Why does my wine taste different?

During the course of an evening enjoying a bottle of wine with friends you may notice that the aromas and flavours of the wine may change. This is more readily evident in red wines than white wines. If you leave the wine longer, e.g. taste it the day after or two days after, the wine will continue to change.

Case in point; a bottle of Therapy Vineyards Shiraz 2007 that I opened two days ago. At that time I noted it had aromas of plum, vanilla, and a hint of fried bacon. On the palate, there was ripe black fruits, soft tannins and vanilla. After about an hour the fried bacon aroma disappeared, and the fruitness and vanilla flavour became more pronounced. I put the cork back in the bottle without removing any air. Skip forward 2 days. In my tasting notes I remarked aromas of tea leaves, plum, and some smokiness. On the palate I tasted coffee, nutmeg and ripe black fruit. Sounds like two different wines, doesn’t it?

But we know it’s not. It is interesting to try a wine a few days after you originally tasted it. If the wine is red, see if the exposure to the air softened the tannins. Make notes.

I also have another reason for telling you about this experience. In my last blog article (Do You Trust Wine Reviews?), I was asking you to think about how a wine is rated, and gave a few suggestions on following wine critics. I did not mention in that blog about, WHEN the wine was tasted.

Did the wine critic taste the wine as soon as it was poured from the bottle?Was the wine chilled?Did they taste it as soon as it was poured, then after one or two hours after exposure to air?Did they decant the wine before tasting?

These questions I think are interesting because the tasting review from a wine critic does influence many people’s decision when they purchase a bottle of wine. Maybe it would be good to know how the critic did their tasting? Maybe there should be two tastings of the same wine with a few hours of separation between tastings, and have BOTH tasting notes provided for the same bottle of wine? That could be so very interesting and informative to the wine public.

Tell me what you think.  Take out a bottle of red wine today.  Try it now and take notes.  Then tomorrow at the same time, pour yourself another glass of the same wine and make your tasting notes.  Please post your notes to this article because I think it would be of interest to many other people.  Thanks and cheers!

Posted in shiraz, wine, wine review, wine tasting | Tags: aromas, different, flavours, shiraz, therapy vineyards, wine, wine critic, wine tasting

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Southern Italian Red Tasting – Episode #916

September 13, 2010

A trio of value priced Southern Italian Reds to kick off the Jets Football Season!

“Dear Gary, you should pronounce S.T.A.T.T.I. not STATATTI! I’m from Ca…” by Giovanni Annicchino“Well, I’m not surprised at all about how bad the 2005 Maurigi Saia Gra…” by View all 152 ›Posted in Italian, Video, red, wines

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What is Old World Wine?

Old World wine, strictly defined, are wines produced by historically the wine producing regions of Europe. France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain would be the top producers of Old World wine. These countries have been responsible for many innovations in wine making, such as selecting vitis vinifera as producing the most enjoyable wines (e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay, and Riesling).The Old World region invented the glass bottle for wine, and sparkling wine, among other accomplishments.

Old World wine is also about a style and a mentality about the land. In the Old World, you hear about “terroir“, and how terroir drives which grapes are grown in a region. For example, in the Rhone Valley, Syrah, Viognier, Marsanne, and Rousanne are grown. You would not traditionally find these grapes grown in Bordeaux or the Loire Valley.

What is terroir? Terroir is often used to describe the aspects of a wine region such as soil, climate and topography that are often out of the winemaker’s control. These unique features affect the ripening of the grapes, the nutrients that are absorbed from the soil, and more, which combined make the wine from the syrah grape in the Rhone Valley to taste different from syrah made elsewhere in the world. With the thousands of years that wine makers in the Old World have had with experimenting with different grape varieties on different soils, with different slopes and drainage, and climate, they have found the varieties that produce the best wine in each region.

Another aspect of Old World wine, is tradition. Tradition can be good or bad. Traditions help us learn from the past so that we do not have to go through the learning process that our ancestors have gone through. Such as determining that Syrah grows very well in the Rhone Valley. But on the other hand, tradition can be very prescriptive. Telling you that you can only grow Syrah in the Rhone Valley. Some wine makers, may for example want to grow Cabernet Sauvignon. They can, but the wine would not be accredited as AOC in France by the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine. This has happened in Italy, where some wine makers in the Tuscany region wanted to grow and produce wine with red grapes other than sangiovese. These wines could not be certified as DOCG of Italy at that time. The wine makers were producing excellent wines, and eventually the Italian wine certification body in Italy relented and made a new category for these Super Tuscan wines, called IGT. So change is possible in the Old World, but it can be a long process.

