Tag Archives: tasting

26/07/2012
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Food Pairings, Fun Facts, Labels, Personal, Quotes, Red, Tastings, Wineries Quote

I went to Victoria with my family a couple of months ago to visit some good friends. Was there wine involved? Definitely.

Although I wasn’t able to go, my dad visited Muse Winery. Their motto is, “Love what you do. Laugh often. Work hard. Make great wine. Have fun doing it.” Sounds like a pretty good one to me. And the best part? The owner of the vineyard named it after his wife…his muse. Now that’s love.

Needless to say, a few bottles were purchased and shared at the dinner table later that evening. The highlight for me was Muse’s Cabernet Sauvignon.

Name: Muse (Gallant, Valiant Grape)

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Vintage: 2011

Producer: Muse

Country/Region: North Saanich, BC

Where Sampled: At the dinner table with family and friends

Date: May 27, 2012

Price: I don’t know

Notes:

  • Peppery, but not spicy
  • Full-bodied
  • A hint of buttery sweetness
  • Paired deliciously with steak and vegetables and didn’t overpower any of the flavours

As a little anecdote, this wine also made for great table conversation. Each label comes with a unique story and description about the “muse” who inspired the wine. Here reads the one for their Cabernet Sauvignon:

“Our heroine is courageous and bold with lustrous skin the colour of crème brulée, eyes of purple plum and dark-red tresses of soft silk. Round and full-bodied, to nuzzle her neck is to smell vanilla, black currant and peppery spice. Her noble heritage is French and you will never get Bordeaux her tales of a glorious past. Well-balanced, she stands tall as an oak. At her table you will dine well on blackened grilled salmon, maple syrup glazed pork tenderloin and chocolate & raspberry soufflé.”

If you’re ever on Vancouver Island, be sure to grab a bottle. Mmm…happy drinking!

Something to Muse Over

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24/04/2012
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Food Pairings, Tastings, White

Birthday Dinner

Every year on my birthday, I have to get together with my family. And no, it’s not an obligation, I do it because I want to! This year, I chose Marcello’s as the destination for my birthday extravaganza! It’s a quaint little Italian restaurant on Commercial Drive and makes some of the best pasta I’ve ever had — and no, it’s not better than yours mom ;)

On this occasion, I asked the server to mix me up a little something special in the kitchen. I got an order of linguine with an extra spicy tomato cream sauce topped with prawns. It was to die for! I’m a big believer in going big on your birthday and that’s exactly what I did. I ate that pasta with gusto and washed it down with a delicious, smooth Pinot Grigio.

Name: Zonin “Primo amore” Pinot Grigio

Variety: Pinot Grigio

Producer: Zonin

Country/Region: The Veneto

Where Sampled: Marcello’s

Date: Apr. 12/2012

Price: $7/5 oz. glass

Comments: 

  • Crisp taste
  • Hints of apple, apricot, lemon
  • Citrus flavours coming off of the apples in a subtle manner
  • Smooth taste, with a bit of tanginess
  • Legs were not very long, low alcohol content
The wine paired very nicely with my dish and with everyone else’s in my party. Everyone ordered pasta and agreed that the wine complimented each and every dish – from a seafood cream sauce, to a Bolognese. Cheers! 
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19/03/2012
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Food Pairings, Personal, Recipe, Tastings, White

Curry and Wine

A couple of weeks ago, Tomi and I were invited to go for dinner at my friend Holly’s house. Her and her boyfriend, Ali, were gonna have us over for homemade Indian food. Mmm! Every time we get together is because of a love of food. Like, a serious love of food. Holly and I work together and we’ve definitely spent a good solid couple of hours talking  just about restaurants. So, it was a nice change when we were invited over to their place for some home cooking! They did not disappoint. Holly made us Vij’s Family Chicken Curry and paired it with a really good Sauvignon Blanc. The curry was incredible, as was the wine. 

Name: Oyster Bay Marlborough

Variety: Sauvignon Blanc

Vintage: 2010

Producer: Oyster Bay

Country/Region: Marlborough, New Zealand

Where Sampled: Holly and Ali’s Apartment

Date: March 3, 2012

Price: $19.99/bottle

Notes:

  • Crisp wine with a clean, refreshing taste
  • Sweet and fruity
  • Hints of pineapple, citrus, grapes (lol. duh! But I really did taste grapes)
  • Not very complex, a very pleasing wine
  • Pairs very well with the strong flavours of Indian food
This wine was a really good choice for the Indian food. It didn’t over power the complexity of the dish, it only heightened the flavours. I was really impressed with this wine and will definitely be picking up a bottle to enjoy again soon.
And back to the curry! This was honestly the best curry that I’ve ever had – even better than a restaurant. I still haven’t tried Vij’s restaurant, but if his food is this good when I cook it (I made the dish last week), I can only imagine how good his dishes will be when prepared by him. I will definitely be going soon. 
Ali also found a great link for pairing wine with Indian food. There’s a lot to take into consideration when you’re dealing with such fragrant spices and this article definitely brings this to light. I would’ve assumed that a light, white wine would always be best, but, of course, I was proved wrong. Reds work really well too and I will definitely be pairing this dish with a red next time. 
P.S. Let me tell you…I have been sick lately. First, I got the stomach flu and then I thought I was fine, but, of course, I got a horrible cold. All in all it’s been about two weeks of hell, but I am finally feeling better and I’m happy to be back and blogging :)


