The Wines of OntarioWinter WineFest is part of the Taste of Winterlude Fine Dining Experiences programming. It’s a casual cocktail style tasting with a serious list of wines and 23 confirmed Ontario wineries.
Hosted at the National Arts Centre in the Panorama room with views of the Rideau Canal it promises to be one of the highlights of the Taste of Winterlude Program.
** groovy grapes clients and friends we’ve arranged for a couple of special benefits for you. Email sean at groovygrapes.com and ask about Your Personal Restaurant Conceirge (we’ll recommend restaurants for you to check out during Taste of Winterlude) as well as a special rate on the Feb 17/10 Winter WineFest.
Just had a really good question come in about what’s your favourite value wine pick.
Of course value is a matter of opinion but for the purpose of this post I’m going to look at something we’ve tried recently that is the under $10 price range.
I stopped by the Wines of Spain booth during the Ottawa Wine and Food Show and sampled a number of really interesting wines. I was pleasantly surprised by a red wine from the region of Yecla in Spain. The fact that it’s whopping $8.90 is quite amazing. I think it delivers twice the value. The grape is monastrell (or mourvèdre) and it’s typically a blending grape so I haven’t seen many single varietal versions. We picked up a few bottles to have around and it’s a guilt-free go to red for everything from burgers and pizza to braised and bbq meat. Leave us a comment if you pick it up to let us know what you think. BODEGAS CASTANO LA CASONA MONASTRELL LCBO 143743 | 750 mL bottle Price: $ 8.90
Listen in as I chat with Katfish and the rest of the morning crew over at LIVE 88.5 - we’re talking La Vendemmia, but keep on listening through the out-of-date event info (sorry about that!) for some great ideas for simple Italian nibbles you can pick up, throw on a platter, and serve with Italian wines to match. Click here for the audio clip.
TOMMASI CHIARETTO 2008
VINTAGES 685057 | $12.95 | Veneto, Italy
(paired with homemade bruschetta from Luciano’s Fine Foods, 106 Preston Street)
VILLA RUBINI SCHIOPPETTINO
Consignment only - $19.95 (contact us if you’re interested in ordering)
(paired with Pingue Prosciutto, available at fine food shops including La Bottega, Nicastro shops, and The Piggy Market)
SANTERO BRACHETTO D’ACQUI
VINTAGES 119495 | $16.20 | Piedmont, Italy
(paired with “Turtles” - chocolate pots de crème with caramel and nuts, homemade at Pasticerria Gelateria Italiana, 200 Preston Street)
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
This is a recipe we developed to make use of all those beautiful local vegetables which are at their peak in September. We have often modified this recipe by adding either White or Black Beans, and substituting Aged Cheddar or diced Brie for the Mozzarella. This Strudel makes a wonderful Vegetarian Main Course, or can be an elegant appetizer to start off a fall feast!
2 medium tomatoes diced
2 large garlic cloves, diced
½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium eggplant, cut into cubes
1 large onion medium diced
1 bell peppers (green, red, or yellow), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium zucchini quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick pieces
2 cups of shredded mozzarella
1 or 2 puff pastry sheets thawed (depending on size – ours are 10×15)
1 egg (for egg wash)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1. Cook onions in 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Transfer onions to a large colander which is placed over a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and cook bell peppers until softened. Transfer the peppers to the colander with the onions. Continue this process with the eggplant and the zucchini. Finish with the tomatoes and transfer to the colander. Let the vegetables drain while they cool.
2. When the vegetables are cool, transfer to a large bowl and add salt and pepper to taste, and mix in the mozzarella. Lay out your puff pastry sheet on a sheet of parchment directly on a baking sheet with the long side facing you. Mound the ratatouille mixture down the middle of the sheet from one end to the other, leaving enough room for the puff pastry to close with a 1 inch overlap. Fold one edge of the puff pastry up and over the mound, and egg wash the other edge. Roll the strudel over so that the puff pastry seam is on the bottom and the edges overlap one inch. If you have enough filling, make a second strudel.