Old World Wines can also be thought of according to style. If you are thinking of a wine from Bordeaux, you are thinking of a wine, with some fruit, a solid backbone from tannins in the grape and from the oak aging. The wines are restrained. Not super extracted fruit driven wines, with lots of vanilla flavour. In time these Old World style Bordeaux reds evolve in the bottle, with the tannins softening, providing support to the fruit, and the flavours and aromas becoming more complex. Some Old World style wines are produced by the wine maker to reach their peak 5 – 10 or more years after the wines are bottled.

That’s a brief overview of what is Old World wine. Much more can be said about Old World wines, and maybe I will discuss more in future blogs. Enjoy.

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Simply Red – Naramata Bench wine tasting review

This past week the Naramata Bench wineries had their “Simply Red” tasting. And you guessed it, red wines only! The red wines from this stretch of land, just north of Penticton on the east side of the lake produce some very nice red and white wines. If you ever go for a wine tour in the Okanagan, the wineries along this stretch of the Naramata Bench are quite close together, so it is easy to do several wineries in one day. Plus if you would rather not drive your car, it is an easy bicycle ride.

The red wines for this tasting were primarily the 2008 vintage, although there were a few 2007 also. Some of the wines were bottled a few weeks before this event. I did not notice any bottle shock though. All the wines I tasted were all technically made well.

I usually like to try Pinot Noirs first as they are the lightest bodied wines, then taste Merlots, Syrahs, and Cabernets. There were three pinot noirs that I particularly liked: La Frenz Reserve Pinot Noir 2008, Lake Breeze Seven Poplars Pinot Noir 2008, and Nicol Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008.

The La Frenz Reserve Pinot Noir 2008 (and their other wines) was top notch. This wine won a Silver in the Northwest Wine Summit this year, and two Gold medals at the Northwest Wine Summit in 2009. It had a nice smoky, strawberry nose with a hint of oak. Light body with strawberry and cherry flavours. Silky with low tannins. Long length with a cherry finish. Buy it before it is all sold out.

Lake Breeze is also a premium producer of wines in the Okanagan. They are most well known for their Pinot Blanc, but they also make very good red wines. The Lake Breeze Seven Poplars Pinot Noir 2008, was light cherry in colour. Vanilla and strawberry aromas. A very nice nose. On the palate it was medium bodied, with strawberries, raspberries and cherry flavours. Quite spicy. Well done.

The Nicol Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008 had gone through a partial malolactic fermentation (MLF) to change the harsher malic acids in the wine to softer lactic acids. Many red wines go through this secondary fermentation to soften them up. This wine was very pale cherry colour in the glass. A really nice red cherry and vanilla nose. Light body, with bright cherry flavours in your mouth. Slightly spicy with some vanilla notes too. Dry with low tannins. A classic style New World Pinot Noir.

You can’t go wrong with any of those Pinot Noir. As for the fuller bodied reds, I have four recommendations:
- Lake Breeze Seven Poplars Merlot 2008
- Nicol Vineyards Syrah 2008
- La Frenz Rockyfeller Vineyard Shiraz 2008
- D’Angelo Sette Coppa 2005

As I mentioned earlier, Lake Breeze makes wonderful wines. Case in point is their Merlot. The Lake Breeze Seven Poplars Merlot 2008 is medium garnet in colour. Vanilla, plum, with a slight bit of capsicum and mocha on the nose. Full bodied mouthfeel, with black and red cherries, vanilla, and a bit of minerality. Soft tannins with a medium length.

The Nicol Vineyards Syrah 2008 is opaque purple in the glass. Vanilla and sweet dark fruit nose. Raspberries, red cherries, blueberries and a bit of minerality on the palate. Soft tannins. I do enjoy a syrah when the blueberry characteristic of the grape is detectable.

The La Frenz Rockyfeller Vineyard Shiraz 2008 won a Gold medal at the All Canadian Wine Championships 2010. This is a very elegant wine. Deep garnet in colour. Blueberry, raspberry and vanilla aromas. Medium body and mouthfeel. Cherry and vanilla flavours.

The D’Angelo Sette Coppa 2005 I think is the oldest vintage wine during this tasting. The Sette Coppa 2005 won a Silver medal at the 2008 Canadian Wine Awards. This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petite Verdot, and Malbec. It is primarily Cabernet Franc and Merlot, with lesser amounts of the other grape varieties. Light garnet in the glass. Tarry, cassis and black cherry aromas. Cassis, cherry, chocolate and vanilla on the palate with some spiciness. Medium length with firm tannins kicking in on the finish. Enjoy with some grilled meat.