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21/02/2012
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Food Pairings, Sparkling, Tastings, White

A Shelter from the Storm

As you may know, I went to Tofino for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It was so beautiful that I don’t even know how to describe it. I’m blessed to live in a city as stunning as Vancouver where I get to see the ocean all the time, but when I travelled to Tofino it was like I was seeing an entirely different ocean for the first time. It was absolutely breathtaking to be there during storm season and on the weekend before Valentine’s Day…can you say romantic? I had such a wonderful time and I can’t wait to travel back again soon. But, enough about the lovely ocean and on to the important stuff…the wine I had while I was there!

The boyfriend and I celebrated Valentine’s Day on Saturday night with a lovely meal out. He planned it all as a surprise so I was very excited and a little skeptical. OK, maybe skeptical is the wrong word…let’s use anxious. Just anxious to see where we were going, what time we would get there, what to wear, etc. I just like to be organized. Geez.

It all worked out perfectly, though. We went to this restaurant called Shelter and it was absolutely beautiful! It had a rustic, west coast feel (go figure!), with a huge, romantic fireplace in the middle of the dining room. And luckily, we got to sit near the fire because I decided to wear a sleeveless shirt. Hey, a girl has to look good when she’s celebrating Valentine’s Day. And don’t worry, I made sure it was pink. Continue reading →

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29/01/2012
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Red, Tastings Image

Bath Time!

Is it just me, or does wine go with absolutely everything? I’m sure many people have come to this realization before me, but all of a sudden, it’s making so much sense.

I go out to dinner…wine.http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=bubble+bath&hl=en&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=FgGsq7H9QfNLpM:&imgrefurl=http://raefrazier.blogspot.com/2011/01/bubble-bath-day.html&docid=wn3qwFCO6hiTKM&imgurl=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sZh6W8vl_2c/TSchomBHxyI/AAAAAAAAC8A/LhKkhFsRxFc/s1600/vintage-bubble-bath-beauty.jpg&w=450&h=575&ei=8iYmT_XNKsehiQK8p8HXBw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=251&sig=111210162113818283115&page=1&tbnh=125&tbnw=109&start=0&ndsp=50&ved=1t:429,r:21,s:0&tx=37&ty=74&biw=1916&bih=964

I catch up with some friends…wine.

I have a bubble bath…wine.

Now, that last one was a little experiment I recently tried and it’s now my favourite thing in the whole world.

I am definitely a bath girl. I have a bath instead of a shower on most occasions and often get made fun of by many people for this. It’s like everyone I meet is a “shower person” (btw, that was said in a nasty tone…in my head). They look down on me when I say that I love to take baths more than any shower in the whole world. They think baths are yucky, but they don’t know anything.

When I take a bath I can dim the lights, relax, and escape the world for a little bit. There’s time to mull over all the thoughts in my head while surrounding myself with yummy smelling bath oils and bubbles.

And the other night it occurred to me, coincidentally in the bath, that I should be getting some quality wine time in at the same time. Alcohol and warm water? Yes, please!

So, I found a bottle that was given to us back in December and decided to give it a try.

This one was a red wine so I was a little nervous. So far, I’m ok with the white wines because they seem much sweeter to me, but I thought that I’ve got to start drinking red sometime.

Here’s my wine passport info:

Name: Jackson Triggs Unity

Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Vintage: It doesn’t say what year on the label

Producer: Still don’t know what this means

Where sampled: Bath tub

Date: January 27, 2012

Price: Free because it was a gift!

Comments:

  • Strong Flavour
  • Dry, I felt like my mouth puckered when I drank it
  • Nothing too memorable…tastes like red wine
  • I couldn’t finish the glass quickly…it took about 30 minutes for 2 ounces
  • Maybe this is better with food

So, as you can probably tell, I wasn’t too impressed with this wine. I’m still very unexperienced when it comes to tastings so maybe it’ll come with time, but right now…not so good.

On the other hand, the experience was wonderful. I absolutely LOVED drinking in the bath tub. I felt über sophisticated and had the feeling that this will become a regular occurrence. 

Hmm…this blog may be turning me into an alcoholic. 

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23/01/2012
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Food Pairings, Personal, Tastings, White Image

Some Wine, Please

O.M.G.

