By Lesley Quinn With a gold like colour, luscious tropical fruit tones and a full body to pull it all together, Viognier is a bon-viveur’s dream wine. If done properly a good Viognier can be like a late summer walk through a peach orchard. Aromas permeating the warm thick air with pungent ripe fruit. And although it’s decadent, somehow it still leaves you feeling refreshed as most Viogniers are vinified to dryness. But if done poorly a Viognier can be flabby and flat and feel like you’ve decided to take up coconut oil pulling again. Let these 10 great Viogniers be your next buy and these 5 facts about the grape be the talking points you share as you […]
White Wine
Books & Wines With Great Structure & Finish
We often chat about pairing wine and food, but what about pairing bottles with books? You can also watch part two of our book and bottle pairings from CTV yesterday. What’s the first pairing you recommend? We’re starting with one of my favorite wine books, The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil. It’s sold more than a half a million copies worldwide and is a go-to reference book that’s also engagingly well-written. Karen lives in Napa Valley, so I’d pair this book with this full-bodied, complex Cabernet Sauvignon from Charles Krug, Napa Valley’s oldest winery […]
6 Best Spring Wines for Sipping and Drinking (Video)
Mel As the weather warms up, it’s not just our wardrobes that need a seasonal update, our taste buds crave change too. So cast off those woolly-sweater wines and sip on something light, fresh and new. Here with the wine trends to look out for this spring is Natalie MacLean, who offers Canada’s most popular online wine classes. • Natalie Hello Lainey We’re starting with a trend that I’m really excited about, Pink Prosecco. Why are they so popular right now? Natalie • Take two already trendy wines—rosé and prosecco—and combine them for a mashup of this season’s […]
6 Spring Wines You Should Try This Season + Food Pairings
Spring has sprung and as we cast off the heavy sweaters and coats, it’s also time to lighten up our wine wardrobe. Here to share what’s in fashion with vinos this season is Natalie MacLean who offers North America’s most popular online wine classes at nataliemaclean.com So nice to see you, Natalie! Can you give us a bit of an overview of what trends we’re seeing in the wine world this spring? · Today we’re talking about Riesling, Rosé, and Gamay! · They’re all wines meant to be consumed young, rather than aged. · They’re fresh and […]
Wine Pairing: Corned Beef and Cabbage
Do you really need to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the liquid abomination of green beer? You bet your lucky stars, no! “Green wine” can be magically delicious. No, I’m not talking about wine that’s the colour green, but rather about wine that has green aromas and flavours such as lime, peas, asparagus (stay with me), green apple and herbaceous notes. These zesty wines dance a jig with corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s pie and colcannon (mashed potatoes and green cabbage). When I think of ‘green’ wines, those that come to mind are zippy whites with herbal notes such […]
Top 10 Green Wine & Food Matches for St. Patrick’s Day
Which wines go best with the “green food” that we’ll enjoy on St. Patrick’s Day, such as corned beef and cabbage or Irish stew? How about those fresh spring vegetables that will soon be on our plates? Which wines go best with the “green food” that we’ll enjoy on St. Patrick’s Day, such as corned beef and cabbage or Irish stew? How about those fresh spring vegetables that will soon be on our plates? Green foods are the problem children of the wine world. But as a stubborn hedonist whose grandmother’s name was Brophy, I’ve found some terrific wines to […]
Wine Paired with Ham for Easter and Beyond
One of the classic Easter dishes is ham. Most hams are wet-cured with brine or saline solution and then smoked. Popular finishes are a sweet glaze of bourbon and brown sugar or maple syrup or orange marmalade. This gives the meat a glistening finish and an appetizing salty-sweet taste. The dish is often accompanied by tangy dressings such as cloves, dried fruit chutney or apricot preserves. All those powerful fruit and spice flavors are delicious, but they’re tough on many wines. What works best is usually a zippy white with a touch of sweetness, such as an off-dry Canadian or […]
German Riesling: The World’s Most Versatile, Food-Friendly White Wine Grape
Someone has a big birthday on March 13th. Here to tell us more about that is Natalie MacLean who offers North America’s most popular online wine classes. Welcome Natalie. So who’s celebrating a birthday this Sunday? Although it’s actually a grape, it’s so personable that you’re right to call it someone, Bob ;) The iconic German white wine grape turns 588 this Monday; it was first written about in 1435. Yet it’s irrepressibly young and vibrant, looking not a day older than 585. What makes German Riesling so special? Riesling is a tough-skinned little berry that loves the […]
The Best Spring Wines for Sipping on Decks and Docks
Spring has sprung and as we cast off the heavy sweaters and coats, it’s also time to lighten up our wine wardrobe. On CTV News, we chat about what’s in liquid fashion this season. Can you give us a bit of an overview of what trends we’re seeing in the wine world this spring? Everything’s coming up Rosé, Riesling and Pinot Grigio! They’re all wines meant to be consumed young, and I do mean the wines not the people. They’re fresh and lively, perfect for spring and throughout the summer. We’re starting with a German Riesling. Why have […]
Easter Wines for Fish, Lamb + Ham: Video
Wines for Good Friday fish, Easter brunch, lamb and ham are the focus of our chat on CTV News. In particular, red wines often clash with fish not because of the wine tannin and fish iodine, as previously thought, but rather because of high iron content in the wine. The iron comes mostly from the soil where the vines are grown, but can also be due to winemaking methods. Generalizing about which wines will be high in iron content is difficult. The iron in wine is thought to break down the unsaturated (good) fats in fish and creates that fishy […]