I hope you have a chance to enjoy a few of these picks from the Simply Red Naramata Bench tasting. Enjoy!

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2005 Marques de Riscal – Episode #918

September 15, 2010

Checking in on one of the most classic producers of Rioja, Marques de Riscal. The 90 point score caught my attention big time, does it live up to the hype?

“QOTD: Hump day wine, hmm, well I think if I am going to go to the SAQ …” by Alexander Russo“qotd: Dont have a hump day wine, depends on my mood Ill grab a wine, c…” by View all 154 ›Posted in Video, red, review, sauvignon blanc, wine

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Do you trust wine reviews?

Before the web, blogging, and micro-blogging, there were magazines and newspapers where people would read about ratings of wines. There were relatively few reviewers at that time. But now, anybody can review and rate a wine.

How do you choose a reviewer to trust? And what makes a good review?

There are well known people in the wine world, such as Robert Parker and Jancis Robinson. People have read their reviews and understand what/how they rate the wines (hopefully).

With new reviewers, and maybe even with the well-known ones, here are a few tips or ideas that might help you in your quest for a wine review you can trust.

1. Know the style of wines that a reviewer likes. Do they like fruit forward wines, or are they more into the structure of a wine and how the tannins / sugar / acid / fruit balance each other. If you are a person that likes fruit forward wines, try to find a reviewer with similar tastes.

2. Does the reviewer have any wine training / background? It’s true that there can be some people who are naturally talented and can become good wine tasters and reviewers, but I think finding someone that has been trained in how to taste and critique a wine, will give you an added level of assurance in what they say about a wine. I like my carpenter analogy here. I can build a house, but I’d trust a house built by a professional carpenter that went to Trade school, more than I would trust the house I build.

3. If you find a wine that you are considering purchasing being reviewed, check to see when that review was done. If the review is more than a year old, it is possible that the wine has since changed in the bottle (if it is a bottle with cork, not screw cap), so some of the aromas and flavours back at the original tasting, may not hold true now. One thing you can check is if that reviewer gave their opinion on how the wine will age, or how long it can age to reach it’s potential.

I did a test with 2 bottles of Altenbourg Riesling I had purchased a few years ago. I opened one up and wrote my tasting notes, then opened the other bottle a year later, and wrote my tasting notes, then compared the two tasting notes and there were differences.

4. This one is optional. But I’d recommend to find wine reviewers that specialize in different parts of the world. For example, for Australian wines, I may search the web for a wine writer in Australia that knows more than just the wine. The writer may actually go to the wineries, speak with the wine maker, and give you a more rounded picture of the wine and what the goals are of the winery. Someone from another part of the world, could give you a good review/rating of a wine, but maybe not the story surrounding the wine And sometimes that is just as interesting as the wine.

An additional thought on this is that if the reviewer doesn’t live in the region but has travelled there and spent time with wine makers, toured the vineyards, etc., they could give you a bit more insight or story around the wines that they are reviewing.  I know when I travel to Oregon and California that I have a better appreciation for the wineries and the wines, and I can offer my readers more information about the wine and winery.

5. Understand the rating scale. Most wines are rated on a 100 point scale. Hopefully a 90 point wine is rated at 90 points by a majority of professional tasters. But it might not be. There can be tasters that prefer fruit forward wines. If a wine doesn’t have that characteristic, maybe the wine will get an 88 point rating. Try to understand the wine writer’s views on how they review wines and assign points.

I personally am not the greatest fan of assigning points to wines. I’ve tried to stay away from it in my reviews and just tell people what I taste and smell, if I like it, and if I think it can cellar for a while. I think people like this kind of information, but to try to differentiate an 89 from a 90 point wine, I think is hard, and for most of the people drinking wine for their enjoyment, are not going to be able to tell either. How does that sound to you?

I’d love to hear your feedback on this article. Maybe you want me to rate wine with points. Let me know. Cheers!

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How about a BC / Ontario Wine Summit?

I’ve been thinking about this for a while and I thought I’d bounce the idea off of you. Both BC and Ontario make wine, but in BC we see little Ontario wine and I’ve heard that in Ontario they see little BC year. In Ontario the main grape growing area is the Niagara Peninsula, to the best of my knowledge. In BC, our primary grape growing region is the Okanagan. The Okanagan is a hot desert area, while the Niagara Peninsula is more humid due to the proximity of the Great Lakes.

