Jacqueline Brisley CSW owner of Vitis Vitae, website www.vitisvitae.com
These are words I love to hear used in relation to a wine. Not all wine needs to be super-serious, and I call these fun wines "Tuesday night wines". When you open a bottle on a weeknight, just to have a tasty drink with dinner, your expectations from that bottle are less stringent than from a bottle opened to go with a meal you spent hours preparing.
I have a list of cheap and cheerful wines I always have on hand, just for opening when I feel like it, or to serve to impromptu guests.
My new number 1 on the list is Fuzion - a shiraz/malbec blend from Argentina for $7.45 a bottle. I don't have exceedingly high or unreasonable expectations at this price level, but I do expect it to be drinkable, enjoyable, and please the majority of palates. Fuzion does just that. It is fairly fruity on the nose, with a hint of oaky vanilla, it has pleasing acidity, enough tannin left to make it obvious you are drinking red wine, and a bit of length. It is definitely styled as a new world wine, and as such doesn't have much in the way of any earthiness or non-fruit characteristics. It comes in a handy screw top, to make it even more convenient to open for those in my house not versed in the safe and proper opening of a wine with a corkscrew. What it boils down to is - this is tasty, non pretentious wine, delivering excellent value for the price tag. I am ecstatic to find a wine under $10 with good drinking potential, at under $8, fill up the cart!
My previous #1 was Cono Sur Pinot Noir, from Chile now at $10.90. About a year ago it was $10.10, so I'm miffed about the almost 10% increase in price. I notice these things, but I still buy it. It's the cheapest Pinot Noir in the LCBO, and not bad either. It has the basic characteristics of bright red fruit - cherries? on the nose, good acidity, low tannins, all of which make an easy quaffing wine. Sometimes too easy - the second bottle seems to open and pour itself as you chat, which can be a bit dangerous. Again with the handy dandy screwcap!
I still like Montepulciano d'Abruzzo as a cheap and cheerful wine. Again at $7.45, but not long ago it was $6.95 - sneaky Mr. LCBO at it again! Inflation is 2%, so the correct increase should have been $.14, not $.50 . My go-to is Citra for this Italian red, partly out of habit, partly because it also comes in 1.5l bottles, eliminating entirely the pesky opening of a second bottle. I use this wine to make Sangria in the summer for my Sangria Sundays, since a vat of Sangria is a great crowd pleaser, and can be diluted with soda to match the time of day (at noon, you dilute it, at 5:00, it gets drank straight from the pitcher). My Sangria Recipe - quantities are vague as I just pour and mix until it tastes right!
1.5l red wine
about 1/2 bottle triple sec
about 1/2 bottle brandy (preferably Spanish)
about 4 cups clear fruit juice (apple, cranberry, cranapple etc.)
thinly sliced oranges, lemons, limes
mix and taste - should be sweet enough, but if not, add some superfine sugar - also called fruit sugar (don't confuse this with icing sugar!). Regular granulated sugar works, but needs more stirring to dissolve it.
Serve over lots of ice, and top with soda if desired.
I'm missing my Sangria Sundays right now, since I'm convinced winter will never end. Today it's raining, but the forcast is for the temperature to plummit this afternoon, and back to the freezer with all of us.
I'll continue with great value wines later, please share any of your favourites!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
How important is glassware anyway?
I get asked all the time about glassware, and the effect it has on wine. I have attended a Riedel Tasting, where wines are tasted out of the "wrong" glass and then out of the "right" glass, and yes, there is a perceptible difference in the nose and taste perception of the wine. But, who of us can afford multiple shapes of glasses for the myriad of grape varieties out there?
I propose that most people can afford three types of wine glasses. Proper champagne flutes are a must, as any other shape destroys the "mousse" or bubbles in the wine, and basically, it's the bubbles you paid for.
The next essential glass is a tulip shaped multi-purpose glass. It should have a generous capacity to allow swirling of the wine, it should have no beaded rim, and the glass should be as thin as possible. The rim does interfere with the tactile perception of the wine. If you don't believe me, try tasting wine from a clunky water glass, then from a rimless glass and see the difference. The top of the glass needs to be narrower, to trap the aroma molecules and allow us to more easily smell them. This shape of glass will work with almost all white wines, and most reds will taste just fine from it. Fancy names for this shape of glass are "Bordeaux", or "Cabernet" glasses. Since wines from the Bordeaux region are mostly blends, you can see why this works as a multi-purpose glass.
