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The Taste Canada Awards gala takes place this evening in Toronto. It’s known as the Oscars for Canadian food and wine writing.
Here to toast five of the nominated books is Natalie MacLean who offers Canada’s most popular online wine classes at nataliemaclean.com.
Welcome Natalie!
I have to say that things are really heating up for this culinary competition tonight. The writers are simmering with anticipation, and some are even cooking up schemes to curry favour with the judges. Back to you, Mer.
Ha! Which wine are we starting with?
This is the Giesen Sparkling Brut, a zesty, vibrant bubbly from New Zealand.
Giesen Sparkling Brut
New Zealand
It offers lovely aromas of white peach and lime zest. Persistent bubbles play with your senses, while this next sentence will play with your mind. This sparkling wine is completely alcohol-free and has only 110 calories in the entire bottle. All bubbles, no troubles.
It’s available from www.psalcoholfree.com who’ll ship directly to your door.
Take a sniff or sip and let me know what you think.
What would you pair with this wine?
This bubbly pairs beautifully with this recipe for Autumn Rice Soup by Jillian Harris and Tori Wesszer, authors of Fraiche Food, Fuller Hearts: Wholesome Everyday Recipes Made with Love.
Fraiche Food, Fuller Hearts: Wholesome Everyday Recipes Made with Love
by Jillian Harris and Tori Wesszer
Excerpted from Fraiche Food Fuller Hearts by Jillian Harris and Tori Wesszer. Copyright © 2023 Jillian Harris and Tori Wesszer. Photography by Rachelle Beatty. Published by Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
It’s nominated in the Taste Canada Awards category for best General Cookbook. This rustic soup is fall in a bowl, with its hearty
vegetables and earthy herbs. You can also serve with this their Pull-Apart Garlic Bread Biscuits.
What do you have for us next?
I have the Lola Limited Edition White from Pelee Island, a vibrant blend of white grapes that offers aromas of yellow apple, peach blossom, and a dash of toasted almond on the finish.
Lola Limited Edition White
Pelee Island
What would you pair with this wine?
It’s perfect for the Garlic Pepper Chicken dish by Pailin Chongchitnant author of Sabai: 100 Simple Thai Recipes for Any Day of the Week.
Sabai: 100 Simple Thai Recipes for Any Day of the Week
by Pailin Chongchitnant
Excerpted from Sabai by Pailin Chongchitnant. Copyright © 2023 Pailin Chongchitnant. Photographs by Janis Nicolay. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
The chicken is marinaded in a savoury Thai blend of oyster, soy, and fish sauces, then stir-fried in garlic oil, with enough pepper to give it a little heat without making it too spicy. It’s nominated in the Taste Canada Awards category for best Regional or Cultural Cookbook.
What’s the third wine you’ve brought in for us to try?
I have a lovely, medium-bodied silky smooth Archway Pinot Noir from California. It’s bursting with aromas of ripe cherries and a kiss of spice.
Archway Pinot Noir
California
What would you pair with this wine?
This would be divine with a juicy Braised Beef Sandwich with Roasted Garlic and Dijon Aioli that you’ll find in Okanagan Eats: Signature Chefs’ Recipes from British Columbia’s Wine Valley by Dawn Postnikoff and Joanne Sasvari. It’s the kind of sandwich that makes you glad napkins exist—and this is the kind of wine that makes you forget you need one. Okanagan Eats is nominated in the Taste Canada Awards category for best Regional or Cultural Cookbook.
by Dawn Postnikoff and Joanne Sasvari
Okanagan Eats: Signature Chefs’ Recipes from British Columbia’s Wine Valley (Figure 1 Publishing). Photography by Jon Adrian.
What’s your next pairing?
I have this extraordinary Caymus California Zinfandel made by Jenny Wagner who leads the family’s Zinfandel program across the Napa and Suisun regions. It offers gorgeous aromas of dark berries and plum with a long, elegant finish.
Caymus Zinfandel
California
What would you pair with this wine?
This wine would be phenomenal with this sumptuous recipe for Baked Cheese with Hot Honey from A Generous Meal: Modern Recipes for Dinner by Christine Flynn. It’s nominated in the Taste Canada Awards category for best Single-Subject Cookbook.
by Christine Flynn
Excerpted from A Generous Meal by Christine Flynn. Copyright © 2023 Christine Flynn. Photographs by Suech and Beck. Published by Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
The cheese is warm and oozy—and just a touch boozy. You poke a small hole in the top of the cheese and drizzle wine into it and over the cheese before baking it. Then when it’s done, you drizzle hot honey over the cheese and then finally you drizzle both the cheese and the wine over your tongue and senses.
You have one final book here – your own. Tell us about it.
Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation and Drinking Too Much is nominated for the Taste Canada Awards category for best Culinary Narratives or Memoir.
Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation and Drinking Too Much
by Natalie MacLean
It offers the recipe for finding true love and happiness even after you’ve burnt all the food and the relationships. It pairs well (and reads better) with all the wines here.
Where can we find you, these wines and books, Natalie?
You can find me at my website nataliemaclean.com or on Instagram @NatalieMacLeanWine
Thank you, Natalie!
We’ll be right back with more Breakfast Television after this.
Posted with permission of CityTV’s Breakfast Television.
