Oh, you, breaker of hearts, you awaken my palate with burgundy kiss fill my glass with celebration but just as often rot … just within reach sweet fruit for yellow jackets who suckle upon your tightly packed vines. Oh, you, breaker of hearts I salivate waiting for your mineral kiss soft soft soft upon my…
Bogle Vineyards Petite Sirah (2011)
As soon as I pulled the cork from this wine, the nose had me on a knee offering the marriage of my lips. Big and full, there was a strength in the vapours that pulled a deep, dark ripe cherry filled with a bit of spice (pepper and mace?) and chocolate mixed with dark raspberry….
Fielding Estates – Riesling (2012)
Fielding Estates is one of the first Niagara wineries to which I was introduced and one which I immediately gravitated towards. I first visited it soon after it opened, almost a decade ago, and their wines have been trusted friends ever since. I was first served tastings by Heidi in their start up Quonset ……
Scallops with Sorrel-Butter with Sweet Pea and Pancetta Dust
Life is filled not only with sweetness, but the tartness of it can also surprise … and reward. The Back Story: I know my most recent CSA Mystery was a tough one and even you had a chance to see the plant growing, I’m sure it didn’t make it any easier to identify. If you…
Karlo Estates – Lake on the Mountain Riesling (2010)
As popular as Karlo’s rosé (previously reviewed here), I would wager their biggest seller is probably this Riesling, and for good reason. As you will hear when you taste this wine at the winery, this wine is emblematic of Richard Karlo and his reputation for bringing balance and creativity into his wine. With a bit more upfront…
County Memories
Some places are so big that they can create a moment. Some moments, special in their second, create lifetimes. Every year, I along with my wonderful and very dear friends from Ottawa (and a few from the “Greater Ottawa Area” which, for the purposes of this blog, now includes Toronto) descend 3 hours south into…
Karlo Estates – Frontenac Gris Rosé (2011)
Nothing quite says summer heat like a good rosé. It’s the wine I reach for when I’m hot and parched but still want wine. While I’d almost always prefer a good red, in the heat of the summer, when the ambient outdoor temperature will warm a glass of red before you get through a few…
Cycles Gladiator Petite Sirah (2012)
Here’s a grape that I quite adore for its huge body and rich taste: petite sirah (aka “Durif” outside California and Israel). This is a wine from a black-skinned grape variety, a variety known for its body and which is often used to embolden blends made from weaker grapes. If you don’t like red wine —…
Giordano Barbera D’asti (2007)
I had a number of options in choosing what to pair with my osso buco. I did think local … really, I did. But in the end, I went to the terroir of the dish, I went to Northern Italy, and I selected from my cellar a wine that’s been sitting there for about 5…
Osso Buco
There are few dishes in the world that I love as much as osso buco which, purely translated, is “hole in the bone.” I love it for the marriage of all its flavours into a comforting, richness. I love the philosophy of this dish. It is “slow food” done to perfection. While this classic Italian…