On Thursday night I strolled on over to a little burger joint I’ve been wanting to try. I went with two girls from work and we brought our BF’s (but only because we’re nice and we didn’t want them to feel super lonely without their girls around ;) ) and it was incredible.

If you haven’t been, I highly recommend Romer’s Burger Bar in Kits. They’ve got an extensive burger menu and they’ll make yours anyway you like it which works really well for me because I can be a little bit of a picky eater sometimes. Only sometimes, though. *cough*

And you know the other cool part? They serve wine!! YAY!

Ta-da: Here’s my first wine tasting!

So, the six of us were sitting in a booth and chit-chatting away drooling over the menus at the same time. We placed our orders and I was all like, “Wait! I need to order some wine to go with my burger!!” I was very distressed over the fact that I had forgotten.

I then called the waitress over and asked for a wine list with my nose was raised in the air a little bit. There was a very sophisticated air around my question and I think everyone at the table noticed it. I know I would’ve if I was an observer.

So, she brought over the wine list and I started looking through the selections. Now, I ordered a turkey burger with lettuce wrapped around it instead of a bun (how very health conscious of me, right?) and I had an epiphany, “turkey should be paired with white wine!” I can’t believe I actually know something about wine, let alone a so-called rule. I’m sure that it doesn’t always apply, but I stuck with my gut and ordered a white wine. And not just any white wine, but the cheapest one on the menu.

It turned out to be a Mezzomondo Pinot Grigio Chardonnay blend and I don’t understand what any of those words mean. Ok, well maybe I kind of do a little. Pinot Grigio is one type of grape and chardonnay is another (God, I hope that’s right). This wine had them mixed together!

Now, for some info from my handy wine passport:

Name: Mezzomondo

Variety: Pinot Grigio/Chardonnay

Mezzomondo Pinot Grigio Chardonnay

Vintage: 2010

Producer: ??? I’m having a hard time figuring out this one

Country/Region: Italy, Sicily

Where Sampled: Romer’s Burger Bar

Date: Jan. 19/2012

Price: $5.00/5 oz.

And here are my tasting notes:

  • Tastes good with the turkey burger
  • Very light and fruity; sweet
  • Smooth
  • No “yucky” taste or aftertaste
  • I was able to finish the whole glass without squirming or complaining

So, yes, I’m obviously not a wine connoisseur yet, but it’s a start. At least, I have my first wine tasting done! YAY!

Cheers to many more to come.

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18/01/2012
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Personal, Products

Wine Passport

In order to get my tastings under way, I’ve made a small purchase to guide me in what I’m “supposed” to be looking for when sipping wine. Actually, my boyfriend bought it for me — LOVE HIM!

It’s a little black book that holds the secret to wine tastings! Well, maybe not the secrets, but it should be very helpful. Anyway…It’s a wine passport!

This thing should have me speaking like an expert in no time, right?

Not only does it have handy categories for sorting the wine I try, it tells me what things I should be looking for. I mean, let’s face it – I really have no idea what I should be looking for.

The inside cover reads, “This handy journal will help you keep up with any wines you may have sampled along life’s byways. There are so many wines out there to enjoy, it can be hard to impossible to remember those you’ve tried and those you haven’t. Then there is the vintage, maker, price and other points which you can hardly keep just in your head. Take this journal along wherever you go and jot down the pertinent information that’ll help you recall particular wines. You’ll turn to this personal record over and over as your appreciation for wine grows.”

Ok, a few things…

First, what is a vintage? I’m assuming it has to do with how old the wine is? Let’s look it up…

I just Googled it and found a blog where someone says: “We know that the vintage indicates the year. Duh.” Duh? How is that a duh? I thought vintage had to do with being old-fashioned and incredibly lovely in an “I’m-so-old-I’m-awesome-again” way. You know, like Reese Witherspoon’s 2006 Oscar dress when she won for “Walk the Line.” It was vintage Dior. So, obviously it’s not really the same kind of vintage.

Also, how do people actually remember all of this stuff about the wines that they’ve tasted? I’m going to be carrying this around in my purse and taking it out on multiple occasions because, otherwise, I would have no frame of reference at all! I usually try a small glass of wine with meals and, even though I’m told the name, year and/or country it’s from, I forget just like that. This passport is not leaving my side.

So, when I start my tastings, this is the info that I will be writing down and reporting back (as listed in my wine passport):

  • Name
  • Variety
  • Vintage
  • Producer
  • Country/Region
  • Where Sampled
  • Date
  • Price
  • Red/white/sparkling/blush
  • Rating

This seems like a lot of gibberish to me, but I’m sure I’ll be speaking the lingo in no time. I’ll be all, “Ooh, this wine is so vintage-y and it has such a nice variety. I shall give it 3 stars out of a possible 5 stars. Mmm…it has a nice blush colour and is typical of its…region.”

Haha. That’s how wine connoisseurs talk, right?

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