All posts tagged Bubbly

Hart House Tasting Series starts this Thursday

by Kato on October 27, 2009 in Events with No comments

tasting_headerHart House 2009 Tasting Series brings together a cross-section of renowned specialists passionate about sharing their tasting knowledge with attendees. This series will run from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm every Thursday night in the Music Room at Hart House beginning October 29th through to December 3rd, 2009. I’m excited about my Bubbly tasting on December 3rd! Come celebrate with me. Tickets are now available for $50 per tasting, or purchase the bundle of all 6 tastings for $250. Spaces are limited. Get on it NOW! www.uofttix.ca or (416) 978-8849.  For more information visit www.harthouse.ca/tasting.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29 / 7:00 pm Quebec Beer & Cheese with Mirella Amato & Julia Roger
Kicking off the 2009 Hart House Tasting Series will be a little taste of Quebec without leaving the GTA. This unique tasting is not to be missed as we import product straight from our French Canadian neighbours just for your tasting pleasure. Let experts Mirella and Julia guide you through a beer and cheese tasting.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5 / 7:00 pm Pinot Camp with Norman Hardie
If you’re a Pinot lover tonight is the night for you! Winemaker Norman Hardie leads us through a detailed tasting of Pinot Noir from the countries that make it best. Afrim Pristine will be bringing along treats from the Cheese Boutique.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12 / 7:00 pm Contemporary Cocktails with Dick Snyder
Dick Snyder of CityBites Magazine hosts a night of cocktails that promises to get you in a Mad Men kind of mood. Bartenders from the Harbord Room, Ame and the Black Hoof will delight us with contemporary twists on classic cocktails.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19 / 7:00 pm Wines from New Regions with Sheila Person and Stephanie Kern
Care for a glass of Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains from Romania? Join Sommeliers Sheila Person and Stephanie Kern as they showcase wines from up and coming regions around the world. A votre sante!

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26 / 7:00 pm Tea Tasting with Karen Hartwick
Smell, swirl and taste. This isn’t another wine tasting – experience a tasting like no other with Karen Hartwick from Tea Leaves in Stratford as she explores the world of tea.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3 / 7:00 pm Billy & Bubbles with Billy Munnelly and Guest Chef Jonathan Gushue
What could be better than a little bubbly and some fancy hors d’oeuvres to match? Langdon Hall’s Executive Chef Jonathan Gushue will partner up with Billy Munnelly as they explain sparkling wines and the foods that love them.

Best Local Brut

by Kato on June 9, 2009 in Vintages Picks with No comments

HENRY of PELHAM keeps inching its way closer to Champagne with its Brut ‘Cuvée Catharine’. Austere, and stony dry – almost no flavour but full of character. A high note that leaves you hanging and wanting more. Outstanding aperitif. Best batch yet of this wine – and possibly the best ever Brut out of Niagara.

HENRY of PELHAM Brut ‘Cuvée Catharine’, VQA Niagara 616441 LCBO Vintages $29.95

Prosecco – the path to lightness

by Kato on May 2, 2009 in Wine Picks with No comments

proseccowebWe drink to lighten our lives. So it helps if most of what we drink feels lighthearted. Let me introduce you to the most lighthearted, the most fun, the most frivolous sparkling wine in the world.

Meet Prosecco. Don’t worry, nobody else has heard of it either. It’s one of those wines that gets drunk by a few million selfish Venetians in the north east of Italy so there’s none left to export. Not really. The Prosecco business is expanding and bottles are showing up in wine savvy places such as Ontario. And they’re flying off the shelf because we have never seen sparkling wine at these low prices.

How do they do it? Well we all know that Italians can work miracles when it comes to wine prices. Sparkling wine is usually expensive because it gets aged for years in deep, dark cellars – developing character and specialness. And costing money. Well the folks in the Prosecco region take a different approach. Their wine is bottled and sent to market in the spring after harvest. Which means two things: the wine is not complex – it’s young and giddy – and it can be sold at an everyday price.

This is the most lighthearted season of the year and Prosecco is the perfect drink to set up that mood on your patio or deck. A glass of this sparkling will take you somewhere lighter, away from your work and worry. Take time out to toast your good life!

Part of your introduction to the world of Prosecco should include the purchase of a Champagne stopper. This gadget will allow you to reseal the bottle – and bring it out again the next evening. Take your lead from the Venetians and enjoy a single glass of Prosecco every evening. Val d’Oca is not the most attractive Prosecco bottle in the stores but it’s the best. It’s the only wine from the original DOC.

VAL d’OCA 07 PROSECCO, Italy 340570 $14.80

‘Lily’ Sparkling

by Kato on May 2, 2009 in Wine Picks with No comments

People are drinking a lot more sparkling wine. Sales are way up. I have no idea why this is happening so I can only assume it has something to do with the Recession or the Aquarian age of enlightenment. More people celebrating everyday, as opposed to waiting for a big moment.

Another reason may be that sparkling wine has never been so good, and so affordable. If you’re not into the sparkling habit yet may I offer a tip that might help get you started. Don’t think that you always have to finish the bottle. Have a glass or two at the cocktail hour, recork the bottle and repeat the following evening. With the help of a Champagne stopper (an essential wine tool) a refrigerated bottle will remain fizzy and fresh for 3 to 4 days.

lillyThe Zen books tell us to live in, and celebrate, the moment. I try my best by having at least one glass of sparkling wine every day. It’s my ‘made it through the day’ and ‘great to be home’ celebration.

If bubbly-every-day just seems too outrageous for you let me offer a tip: down-style it. Buy one of the great cheapies below and drink it from a tumbler like they do in Italy. And to avoid the temptation of finishing the bottle, recork and return it to the fridge after pouring. It will remain good for up to five days.

Did you know that only Champagne, from that region in France, can be called Champagne? All the other fizzy wines are simply called sparkling. But don’t let wine snobs intimidate you into buying Champagne. You can lead a very happy life with all the other sparkling wines.

One of the best kept secrets in local wine is COLIO ESTATES sparkling wine that goes by the name LILY. It feels both classy and yummy – the ultimate experience in sparkling wine.

Colio Estates Sparkling ‘Lily’, Ontario 509083 $14.95

 

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