The next most important glass is a bowl shaped glass, sometimes called a "burgundy" or Pinot Noir" glass. The same guidelines for size and rim apply. This glass is best for - obviously - Pinot Noir, but it also works well for Barolo, Chateauneuf du Pape, and single varietals included in that catchall name - eg. Grenache. It also works well for White Burgundy, which is - Chardonnay! It brings out the oakiness in wine produced using similar techniques to those used for the fine white wines of Burgundy, so if you want to emphasize the oak, choose this style of glass.
To get more technical, smaller tulip shaped glasses are important to enjoy Port and Sherry, and they also work well for Dessert Wines like Icewine, since a 2 ounce serving of these is all you want at a time. These glasses are available as ISO 9001 wine tasting glasses.
That's about all you need, and all I have. I would rather put my money into wine than glasses!
I propose that most people can afford three types of wine glasses. Proper champagne flutes are a must, as any other shape destroys the "mousse" or bubbles in the wine, and basically, it's the bubbles you paid for.
The next essential glass is a tulip shaped multi-purpose glass. It should have a generous capacity to allow swirling of the wine, it should have no beaded rim, and the glass should be as thin as possible. The rim does interfere with the tactile perception of the wine. If you don't believe me, try tasting wine from a clunky water glass, then from a rimless glass and see the difference. The top of the glass needs to be narrower, to trap the aroma molecules and allow us to more easily smell them. This shape of glass will work with almost all white wines, and most reds will taste just fine from it. Fancy names for this shape of glass are "Bordeaux", or "Cabernet" glasses. Since wines from the Bordeaux region are mostly blends, you can see why this works as a multi-purpose glass.
The next most important glass is a bowl shaped glass, sometimes called a "burgundy" or Pinot Noir" glass. The same guidelines for size and rim apply. This glass is best for - obviously - Pinot Noir, but it also works well for Barolo, Chateauneuf du Pape, and single varietals included in that catchall name - eg. Grenache. It also works well for White Burgundy, which is - Chardonnay! It brings out the oakiness in wine produced using similar techniques to those used for the fine white wines of Burgundy, so if you want to emphasize the oak, choose this style of glass.
To get more technical, smaller tulip shaped glasses are important to enjoy Port and Sherry, and they also work well for Dessert Wines like Icewine, since a 2 ounce serving of these is all you want at a time. These glasses are available as ISO 9001 wine tasting glasses.
That's about all you need, and all I have. I would rather put my money into wine than glasses!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Restaurants and the truth about wine service
Since my business Vitis Vitae (Vine Life) is an infant that I am trying to grow into a viable,dynamic wine based company offering Wine Tasting Events, Consulting, and Education Provider, I am still working full time as well as running the business. I work in the only true Fine Dining Restaurant in the Guelph area - The Aberfoyle Mill. I have never believed in cutting off your nose to spite your face, and I happen to love working in a great restaurant. The dynamics of giving great service are fascinating to someone like me - I love making that first contact with customers, and reading their needs to judge what style of service will best make their experience the best I can. Some people want active participation, conversation, hints and ideas, or just plain help deciding, wheras others want silent, seamless service with no chit-chat. Both are completely correct, it just depends on the customer.
The one thing that should have no variation or room for interpretation is proper wine service. The customer may request help in choosing the bottle, or ask for advice, but the service part is critical. The bottle must be presented to the person who ordered it from their right hand side where possible, label up, and verbally repeat the name of the wine and the vintage to ensure this is the wine the customer ordered. Upon acceptance, remove the foil capsule below the ridge to ensure that the wine when poured will not contact the foil. The cork is to be extracted using a double lever corkscrew, ensuring the cork doesn't break (sometimes happens no matter what!). The bottle should be opened in the air beside the table in restaurants that do not have a gueridon or wine service cart. The top of the bottle should be wiped with a clean white cloth, around the rim and just inside the opening. Pour a small 1 - 2 oz. sample into the glass of the person who ordered the wine for approval. All beverage service is done from the right of the guest to avoid crossing your arm in front of them. The host will taste the wine and approve or reject the bottle. Not liking the taste of a wine is very rarely a reason to return a bottle - the purpose of the taste is to ensure the wine is in good condition before pouring for the guests at the table. The order of pouring is to start with the guest of honour, or the most senior female at the table, and move in a clockwise fashion aroun the table, ending with the host. Wine glasses are not to be overfilled, and judgement is needed when pouring to ensure equal pours, especially if one bottle has been ordered for 6 guests - nothing worse than overpouring, and not having enough to fill the host's glass.