So every year, depending on the weather, I’d expect to get a different style of wine from each region. I would guess that a BC shiraz or pinot noir, would taste different than the same wines produced in the Niagara region. There is also the difference in soil in both regions, and in Europe, they say that all wine is “terroir” driven.

I think it would be a great idea if each year, BC and Ontario wineries would have a wine tasting event of the same vintages of their red and white wines. Do one year in BC and the other year in Ontario, and keep alternating. I think it would give both sides of the country a bit better insight into what the other side has to offer with wine. The event could be a judged one, or not. I would be happy being a judge. Just having the two sides together so the consuming public can try would be very interesting.

Now I don’t have the time to coordinate such an event, but maybe the BC and ON liquor control boards could organize this joint event, or the BC Wine Institute and the equivalent body in Ontario?

What do you think? Let me know. Cheers.

Posted in BC, niagara, okanagan, pinot noir, wine, wine tasting | Tags: BC, great lakes, judging, niagara, okanagan, ontario, pinot gris, shiraz, wine, wine tasting

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The Absinthe Cocktail Hour

Sorry for the brief absence and I will get around to more cooking-based posts, but until then – here’s the latest mystery I’ve solved from Old Mr. Boston’s Bartender’s Guide is the Absinthe Cocktail.

Absinthe Cocktail

1 1/2 Oz. Absinthe Substitute

3/4 Oz. Water

1/4 Oz. Anisette

1 Dash of Orange Bitters

Shake well with cracked ice and strain into 3 oz. cocktail glass.

Absinthe was illegal when Old Mr Boston was first published, so the recipe calls for an absinthe substitute.  Luckily, absinthe is once again legal, so I used the real thing. I made my absinthe cocktail with Kubler absinthe from Switzerland.

There are quite a few myths and legends surrounding absinthe. It’s been called everything from the green devil to the little green fairy, and it’s been blamed for many acts of  debauchery and insanity.

How was I affected by absinthe? After my first drink, I felt a little light headed. After my second drink, I got sleepy. I sat down on the couch and the next thing I knew, my friend was handing me a glass of water. I took the water in hand and politely said, “thank you.” My friends standing  in the kitchen look over to me on the couch and ask, “who are you talking to?” There was no glass of water in my hand. There was no friend standing there to thank… I’d just had the most boring absinthe hallucination in history.

In the end, I wasn’t a big fan of the absinthe cocktail. Absinthe tastes too much black licorice for my taste.  However, I did learn the importance of  always saying please and thank you, even to absinthe induced hallucinations. It’s just good manners.

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A Naughty Chocolate Mayo Cake

It’s baking time.  Honestly, I am not much of a baker.  It’s not for lack of trying, but every time I go to bake, I look at the recipe and add more sugar and butter.  Unlike cooking , where adding or removing things can enhance a dish,  baking is a precise art with rules.  I don’t follow rules very well, which is probably why the idea of baking a chocolate cake with mayonnaise seemed so appealing.  There are only two ways a chocolate/mayo combo could go – heavenly or puke your guts out gross.

Luckily, my chocolate mayo cake turned out to be…not bad.  All the naughty oil in the mayonnaise creates a decadent flavor, but I think I screwed up the frosting.  I added sour cream to lighten the flavor of the icing, and I added way too much.  As you’ll see in the photos, I garnished the cake with fresh strawberries in an attempt to hide my gross frosting.

Even the strawberries can’t help my cake. It kind of looks like a wet turd. Did I mention I wasn’t very good at baking?

The recipe I used is essentially the classic ‘Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate, Chocolate Cake Recipe’ with a few adjustments for adding mayo.

Chocolate Mayo Cake

2 Cups Sugar

1 3/4 Cups Flour

3/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa

1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder

1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda

1 Tsp. Salt

3 Eggs

1 Cup Mayonnaise

1/2 Cup Milk

2 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract

1 Cup Boiling Water

Heat the oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9 inch baking round pans.  Combine the dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, mayo and vanilla.  Beat until mixed. Stir in boiling water and pour into pans. Bake 30-35 minutes.  Let it cool for 10 minutes.  Remove it from pans and let it cool thoroughly.

As for the frosting, I’m not going to waste your time with my recipe for the drippy frosting.  I will only leave you with this advice – do not add sour cream.

For my next cake experiment, I will attempt a nice chocolate cake. I like to keep balance in my cooking universe.  Stay tuned for ‘A Nice Raw (no baking involved) Vegan Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake’.

