Archive for January, 2010

Ontario Game Dinner Feb 2

by Kato on January 30, 2010 in Events, Food & Restaurants with No comments

Ontario Game Dinner at Wine Bar/Hank’s ~ 9 Church St. ~ Toronto, ON.

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 7 p.m.

Slow Food Toronto Chefs joining us for this evening :
•    Joshna Maharaj (Food Studio)  – Charcuterie
•    Bertrand Alepee (Amuse Bouche) &  Scott Vivian (Wine Bar/Hank’s)  ~Venison
•    Jason Bangerter (Auberge du Pommier) & Mike Steh (Red’s) ~ Rabbit
•    Chris Brown (The Stop) & Jason Inniss (Amuse Bouche) – Squab
•    Jeff Crump, Scott Baily & Bettina Schormann (Ancaster Old Mill) ~ Wild Boar
•    Rachelle Vivian (Wine Bar/Hank’s) ~ Desserts

Tickets available through UofT Tix 416.978.8849, www.uofttix.ca
$60 for Slow Food Members*
$70 for Non Slow Food Member*
BYOB – no corkage

*Proceeds from the evening will help send our delegates to Terra Madre, Slow Food’s Bi-annual conference on sustainable world food economies in October 2010.

Online Wine School – Lesson 3

by Kato on January 27, 2010 in Billy's Online Wine School, Wine Picks with 4 Comments

Drink your way through Billy’s Best wine book – a bottle or two at a time.  Follow the instructions and you’ll be a wine wizard by Easter. New lessons are posted every Wednesday. Looking forward to hearing about your ‘homework’!

merlotLesson3Lesson #3  Does the situation call for the old wine camp or the new?

The old wine countries create very dry and challenging drinks, while new wine countries offer more friendly, less dry wines. This is a generalization of course but it’s useful to know that the two styles exist – and that choosing the appropriate one will go a long way in determining the success of your event. Or just your own drinking pleasure.

For this lesson you will need to buy and open both red wines below. Experience them side by side (yes, two glasses in front of you) so you can see the different experiences described below. Neither wine is better of course, but there will be a better ‘choice’ once you factor in a situation/mood/food. You could have the foods suggested with the two wines – on the same evening, or spread your lesson over two evenings.

OLD WORLD STYLE Red
CESARI 08 Merlot, Italy 572453 $7.25 page 149
(alternative: Alianca 06 Bairrada Reserve, Portugal 158741 $8.50)
very dry – an edge – earthy – challenging. Very refreshing and good at stimulating the palate – making you hungry, and keeping you hungry through the meal. Its strength is being good at helping you enjoy the meal. And not knocking you out with high alcohol. Could be likened to European movies that give you something to think about.
FOODS: Plain roasted or grilled red meats with fresh herbs. Tomato sauced pasta or pizza.
FYI: The traditional wines of France, Italy, Spain, etc are known as Old World.

NEW WORLD STYLE Red
CONO SUR 08 Shiraz, Chile 64295 $9.95 page 199
(alternative: Finca Flichman 08 Malbec ‘Misteria’, Argentina 28803 $7.80)
Smooth – fruity – spicy sweet – yummy. Instant pleasure and the ‘let’s party’ feeling. An invitation to relax – with food, or without. If there’s food, make sure it has kick-ass flavours. New World reds could be likened to Hollywood movies – lots of glitz and glam.
FOODS: Ribs, steaks or chops with spicy/sweet sauces. Burgers with all the fixins.
FYI: Australian, Chilean and Californian wines are categorized as New World.
P.S. Ontario is in this group technically, but most of our best wines are Old World and cool climate in style.

