Father’s Day is Sunday, so why not toast Dad with wines that not only pair well grilled favourites, but also with some terrific new books?
Here with her tips is Natalie MacLean who offers Canada’s most popular online wine and food pairing classes at nataliemaclean.com.
Welcome Natalie.
Great to be with you, Rosey!
What are you recommending first?
I have Daniel Ricciardo: In Pursuit of Greatness by Nate Sanders. Daniel is a superstar in the Formula One racing world. In fact, he competed in the Montreal Grand Prix this past weekend with a great qualifying result. This fascinating biography captures the highs, the lows, and the triumphs in his career in 150 colour photographs.
What would you pair with this biography?
Conveniently, Daniel is also a superstar in the wine world and has just launched these two wines in collaboration with the respected Australian winery St. Hugo. The Ric Red is a turbo-charged blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvèdre with aromas of fleshy black cherry and dark racy spice. I gave it a score of 94 points.
Ric Red
South Australia, Australia
St. Hugo DR3 is named for Daniel’s race car #3 and is a towering Cabernet Sauvignon that has a long, lingering, dare I say, checkered flag finish for the win. I gave it 98 points. I’d also pair both wines with any flame-grilled Father’s Day barbecue meats.
St. Hugo DR3 Cabernet Sauvignon
South Australia, Australia
What’s next?
We have the new cookbook, My Thali, from Ottawa chef and restauranter, Joe Thottungal, and food writer, Anne DesBrisay. It features 85 of his small, signature dishes with a wonderful blend of tastes and textures. Joe also shares stories from his homeland of Kerala, so it’s also a fascinating exploration of Indian cooking and culture.
What’s the best wine for this book?
I’d recommend this luscious, buttery Domaine Perrault Chardonnay from Navan. It would be divine with one of Joe’s famous tagines or casseroles.
Domaine Perrault Chardonnay
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
What’s the next book?
Next up, I have Dad in the Kitchen by Canadians Chris Johns and Cory Vitiello which helps dads get the whole family involved in making meals, while still maintaining their hero status. There’s everything in here from oatmeal pancakes to BBQ favourites. It’s written by dads for dads.
There must be a wine for that?
Pure Vision Shiraz from Australia, which is not only organic, but it’s also non-alcoholic and available to ship right to your door from PSAlcoholFree.com. It’s plummy, juicy and delicious–the best, full-bodied non-alcoholic red wine I’ve ever tasted. It would be terrific with Chris and Cory’s braised turkey meatballs.
Pure Vision Wines Zero Shiraz
Adelaide Plains, South Australia, Australia
What’s your final recommendation?
Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival by Dave Canterbury is a classic bestseller in its category – it has 22,000 reviews on Amazon. It offers advice on everything from packing the right camping gear to foraging for food in the wild.
In honour of dad’s famous campfire stories we have this smoky, smooth, full-bodied Chateau Ste. Michelle Merlot from Washington. It offers aromas of luscious dark fruit making it a perfect complement to gourmet hamburgers with all the fixins.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Merlot
Columbia Valley, Washington, United States
Where can we find these wines?
All of these wines are in liquor stores now. I’ve also listed them and the food pairings on my site at www.nataliemaclean.com.
Thank you, Natalie.
Posted with permission of CTV.