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A Civilized Cocktail Hour

The nicest way to end the work week is with a civilized cocktail hour.  When planning your cocktail hour, it’s always important to include a theme for your drinks.  An interesting theme will immediately distract everyone from the blatant fact: you like to drink long before the sun sets . Umbrellas and cherry garnishes will also help with this distraction.

This week, I’ll be having a retro-themed cocktail hour. For all my retro drink needs, I’m turning to Old Mr. Boston’s Official Bartender’s Guide. This bartender’s bible was first published in 1935 and has been out of print since 1986.  I love this old book, and it always feels good to make food and drinks from a time when all that mattered was taste.

The first page of Old Mr. Boston states, “wherein are solved the mysteries of mixed drinks.”

So, let’s start solving some mysteries.   Today, I will have my cocktail hour feature the first drink in the book – the Abbey Cocktail.

Abbey Cocktail

1 1/2 oz. Dry Gin

Juice of 1/4 Orange

1 Dash Orange Bitters

Shake well with cracked  and strain into a 3 oz. cocktail glass. Add a Maraschino Cherry.

Cheers!

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My Dark Companion: Bacon

I attempted to become a full-fledged vegetarian last week.  I figured I met all the requirements to joining up with the meatless gang; I love vegetables, I’m fascinated by what you can do with tofu, I love animals, and I love the planet…I would obviously make an awesome vegetarian.  However, as with most of my plans to be good when it comes to food, my vegetarian lifestyle was undone by one devilish morsel.

Bacon.  It’s high in cholesterol, sugar, fat and calories. I’m sure pigs are really nice animals, and we’d be friends if given the chance.  I know all the evils of bacon. Yet, I cannot resist its salty and sweet allure.

Maybe one day I will be able to ignore the little devil on my shoulder known as bacon.  Until then, here’s the dish that killed all my vegetarian hopes:

Pig Candy

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne
1/2 Pound Bacon

Mix the brown sugar, cayenne, and black pepper together in a medium bowl. Add bacon and toss. Place the coated bacon on baking sheet and cook in the oven for 15 minutes on 375.

It’s simple, evil and delicious.

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Pic of the Week: Corn Chowdah

       

Keeping it Seasonal with Corn

The seasons are changing, and fast. I've already resorted to a warmer coat and pashmina (a light scarf.) I'm very close to retiring my sandals for fabulous fall boots, even though I still see people walking around in shorts and tees -- I can't wrap my head around how they're not freezing!

I digress, we need a remedy for warming up and Petah's colourful corn chowder will do the trick. If you're interested in his recipe check out his blog for details. He spruced up his chowder by adding smoked sausage and reducing the milk for chicken broth. Those robust flavours will definitely enhance this soup and are guaranteed to fill you up.

Related:

Posted Sat, Sep 18 2010 7:30 AM by Val Outmezguine Filed under: Community, Chatter Box, Soup

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Pic of the Week: Apple Butter

                   

Canning is one of the latest trends in food. It includes everything from jams, to sauces and all in between. That said, when I saw angelicasfoodcorner's photo of her homemade Apple Butter, I knew it had to be chosen for this week's Pic of the Week.

If you haven't had the chance to try apple butter allow me to describe it to you. It tastes similar to applesauce, except it's thicker and spicier making it perfect for spreading all over warm toast or crunchy crackers. And if you're curious which apples Angelica used, well they were Norwegian apples from her garden in Skien, Norway! Too cool (it really excites me to see people all over the world use this site!)

What will you be enjoying this weekend?

Related:

Posted Sat, Sep 11 2010 7:31 AM by Val Outmezguine Filed under: Community, Apple, Pic of the Week

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Spotlight: 3 Savoury Spots in Victoria

Victoria's culinary scene is always full of surprises and is ever-evolving. On a recent trip to BC’s capital I popped ‘round to a couple of my fave can't-miss foodie shops plus a new-ish grocery – and seriously loaded up on delectable goodies for my own kitchen. With my car full of groceries, that ferry ride back to Vancouver didn't seem so long after all….

Just open a year, the Niagara Grocery is run by a charming couple who’ve turned this James Bay neighborhood food store into something truly special. Now a one-stop shop supporting local farmers and food producers, I found it all here, from soup to nuts, literally. Pantry must-haves? A bag of coffee beans roasted in-store from Mile O Coffee Roastery, some Kokotelli Garlic Syrup, $15 (drizzled on SunWing Farms heritage tomatoes?  heaven) plus La Boulange breads and a jar of James Bay honey.