3. Brush the top of the strudel with the remaining egg wash. Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 25-35 minutes, until the puff pastry is golden brown. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serve immediately
Serves 4-6 people as a main course or 8-12 people as a side dish or appetizer.
Stacey’s wine picks … this recipe makes the most of the bounty of the harvest, and with such gorgeous local produce to cook with, it’s only natural to pair a local wine with this dish. The provençal-inspired combination of vegetables screams rosé, but if you’re ready to move on to more autumnal flavours, I’ve recommended a red as well.
Stacey’s picks: Cono Sur Viognier ($9.95, LCBO 64287, Chile)
A medium to full bodied white with juicy, ripe tropical fruit flavours and a mouth-filling texture. Pair it up with grilled scallops topped with Niagara peach salsa.
Freixenet Brut de Noirs Cava Brut ($12.95, LCBO 352369, Spain)
A rosé bubbly that’s crisp, refreshing and food friendly. Perfect for welcoming guests, or pair it up with chorizo sausage or other simple tapas and charcuterie.
Candidato Oro ($7.95, LCBO 523811, Spain) A blend of Tempranillo and Grenache creates an easy-drinking, spicy-fruity red wine that’s medium in body and a great match for grilled burgers, sausages, or spiced chicken or pork.
Rod’s picks: Marques de Riscal Rueda Blanco ($12.35, LCBO 36822, Spain)
Made from Verdejo grapes, this white is fresh but full of ripe fruit flavour - a great choice for summertime. Pair it with seafood paella, light tapas, or grilled chicken with lemon and herbs.
Remy Pannier Rosé d’Anjou ($11.95, LCBO 12641, France)
Intense strawberry flavour, refreshing acidity, and light body combine in this rosé from the Loire Valley in France that is delicious on its own as well as with any manner of grilled fare - Rod even enjoys it with steak!
Montalto Nero d’Avola/Cabernet Sauvignon ($9.95, LCBO 621151, Sicily)
Big body, big flavour, and perfect for your grilled red meats this summer. Nero d’Avola is a grape native to Sicily that creates spicy, full-bodied reds that are often priced to provide incredible value.
Camping truly is one of the best ways to get back to the basics – spending time with nature, leaving behind modern conveniences, and cooking over a fire. But that doesn’t mean you have to skip a delicious meal with the perfect wine pairing, does it? Not if you ask me!
The most important thing when organizing your camping meals is to plan ahead, packing your cooler wisely with solid ingredients that have lots of flavour. An easy way to make your campsite dinners taste great is to make a versatile, flavour-packed barbecue sauce in advance that can be stored in a jar and used to season whatever you throw over the fire. This recipe has a tasty balance of sweet, spicy and sour – perfect to dress up a simple chicken breast , flank steak, or pork tenderloin. Add to that the intense, smoky flavour of cooking over a campfire and you’ve got yourself a gourmet main course without even trying!
Now to pick the perfect wine. Since you could use the sauce on just about anything, what you want to focus on is the sweet-spicy-sour flavours of the barbecue sauce. Because the sauce is tomato-based, you need a wine that has lots of acidity to balance that out, and you definitely need something that has ripe, fruity flavours to stand up to the sweet and spicy elements. A smooth, fruity, medium-bodied red wine would be perfect. Try something Spanish made from Tempranillo or Grenache grapes, or Nero d’Avola from Sicily. Canadian Gamay, Pinot Noir, or Merlot are also great choices. These will be a perfect contrast to the smoky flavour from the campfire too. And don’t forget – please, please, please don’t drink your red wine warm! A slightly cool red wine, especially when fruity and low in tannins, will taste much better than one that’s been sitting in the sun all day. If you’re short on cooler space, try lodging your bottle underwater in the lake or river for an hour or so to bring the temperature down a bit – just make sure it doesn’t float away!