LCBO Vintages Saturday Jan 23

by Kato on January 22, 2010 in Vintages Picks, Wine Picks with 2 Comments

THE LOW DOWN: Six picks ranging in price from $15 to $25. Blockbuster, crowd-pleasing Argentinan wines are the feature but they are outdone by my Cotes du Rhone pick. France also scores with a Sauv Blanc. Malivoire Gamay and Southbrook Chard are outstanding locals.

saintbresWHITES
wine style: fresh white
LA CHABLISIENNE 08 Sauvignon, Saint-Bris, France 641753 $14.95
Seriously dry and sharp Sauvignon. Edgy and super-refreshing – but needs a hot summer day.

southbrookwine style: rich white
SOUTHBROOK 07 Chardonnay ‘Triomphe’, VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake 117572 $21.95
Solid, manly Chard in the Burgundian style. Deep, earthy flavours, rich and very luxurious. Needs a special event and well seasoned food. Or just sip and enjoy. A wonderful wine experience at a reasonable price. Could be aged a year or three.

alamoswine style: nice & easy white
ALAMOS  08 Torrontes, Argentina 81539 $13.95
Torrentes is South America’s Muscat or Gewuztraminer. Exotic and spicy with a suggestion of sweetness. Fun stuff to sip between meals and at parties. And a really good partner for Sunday eggs.

malivoireREDS
wine style: lively red
MALIVOIRE 08 Gamay VQA Niagara 591313 $17.95
A lively, fruity, earthy edition of the Beaujolais grape. Very refreshing, very gulpable and a wonderful local expression. A bit expensive but you’ll feel awfully good drinking this on a picnic this summer.

selwine style: rich red
CLOS de LOS SIETE 07, Mendoza, Argentina 622571 $23.95
Argentinean edition of Bordeaux. Solid, manly red for beef or lamb. Best partnered with a formal mood.

crozauwine style: super-rich red
LA RÉSERVE du CROUZAU ST. GERVAIS 07 Cotes du Rhône-Villages, France 142943 $14.95
A blockbuster for sure. Super-rich red for fireside sipping. If you like Amarone try this – at a quarter of the price.

On the Espresso Trail

by Kato on January 21, 2010 in Billy's World, Food & Restaurants with No comments

IMG_9672Independent coffee bars are popping up all over the city. A good thing for sure. My latest ‘good espresso’ discovery was at Scratch, a neighbourhood, family spot that supplements coffee trade with handmade children’s clothing. Modern meets hippy – everyone is happy. Lovely long communal table, brick wall, local art. etc . . . and most importantly an Elektra machine.

Scratch Espresso Bar, 1358 Bathurst Street (a few blocks South of St Clair, west side)
scratchespresso.com

Billy’s Online Wine School: Week 2

by Kato on January 20, 2010 in Billy's Online Wine School with 6 Comments

Welcome to Billy’s Online Wine School. Drink your way through my 2010 Billy’s Best Book billysbestbook.com – a bottle or two at a time, in the comfort of your own pad. Just follow the instructions and you’ll be a wine wizard by Easter. And thanks to all who got through lesson 1 and wrote in.

LESSON 2:  It’s the mood/situation that makes a wine ‘good’ – NOT personal taste.

You might find this a bit shocking but this is one of the most important things you can learn about wine. Personal taste tries to keep you in your comfort zone, depriving you of the potential magic of the moment. But you can overcome the limitations of personal taste simply by being more in the mood of the moment. When the wine is right for the moment you, and your friends, will enjoy it. Regardless of personal taste.

This week I’d like you to buy two styles of wine to illustrate this point. Two contrasting whites, each with the potential to hit the spot after work – depending on your mood. One is a ‘refresher’, the other a ‘relaxer’. Refrigerate and open both wines – pour a small glass of each before supper and see which works best for you.

Repeat the exercise on the next, and the next evening. Always noting how one wine works better than the other. But, and this is the lesson, your fondness is likely change from evening to evening, depending on your need for relaxation or refreshment. The moment/mood will determine the best wine, and over ride personal taste.

A REFRESHER
Mezzacorona 08 Pinot Grigio, Trentino, Italy 302380 $12.60  page 58
Alternative:  Winzer Krems 08 Gruner Veltliner, Austria 589002 $10.75  page 53

A RELAXER
Henry of Pelham 07 Non-Oaked Chardonnay, VQA Niagara 291211 $13.15  page 83
(Alternative: Ruffino 08 Orvieto, Umbria, Italy  31062 $11.50  page 78
week2

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