Some wines require decanting, special glassware etc. and these services should automatically be given when the wine requires them.
Hints for ordering the best wine from a wine list - for a large group, pick something that will go with a lot of food choices, not too expensive will do, as conversation will be more important that the quiet enjoyment of a great bottle of wine. Look a the mid-priced selections to find interesting, good value wines. A good selection in the $40 - $60 range means the restaurant really cares about wine, not just offering high priced prestige selections. If wines are offered by the glass as well as the bottle, try something different! If you like it, order the bottle, because if you need a bit more to get through dinner, but not a full bottle, a single glass or 1/2 litre will be available.
The profit on wine is substantial, but not exorbitant. The general mark up is 2 to 2 1/2 times, unlike liquor which is about 6 times cost. This has to cover the costs of holding inventory, glassware (which does break), training service staff, and allows for the possibility of a corked or out of condition bottle.
Beware of restaurants with what looks like a good wine list, only to find out they are out of stock of many selections, ones that substitute vintages, or don't list them in the printed wine list, and ones that charge full mark up but don't offer proper service or glassware. This is cheating!
Restaurants offer wine to compliment the food they serve, not to rip you off. They will survive on food sales alone, but choose to keep wines to enhance your experience. Make your selction carefully, and enjoy yourself! Life is too short to drink bad wine.
If you have had a poor wine experience in a restaurant, let me know, and perhaps I'll contact them to offer training and consulting to improve your dining experience. My company is Vitis Vitae, and my website is www.vitisvitae.com . I can help them, they just need to admit they need help! (Sounds like treatment for an addiction!)
The one thing that should have no variation or room for interpretation is proper wine service. The customer may request help in choosing the bottle, or ask for advice, but the service part is critical. The bottle must be presented to the person who ordered it from their right hand side where possible, label up, and verbally repeat the name of the wine and the vintage to ensure this is the wine the customer ordered. Upon acceptance, remove the foil capsule below the ridge to ensure that the wine when poured will not contact the foil. The cork is to be extracted using a double lever corkscrew, ensuring the cork doesn't break (sometimes happens no matter what!). The bottle should be opened in the air beside the table in restaurants that do not have a gueridon or wine service cart. The top of the bottle should be wiped with a clean white cloth, around the rim and just inside the opening. Pour a small 1 - 2 oz. sample into the glass of the person who ordered the wine for approval. All beverage service is done from the right of the guest to avoid crossing your arm in front of them. The host will taste the wine and approve or reject the bottle. Not liking the taste of a wine is very rarely a reason to return a bottle - the purpose of the taste is to ensure the wine is in good condition before pouring for the guests at the table. The order of pouring is to start with the guest of honour, or the most senior female at the table, and move in a clockwise fashion aroun the table, ending with the host. Wine glasses are not to be overfilled, and judgement is needed when pouring to ensure equal pours, especially if one bottle has been ordered for 6 guests - nothing worse than overpouring, and not having enough to fill the host's glass.
Some wines require decanting, special glassware etc. and these services should automatically be given when the wine requires them.
Hints for ordering the best wine from a wine list - for a large group, pick something that will go with a lot of food choices, not too expensive will do, as conversation will be more important that the quiet enjoyment of a great bottle of wine. Look a the mid-priced selections to find interesting, good value wines. A good selection in the $40 - $60 range means the restaurant really cares about wine, not just offering high priced prestige selections. If wines are offered by the glass as well as the bottle, try something different! If you like it, order the bottle, because if you need a bit more to get through dinner, but not a full bottle, a single glass or 1/2 litre will be available.
The profit on wine is substantial, but not exorbitant. The general mark up is 2 to 2 1/2 times, unlike liquor which is about 6 times cost. This has to cover the costs of holding inventory, glassware (which does break), training service staff, and allows for the possibility of a corked or out of condition bottle.
Beware of restaurants with what looks like a good wine list, only to find out they are out of stock of many selections, ones that substitute vintages, or don't list them in the printed wine list, and ones that charge full mark up but don't offer proper service or glassware. This is cheating!