Here are a few more tips to keep in mind when choosing your campsite wines:
Go for fruity, easy-drinking styles of wine with low to medium alcohol levels – light to medium bodied reds and fuller styles of white that will quench your thirst and satisfy your palate without being overwhelming.
Look for convenient packaging – screw-top bottles make opening and resealing easy and there are loads of great quality wines under screw-cap available. You can also find a good selection of wines in alternate packaging that is lighter than glass bottles, including tetra pak, plastic bottles, and cans.
Don’t break the bank! Camping is about keeping things simple and remembering how to enjoy the basics. Great value wines abound in liquor stores, you just need to experiment to find ones that you’ll love. Look for fantastic values from countries such as Argentina, Chile, Spain, Italy, and of course, locally-produced wines. And here’s a tip – wines made from grapes that are lesser known (e.g. NOT chardonnay, shiraz, or cabernet sauvignon) can be some of the best hidden values on your liquor store’s shelves.
Please read on for some of our summertime wine picks and enjoy the season!
BEAUVIGNAC VIOGNIER 2008 VINTAGES 525295 | $14.95 | Southern France
This is juicy, mouth-filling goodness with aromas and flavours of peach, apricot, honey, lime, and floral notes. Pair it up with grilled crab legs with chili-lime butter, smoked scallops with mango salsa, or simple grilled shrimp skewers.
ST. HALLETT SEMILLON/SAUVIGNON BLANC 2008 VINTAGES 57687 | $14.95 | South Australia
This is a classic white Bordeaux blend, but the Aussies do it up in their own style with a mouth-watering, fruit-forward punch. The Sauvignon Blanc adds zesty, citrusy acidity, while the Semillon balances it with softer nectarine and pineapple flavours, along with a medium-full body. Pair it up with grilled freshwater fish or seafood done simply with lemon and herbs.
LEIRA ALBARIÑO 2007 VINTAGES 115816 | $18.95 | Rias Baixas, Spain
This wine was made for seafood - a perfect balance of ripe fruit flavours like citrus and pear with mouth-filling texture and refreshing acidity. A great pairing for a fresh summer salad topped with grilled seafood, as well as any manner of tapas off the grill.
PLANETA ROSÉ 2008 VINTAGES 111856 | $16.95 | Sicily, Italy
Made from 100% Syrah grapes, this rosé is summertime in a bottle - fruity and juicy but also crisp and refreshing, this wine is bursting with ripe strawberry and raspberry with just a touch of spice. Pair with a grilled asian beef salad with ginger and chilies, cedar-planked arctic char, bbq chicken wings, or smoked pulled pork on a bun.
LE BARON RANCH THREE SISTERS ZINFANDEL 2006
VINTAGES 119966 | $22.95 | Sonoma County, California, U.S.A.
Zinfandel is California’s signature grape. This one could prove to be your favourite bbq wine of the season – medium to full in body and bursting with juicy, ripe, mouth-filling flavours of plum, blueberry, toasty vanilla, and smoke. It’s crowd-pleasing and food friendly with enough acidity to balance out the juicy, jammy fruit. An excellent pairing for bbq meats of any kind, especially spicy, saucy back ribs or homemade sausages from The Piggy Market (www.thepiggymarket.com).
PARÉS BALTÀ MAS PETIT GARNATXA/CABERNET 2006
VINTAGES 114264 | $14.95 | Penedes, Spain
We’ve had the good fortune of visiting this winery, run by a group of amazing people who look after their land sustainably in order to produce the quality organic fruit used to make these wines. They even have a full-time beekeeper and shepherd to manage the bees and the sheep who help them with vineyard management. Garnatxa is Catalan for Grenache, and it provides intense, juicy fruit flavours and a supple mouthfeel that make this wine perfect for grilled red meats like beef, lamb, or game. Try it with some elk from our local Elk Ranch in Kanata (www.elkranch.com).