Choux Choux Charcuterie on Fort Street downtown is also couple-owned and run, and is every local’s go-to for French flavour. Who needs Paris when it’s all here? Pick up foie gras from Quebec, Sloping Hills Farms cured and smoked meats, the house-made pates and load up from an exceptional showcase filled with fine cheeses from France. Your charcuterie platter wouldn’t be complete without cornichons, mustards and compotes either – many to choose from on these well-stocked shelves.

Nothing like a shop you have to do a couple of laps around, in order to take it all in. Plenty Epicurean Pantry is truly one of those ‘something for my friend – something for me’ kind of shopping experiences, with an interesting mix of products with a conscience solidly filling up the shelves, showcases and tables. Aptly named indeed, Plenty is the local’s go-to for a great selection of cookbooks, gifts for the home chef and stock for your own cupboards like Vij’s garam masala, Italian pastas, dried chanterelles and tea-time sweet treats like French macarons.

View Spotlight: 3 Savoury Spots in Victoria in a larger map

Niagara Grocery
579 Niagara Street, Victoria BC
(250) 383 -1223

Choux Choux Charcuterie
830 Fort Street, Victoria, BC
(250) 382 – 7572

Plenty Epicurean Pantry
1034 Fort Street, Victoria, BC
(250) 380 - 7654

Catherine Dunwoody is a freelance writer based in Vancouver.

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Posted Thu, Sep 16 2010 10:02 AM by Catherine Dunwoody Filed under: British Columbia, Victoria, Spotlight, Dessert, West Coast

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Exploring Calgary: Taste-by-Taste

A few weeks ago I was racking my brain trying to think of the best way to enjoy one of the last days of summer. Beer? Gardening? Beer gardening? The choices were many, but my decision was made easy when I was invited to attend Taste of Calgary with a couple of friends. Populating the Eau Claire Market area, the festival boasted 26 culinary venues, along with 17 beverage stops, just waiting to be discovered.

I really enjoy festivals like this as it can be made into a little culinary adventure. You follow your map/guide, eat your way through, and learn about some restaurant you haven't heard of before. Items cost anywhere from 2 to 6 tickets (75 cents per ticket), and with an average price of 4 tickets, I was able to enjoy five 'tastes' for a reasonable $15! Tickets in-hand, I was ready to go!

Here were some of my favourite eats at the festival:

Nubian Express: An African restaurant-in-the-works showing off some accomplished skills. Their African-Style Grilled Beef had a nice amount of heat and the accompanying Coconut Rice was definitely coconut-y.


Frugal Gourmet Cookery: Their Organic Alberta Green Onion Cakes were delicious. The accompanying creamy Hawaiian Coleslaw were, without a doubt, my most savoured sampling of the day!


La Vita e Bella: A Roasted Red Pepper Meatball stuffed with Bocconcini cheese... mmm...how could I pass that up? Now that's a meatball!


Chicago Chophouse: A well-known Calgary steakhouse showed us their 'chops' (pun intended, obviously) with a Steak Crostini topped with Ancho Chili Aioli. The crostini itself wasn't great, but it had a good cut of meat, and the aioli was very flavourful.

An afternoon of sampling left me satisfied and full, although I am relieved this festival doesn't happen every weekend... that could be trouble for my waistline.

Dan Clapson is a business manager and food blogger based out of Calgary. He is always creating new recipes and striving to expand his culinary limits.

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Posted Thu, Sep 23 2010 9:21 AM by Dan Clapson Filed under: Alberta, Calgary, Events, Photos, Guest Blogger

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Discuss & Vote: Stem vs. Stemless Wine Glass

I remember drinking from my Riedel  stemless wine glass and feeling tres sophisticated. Stems are so passe, I remember thinking, ignoring the ugly fingerprints marking up my wine glass.

That was then and this is now. And I can tell you I'm so over stemless glassware. I, for one, prefer stem on my wine glass. Swirling my wine holding the stem is so much easier. Not to mention the stem prevents your wine from heating up unnecessarily (the heat from your fingers).

So for me this was one trend I quickly denounced.  But that's just me and I'll be the first to admit that I'm not very hip or trendy. 

So I want to ask you, my dear community -- you tend to be bang on about these kinds of things. Which do YOU prefer?

Related:

Posted Mon, Sep 20 2010 12:22 PM by Catherine Jheon Filed under: Discuss, Community, Vote, Trends

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