By: Travis Oke Autumn is my favorite season. Not just because it’s my birthday and I get presents – but also because of the food. Parsnips, squashes of all shapes and sizes, and it’s now cold enough in the afternoon that I want to slow roast various cuts of animals in my oven. Three cheers for slow cooked meat. A trip to the local squash farm is one of my favorite activities. Grey, red, white, stripy – it’s crazy how many there are at the Goode Family Farm near my place in Guelph. My favorite thing to cook is the […]
Travis Oke
Spanish Wines Scoring 97 Points at Incredible Prices
By: Travis Oke Week one of my own version of Euro 2012. This one involves my family and I eating our way through Spain and France. We are in Malaga, an historic city on the Costa del Sol in Spain. What is silly about this country is the price of wine. At the local grocery store – Mercadona – my brother found a Comportillo Rioja Gran Reserva 2005 for 8 Euro. This vintage year is rated a 97 by a certain Robert Parker Jr – but the vintage has still not reached its maturity date. That didn’t really concern me. […]
La Vieille Ferme Rose, France: there’s no arguing with it
By Travis Oke I argued like a Frenchman this week and I liked it. A friend of mine (Rugby guy) started quizzing me about the “stupid” offside rule in soccer. He started by asking questions, then ran through some scenarios, and ended off with a firm declarative statement that “soccer would be better without an offside.” He looked at me for a response. I drew a small breath, glanced sideways towards him, and in a superior manner said, “No, you’re wrong.” End of argument. The French are like that. They like their rules and they like to keep them. I […]
Tempranillo and Garnacha Red Guitar: Spanish Version of Cotes du Rhone
By Travis Oke I don’t believe that anybody can dispute the fact that France is the King of wines – actually Queen is a better descriptor as it captures the beauty of French wines. Probably the Italians will argue the point, because they like to, but I’m okay with “debating” my Italian friends. However, lost in this is the role that Spain plays in Old World wines. The Spanish lay claim to two great varietals – Garnacha and Monestral – and interestingly, the French lay claim to the same grapes calling them Grenache and Mourvedre. However, it’s the Spanish approach […]
Zinfandel: Tasting and Understanding America’s Great Grape and Wine
By Travis Oke When it comes to American wine I think you need to understand Zinfandel. It’s as misunderstood as how Al Gore invented the internet. Zinfandel used to be your Grandmother’s pink sweet wine. In fact, I had somebody at a party recently ask me, “How is this red wine a Zinfandel, I thought it was a pink wine.” I had the owner of a café recently ask me not to select a Zinfandel for their wine list because people wouldn’t buy it. I am here to sing the praises of Zin as the great American grape – which […]
