Dinner Club 2012 – Wine & Food of the Old World
Gourmandissimo and The Wine Coaches have united once again to bring to you another exciting year of exquisite food and wine pairings right here in Caledon East. Six dinner evenings plus one extra special bonus night are planned throughout 2012, each featuring a different wine region or style of wine. The menus are created by Gourmandissimo’s award-winning chef Gilles Roche and will feature local, seasonal ingredients as available, paired... Read More
Starting 2012 off right at Tutti Matti
What a great way to start 2012, at Tutti Matti restaurant in Toronto for a special dinner featuring the wines of Azienda Agricola Casa Raia from Montalcino. Both Kalyna and Piere-Jean Monnoyer from the winery were at the dinner to speak about the special care and respect that is taken in the vineyard and winery to make their wines so unique. The Monnoyer family owns a 1Ha vineyard in Montalcino that was formerly owned by the Biondi Santi family, situated on... Read More
Spanish Wine Dinner
On Tuesday, July 5th, we hosted a five-course wine dinner at Cava Restaurant in Toronto featuring the wines of Terras Gauda and Bodegas Pittacum. The menus that Chris and Doug put together for these events were amazing. From Terras Gauda (Rias Baixas region of northwest Spain) we featured 2010 O Rosal, their flagship wine, and the new 2009 La Mar, made from Caino Blanco grapes. From Bodegas Pittacum, an old-vine Mencia producer in the famous Bierzo... Read More
Opening a Bottle of Sparkling Wine
Whether champagne, Cava, or Prosecco, be very careful opening sparkling wine. The pressure in a bottle of champagne can be as much as six atmospheres – about the same pressure as in a truck tire. Make sure the wine is well chilled – fridge temperature is ideal, but maximum 6-8˚C. When properly chilled, the bottle will be easier to open – it won’t gush out – and the bubbles will last longer. Slant the bottle at a 45° angle away... Read More
Wine-Knowledge Links
Here are some links that we go to regularly: Wine writers: Jancis Robinson (MW, UK); Tony Aspler (Toronto); John Szabo (MS, Toronto); Michael Vaughan (Best Review of LCBO Vintages Releases, Toronto); Tom Beckett (Newfoundland); Julian Hitner (Toronto) Wine Publications: Decanter (UK); Gambero Rosso (Italy); Wine Advocate (Robert Parker’s publication, USA); Wine Enthusiast (USA); Wine Spectator (USA); Wine & Spirits (USA); Vines (Canada). Wine... Read More
Versatile Red-Wine Picks
Sometimes you’ll need to find a wine that matches a range of dishes, say salmon, red meat, and a vegetarian entrée. You’ll want what we call a crossover wine – able to bridge both red and white meats. Here are a few examples: Pinot Noir from Oregon, Canada, or New Zealand. Beaujolais from France, although not the nouveau versions unless the vintage is recent. Beaujolais is made from the Gamay grape so a version from Ontario would work... Read More
Wine Australia Podcasts
We came across an extensive resource for those wanting to learn more about the wine regions of Australia, and the grape varieties that are making a name for themselves around the world. There are 37 podcasts narrated by Max Allen covering the same number of regions, and 12 by Ben Glaetzer covering grape varieties, blends, and styles of wine. Max is an experienced wine writer and author of “Red & White: Wine made Simple”, while Ben... Read More
Wine-Region Links (New World)
Useful links to various New-World wine regions: Australia British Columbia California Ontario South Africa Read More
Wine-Region Links (Old World)
Useful links to various Old-World wine regions: France France – Rhône Valley Greece Portugal Spain Switzerland Read More
Dinner Club
Gourmandissimo and The Wine Coaches have united once again to bring to you another exciting year of exquisite food and wine pairings in Caledon East. Six dinner evenings plus one extra special bonus night are planned throughout 2012, each featuring a different wine region or style of wine. The menus are created by Gourmandissimo’s award-winning chef Gilles Roche and will feature local, seasonal ingredients as available, paired with exciting... Read More