Restaurants offer wine to compliment the food they serve, not to rip you off. They will survive on food sales alone, but choose to keep wines to enhance your experience. Make your selction carefully, and enjoy yourself! Life is too short to drink bad wine.
If you have had a poor wine experience in a restaurant, let me know, and perhaps I'll contact them to offer training and consulting to improve your dining experience. My company is Vitis Vitae, and my website is www.vitisvitae.com . I can help them, they just need to admit they need help! (Sounds like treatment for an addiction!)
Monday, February 23, 2009
Will Winter Never End?
I don't know about you, but I'm thoroughly sick of winter! Any nice sunny days of meltdown seem to be just to make room for more snow. The only positive I can come up with is spending time in front of the fireplace, with a hearty meal and a robust bottle of wine. That's exactly what we did yesterday, along with a few favourite movies.
The meal was broiled T-bone steaks, roasted potatoes, mushrooms, and peppers, and garlic green beans, the wine was a bottle of 2005 Kilikanoon "The Medley" - Barossa Valley and Clare Valley. This is a Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre blend from Australia. It seems funny that a hot country like Australia makes perfect wines to enjoy in the winter, but this blend of Rhone Valley varieties done with an Australian over the top take, is a perfect Winter Wine. It's a big, super-ripe wine displaying all the alcohol potential of a 50% Grenache blend - alcohol 15%!! The nose was full of jammy dark fruit, with a sweetness to the aroma telling the story of these grapes ripening to all their full potential under the hot Australian sun. The colour was dark and inky, opaque saturated dark purple, all the way to the rim. The tears seemed to hang as though gravity did't affect them at all. The wine was rich and mouthfilling, with soft ripe tannins, nothing astringent or mouthdrying here. Acidity was moderate to low, and the taste was a repeat of what was promised by the nose - tons of ripe dark fruit. There wasn't a huge amount of complexity, or new flavours or tastes on the finish, but it did last quite a long time. The similarities to a fortified wine were astounding, although the wine was dry, the ripeness of the fruit played tricks making you think of sweetness. I had some left after dinner, and finished it off with some blue cheese, normally a perfect Port companion, and it worked very nicely.
This is not a very food friendly style of wine, because it tends to dominate your tastebuds - screaming with ripeness, but it was great on a cold night in front of the fire. I don't buy a lot of wines of this style simply because they are hard to drink with a lot of meals, but we did enjoy it a lot yesterday. It's a good wine from a good producer, and that made it as balanced as it could be. I suppose national characteristics do show in wine styles, because this wine was as brash and unashamed of it's in-your-face profile as the stereotypical Australian personality.
What I want is the weather to change, and bring my mind back to enjoying my more usual favourites in the world of wine - a delicate, fruity Pinot Noir - elegant and subtle, the same light finesse displayed in a Cru Beaujolais, the austerity of a Rhone Valley Syrah (as opposed to Shiraz), the structure of Bordeaux. It just goes to show you that there is a wine for all seasons.
The meal was broiled T-bone steaks, roasted potatoes, mushrooms, and peppers, and garlic green beans, the wine was a bottle of 2005 Kilikanoon "The Medley" - Barossa Valley and Clare Valley. This is a Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre blend from Australia. It seems funny that a hot country like Australia makes perfect wines to enjoy in the winter, but this blend of Rhone Valley varieties done with an Australian over the top take, is a perfect Winter Wine. It's a big, super-ripe wine displaying all the alcohol potential of a 50% Grenache blend - alcohol 15%!! The nose was full of jammy dark fruit, with a sweetness to the aroma telling the story of these grapes ripening to all their full potential under the hot Australian sun. The colour was dark and inky, opaque saturated dark purple, all the way to the rim. The tears seemed to hang as though gravity did't affect them at all. The wine was rich and mouthfilling, with soft ripe tannins, nothing astringent or mouthdrying here. Acidity was moderate to low, and the taste was a repeat of what was promised by the nose - tons of ripe dark fruit. There wasn't a huge amount of complexity, or new flavours or tastes on the finish, but it did last quite a long time. The similarities to a fortified wine were astounding, although the wine was dry, the ripeness of the fruit played tricks making you think of sweetness. I had some left after dinner, and finished it off with some blue cheese, normally a perfect Port companion, and it worked very nicely.