Looking for ways to entertain friends, colleagues or clients this summer? Contact us for a few ideas.
As a summer of outdoor entertaining, lounging in the backyard, and fresh, seasonal produce looms ahead, I just can’t help it - my mental image of this season features a frosty-cold bottle of rosé resting in an ice bucket, ready to be enjoyed. For those of you who know me, you already know that I’m a die-hard rosé-lover and I try to convert anyone who isn’t. To me, rosé is simply the quintessential summertime wine. It has the berry-ripeness of red wine with the cool, refreshing lightness of a white wine, and for some reason, rows of rosy-hued bottles in my wine fridge just screams “summertime” to me and puts a big ol’ smile on my face.
Next week at The Urban Element, we are celebrating rosé with a special wine-paired dinner that features a variety of rosés from various regions around Ontario. It’s going to be a fabulous summertime feast, featuring dishes to inspire your cooking in the coming months and wines that will quench your thirst and intrigue your palate. Read on for complete event information including menu and wine pairings.
Think Pink! Rosé Dinner Featuring Chef Candice Butler and Groovy Grapes Sommelier Ilike Csaba
Date: Wednesday June 10, 2009
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: The Urban Element, 424 Parkdale Avenue
Cost: $125pp Reservations: call the Urban Element at 613-722-0885 or email bookings@theurbanelement.ca
It’s time to think pink and appreciate Spring & Summer with a toast to rosé! Join Groovy Grapes sommelier Ilike Csaba to sample and learn about the various styles of rosé and the regions in Ontario that specialize in this popular warm-weather wine. We’ll take you on a gastronomical journey as we explore the incredible food-friendliness of pink wines! This 5-course meal has been created specifically by the Urban Element’s Chef Candice Butler to compliment an impressive selection of VQA rosé wines; bubbly, light, full and sweet. If you’re not already a fully converted rosé-lover, you will be by the end of this experience!
Welcome
Henry of Pelham Cuvée Catharine Rosé Brut (VQA Niagara Peninsula)
Chilled Gazpacho with a Cilantro-Lime Yoghurt
Domaine Perrault Rosé (Navan, Ontario)
Beet Tomato Salad with Feta Cheese, Toasted Walnuts and a Balsamic Vinaigrette
Huff Estates South Bay Rosé (VQA Prince Edward County)
Leg of Lamb atop a Spring Herb Risotto
Southbrook Biodynamic Cabernet Rosé (VQA Niagara Peninsula)
Wild Sockeye Salmon, Warm French Potato Salad, Cucumber Slaw with a Beet & Dill Vinaigrette
Megalomaniac Pink Slip Pinot Noir Rosé 2006 (VQA Niagara Peninsula)
Rhubarb Crumble with a Candied Ginger Ice-Cream and a Caramelized Apple Compote
Cave Spring Select Late Harvest Cabernet Franc (VQA Niagara Peninsula)
Reservations: call the Urban Element at 613-722-0885 or email bookings@theurbanelement.ca
Here’s an excerpt from my book This Food That Wine that talks about what rosé is and why I love
it so much.
Rosé is my absolute favourite summertime, patio-sipping wine. It’s like red wine in white wine’s clothing, with the berry and spice flavours of red wine but drunk chilled down like white wine. It’s crisp, refreshing, fruity, and easy-drinking - perfect for picnics, barbeque, and just about all summertime foods. Not to say that you can’t drink it in the winter too – I certainly do! Rosé is food friendly because of all the things it isn’t – it’s not as heavy as reds, and it’s not as light as many whites – it’s a happy medium, delicious, and affordable to boot.
Rosés, however, tend to be overlooked as a respectable wine style. A lot of people automatically think of the sweet and simple White Zinfandel (although a little White Zin paired with spicy food can be amazing) but the rosés I’m talking about are the dry yet fruity, refreshing yet interesting pink wines made around the world, especially those of Mediterranean regions like southern France and Spain. Canada and Italy make some fine rosé as well.
