste of Winterlude begins later this week featuring 50+ restaurants with 3 course prix fixe menus and a number of exclusive fine dining experiences.  Visit winterlude.gc.ca/taste for all the info including details about the Feb 17th Ontario Winter WineFest featuring 23 wineries from Ontario at the NAC.

Too busy to cook?  The Red Apron is a brilliant business that offers a fresh meal service for delivery or pick-up, plus a retail store well stocked with a selection of fresh and frozen prepared meals, fresh bread, local preserves and sweet treats.  And here’s the big bonus - they cook all of their meals from ’scratch’!   Their philosophy is to give clients an opportunity to rediscover the taste of good food that takes time to prepare, and to get people ‘back to the table’ around fresh, wholesome meals made with local and seasonal ingredients.  The Red Apron cooks with local, hormone and antibiotic free meat, organic dried goods (beans, pasta, rice, flour, sugar), and fresh produce from local growers.  You can check them out at www.redapron.ca, or at their retail shop at 571 Gladstone Avenue. 

Jennifer and Jo-Ann, the lovely ladies at the Red Apron, have shared with us a simple seasonal recipe for Ratatouille Strudel.  Here’s the recipe, and read on below for my wine picks!

 Ratatouille Strudel 

La Vendemmia is Ottawa’s annual celebration of Italian wine and food.  We’re thrilled to be working on this series of events once again this year and we’ve just released the 2009 calendar which you can view online here.  Here are some of this year’s highlights:

Guest Chef Mario Pingue joins us for our headlining event, a cooking demonstration and dinner. Known best for his artisan charcuterie products, including melt-in-your-mouth prosciutto produced right here in Ontario, we think it rivals some of the best we’ve tasted from Italy and we invite you to taste for yourself.  Mario is also a talented chef, who will be preparing a delectable menu using some of his Niagara Specialties products on Thursday September 17th at Divino Wine Studio.

Atelier Restaurant, one of Ottawa’s most talked-about and our only “tasting menu only” restaurants, is hosting a special tasting menu inspired by classic Italian Flavours.  To make things even more interesting, each of the 12 courses will be paired with a variety of Italian sparkling wines.  Join us for this tasty Vendemmia kick-off on Monday September 14th.

The Signature Grape Stomp relay is your chance to stomp grapes and raise money for the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation 11am-2pm Sunday September 20th.  Round up a team of 4 people and enter online.

Taste Little Italy is our signature closing event and offers your best opportunity to taste the wide range of delicious treats available on Preston Street.  Set up wine and food show style, we can’t imagine a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  Taste Little Italy takes place on Sunday September 20th at Sala San Marco and features restaurants from Preston Street, Italian wine samples, and your ticket also includes admission to the Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar Showcase that takes place simultaneously next door at Divino Wine Studio.

For more information visit www.prestonstreet.com/lavendemmia/,  email lavendemmia at prestonstreet.com or call 613-715-9399 x 101.

The California Wine Fair is coming to Ottawa for the 27th year.  You don’t want to miss this opportunity.

Date: Friday, April 13, 2007    Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Place: The Westin Hotel 11 Colonel By-Drive

Vic Harradine from www.winecurrent.com  writes,
“There are over 350 wines to be tasted from more than 100 wineries. Taste those from wineries that have developed a strong following year after year e.g. Heitz, Bonny Doon, Cline, Ironstone, Rosenblum and others.  Look for all the popular brands – Beringer, Gallo, Mondavi, as well as a whole host of premium wineries you seldom see and hardly ever get to taste – Far Niente, McManis Family Vineyards, Schug, Treana and Murrieta’s Well, for example. There also dozens of others waiting for you to discover.

This is the 27th Annual California Fair and largest contingent of California wines ever assembled in Canada. There is no individual charge for any tasting or cuisine items (cheese, crudités) once your admission fee of $55.00 is paid. This event is very popular and is sold out virtually every year.  No tickets are sold at the door.”  For more information, call: 1 -800-558-CORK(2675) or (905) 336-8932 or email at calwine@sympatico.ca or log on to www.calwine.ca.