This is not a very food friendly style of wine, because it tends to dominate your tastebuds - screaming with ripeness, but it was great on a cold night in front of the fire. I don't buy a lot of wines of this style simply because they are hard to drink with a lot of meals, but we did enjoy it a lot yesterday. It's a good wine from a good producer, and that made it as balanced as it could be. I suppose national characteristics do show in wine styles, because this wine was as brash and unashamed of it's in-your-face profile as the stereotypical Australian personality.
What I want is the weather to change, and bring my mind back to enjoying my more usual favourites in the world of wine - a delicate, fruity Pinot Noir - elegant and subtle, the same light finesse displayed in a Cru Beaujolais, the austerity of a Rhone Valley Syrah (as opposed to Shiraz), the structure of Bordeaux. It just goes to show you that there is a wine for all seasons.
Friday, February 20, 2009
So many ideas!
There are times when my head won't stop spinning with ideas as to how to provide wine related programs in the Guelph area. I have recently started offerring classes in conjunction with the Upper Grand District School Board Continuing Education. The first set of classes was An Introduction to Wine Appreciation - 3 weeks, 4 wines per week to find out how to taste wine and develop your personal taste profile. This class will be offerred again starting April 28th (Tuesday) for 3 weeks, 6:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. A new offerring is Wine 101 - Beyond the Basics, same nights but for 4 weeks, 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. The last class will be a field trip to the LCBO to learn how to shop for wines. Registration can be done on my website http://www.vitisvitae.com/ , or through the School Board.
This is something I love to do - teach about wine! I have visions of further courses - Wine 201, an in depth concentration on one wine producing country per session, and Wine 301 - What makes a wine GREAT - tasting premium, prestige wines from around the world.
While I don't have a problem with the LCBO in general, I do have issues with courses and tasting sessions being run under the guise of education from a company whose mandate is to sell wine. Are products being presented objectively? Or is the goal to increase revenue and sales based on the latest releases? I have attended tasting sessions at the LCBO, and found them to be not very informative, and the setting was cold and sterile. The whole point of wine is that it is completely democratic, with everyone's opinion counting. Just because I like a particular wine, will you like it? Maybe, but not liking a wine is fine, since we all have different tastes. We don't all like the same foods, so why would it be the same with wine?
Time for a small rant about the LCBO. Don't think I haven't noticed the small price increases on some of my favourite budget bottles - I saw you sneak the prices up! In this economy, it takes nerve to do that! It's not like we have a choice as to where we purchase wine, so manipulating the prices by a small amount may not change my mind about a purchase, it does annoy me.
I spend a lot of money at the LCBO - it's part of my job and responsibity as a Sommelier and Wine Educator to taste as much as possible. I do get annoyed at empty shelves, product not shipped, discontinuations etc., but what really annoys me is the method of Vintages Releases. Not all stores receive all the listings in the Release Magazine, and pre-ordering sometimes doesn't work, as the central warehouse ships product as they wish. I had an experience with a particular Cotes du Rhone wine I wanted - I ordered a case before the deadline, but it wasn't shipped, so I checked inventory, and found multiple cases in stores in Toronto, but almost none outside the GTA. I had to e-mail the LCBO, and remind them they were the Liquor Control Board of ONTARIO, not just Toronto, and lo and behold, my wine arrived! If anyone else has had similar experiences, I would love to hear them.
This is something I love to do - teach about wine! I have visions of further courses - Wine 201, an in depth concentration on one wine producing country per session, and Wine 301 - What makes a wine GREAT - tasting premium, prestige wines from around the world.
While I don't have a problem with the LCBO in general, I do have issues with courses and tasting sessions being run under the guise of education from a company whose mandate is to sell wine. Are products being presented objectively? Or is the goal to increase revenue and sales based on the latest releases? I have attended tasting sessions at the LCBO, and found them to be not very informative, and the setting was cold and sterile. The whole point of wine is that it is completely democratic, with everyone's opinion counting. Just because I like a particular wine, will you like it? Maybe, but not liking a wine is fine, since we all have different tastes. We don't all like the same foods, so why would it be the same with wine?
Time for a small rant about the LCBO. Don't think I haven't noticed the small price increases on some of my favourite budget bottles - I saw you sneak the prices up! In this economy, it takes nerve to do that! It's not like we have a choice as to where we purchase wine, so manipulating the prices by a small amount may not change my mind about a purchase, it does annoy me.