There are two ways that wine becomes pink. First, you can make a white wine and add a splash of red. Or you can make it only from red grapes. Let me explain … red grapes are actually just red on the outside – the flesh and juice inside is white. When red wine is made, the grapes are crushed and the skins left in with the juice, usually at least for a couple of weeks. This is called maceration. During this time, the skins add colour, flavour, and texture to the wine. So to make rosé, the skins are left in with the juice for only a short period of time to extract just a bit of colour and flavour, leaving the wine a rosy pink hue with ripe berry flavours.
My favourite regions for rosé are Spain and the southern part of the Rhône Valley in France. Spanish rosé is called Rosado, and the French name theirs after the region in which it’s made (including Tavel and Côtes-du-Rhône). Both countries use Grenache as the main grape in the blend, also throwing in some Syrah and Cinsault (in France) or Tempranillo (in Spain). The wines are quite full in body with ripe strawberry and raspberry flavours, and crisp, refreshing acidity. In Canada, you often see grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, or Gamay used in their rosés. They are still fruity, but slightly lighter and tarter in style then the Mediterranean versions. Italy’s rosés (sometimes called “rosato”) are made from a wide range of grapes, but my favourite style is “Chiaretto” which is made in the Bardolino region of Italy using the same three grapes used to make the well-known Valpolicella (Molinara, Corvina, and Rondinella). Chiaretto di Bardolino has a vivid salmon colour, bright berry fruit flavours, and a characteristic bitter tang on the finish.
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario (April 17, 2009) - Southbrook Vineyards toasts Earth Day® with the release of its 2008 Cabernet Rosé, the first biodynamic wine produced in Canada. Twenty-five restaurants across Ontario, from Ottawa, Toronto, Prince Edward County, Muskoka, western Ontario and Niagara, will celebrate with a simultaneous launch of the wine on April 22nd – Earth Day®. Chefs and sommeliers in these restaurants are featuring the Cabernet Rosé on their wine-by-the-glass list or with a specially created dish or food match. Read the rest of the news release (PDF).
Wine lovers are invited to drop by Play food & wine, 1 York Street in Ottawa on Earth Day® from 6 pm to 8 pm when Southbrook Vineyards representative Aaron Shaw will be on hand to pour samples of the Cabernet Rosé. The dish at Play that Michael Moffat put together to pair with the rose is Hand-rolled Gnocchi with White Asparagus, Oyster Mushrooms and Sorrel Vinaigrette (I’ll take two of those!).
The Wines of Ontario Winter WineFest is part of the Taste of Winterlude Fine Dining Experiences programming. It’s a casual cocktail style tasting with a serious list of wines and 23 confirmed Ontario wineries. 
Just had a really good question come in about what’s your favourite value wine pick. 
This is a recipe we developed to make use of all those beautiful local vegetables which are at their peak in September. We have often modified this recipe by adding either White or Black Beans, and substituting Aged Cheddar or diced Brie for the Mozzarella. This Strudel makes a wonderful Vegetarian Main Course, or can be an elegant appetizer to start off a fall feast!
Stacey’s picks:
Rod’s picks:
in. Add to that the intense, smoky flavour of cooking over a campfire and you’ve got yourself a gourmet main course without even trying!
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario (April 17, 2009) - Southbrook Vineyards toasts Earth Day® with the release of its 2008 Cabernet Rosé, the first biodynamic wine produced in Canada. Twenty-five restaurants across Ontario, from Ottawa, Toronto, Prince Edward County, Muskoka, western Ontario and Niagara, will celebrate with a simultaneous launch of the wine on April 22nd – Earth Day®. Chefs and sommeliers in these restaurants are featuring the Cabernet Rosé on their wine-by-the-glass list or with a specially created dish or food match. 
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