I spend a lot of money at the LCBO - it's part of my job and responsibity as a Sommelier and Wine Educator to taste as much as possible. I do get annoyed at empty shelves, product not shipped, discontinuations etc., but what really annoys me is the method of Vintages Releases. Not all stores receive all the listings in the Release Magazine, and pre-ordering sometimes doesn't work, as the central warehouse ships product as they wish. I had an experience with a particular Cotes du Rhone wine I wanted - I ordered a case before the deadline, but it wasn't shipped, so I checked inventory, and found multiple cases in stores in Toronto, but almost none outside the GTA. I had to e-mail the LCBO, and remind them they were the Liquor Control Board of ONTARIO, not just Toronto, and lo and behold, my wine arrived! If anyone else has had similar experiences, I would love to hear them.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Corporate Citizenship, Wine and the Economy
I participated in a charity event on Saturday 31st January - Red and White and Hot All Over - Guelph Wine Gala in benefit of The Edward Johnson Music Foundation. This is an organization that brings music in Primary Schools under the Do Re Mi program, and provides scholarships for aspiring musicians. The reason I bring this up now, is I attended a post event meeting yesterday to assess the success of the event. I ran a series of tasting rooms - 4 in total, each session consisting of 3 wines donated bt the winery or broker. Each session was 20 minutes, with a 10 minute turnaround to re-set the room. Talk about a logistical nightmare! Luckily, being ex-military, I planned it like any good military operation, prepared everything in advance, set up all the glasses on a staging table with all the red wines pre-poured (carefully labelled fro each session!), and trained completely unfamiliar volunteers in pouring and set-up. This was not an exercise for the faint of heart, because one glitch could compromise the whole series of events.
Everything went as per plan, and a total of 120 people participated in 2 hours. I felt like the Energizer Bunny, but had a wonderful time doing what I most enjoy - sharing wine with other people who are interested. The Charity raised more money this year than the last 2, so a great success all round. I have been invited back to conduct sessions next year, with a little fine tuning. There will be a more in-depth tasting session prior to the main event, as well as smaller sessions throughout the evening. I am looking forward to it already.
On April 18th, I am participating again in Spring Magic for Women, a day of seminars in benefit of the St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation. Last year was great, lots of fun and giggles as we tasted 4 wines per seminar.
Part of the reason I mention these things is to help promote local charities to Guelph. Times are tough, but Guelph is a great city, with wonderful support for charitable events. Did you know Guelph has the highest percentage of people who volunteer in all of Canada? As a local business, and citizen, I strongly believe in giving back to the community. All it takes is your time, and perhaps it will make a difference.
On a more personal note, I like finding wines and foods that match particularly well, and love finding dishes that can be prepared easily and economically, along with a well priced wine. Weekday meals need to be quick and easy, and the wine easily obtainable and reasonably priced (think cheap - but not cheap quality, therefore great value!). I bought some boneless chicken breast on sale - not something I normally buy, because it can be very boring and tasteless for a lot of money. I had leftover creamed spinach, bacon I also bought on sale, leftover boiled fingerling potatoes, and mushrooms from the "reduced for quick sale" section. I butterflied the chicken breasts and stuffed them with the spinach and some extra old cheddar cheese, wrapped them in bacon, and roasted them on a pan with the mushrooms strewn around. The potaoes, I tossed in extra virgin olive oil, and roasted as well. A few fresh green beans, and not a bad meal at all. The wine I chose is one of my bargain favourite - Cono Sur Pinot Noir from Chile. This is the best $10.95 Pinot Noir ever made! Don't get me wrong, it's not Burgundy, but it has all the true characteristics of Pinot Noir - light, fruity, very little tannin, a touch of earthiness, and a refreshing, too east to drink quality. Total cost for a great meal for 2 - about $23 including a bottle of wine, and it took about 15 minutes to prepare, and about 40 minutes to cook. Try getting that in a restaurant.
I've got some leftover lamb chops and steak from Monday that need to be dealt with today, so I'm thinking peasant food, stew, hearty, since the weather still is horrible. Perhaps if I boil them with onions until the lamb falls off the bone, add carrots, celery, garlic, and barley and simmer it for a while, it will make a nice satisfying meal. I think this calls for something heartier to drink as well. It's still only Thursday, so weekday budget rules apply - another old standby is calling my name - Marcus James Malbec from Argentina ($9.45). At that price, a little in the stew won't go amiss either.
Everything went as per plan, and a total of 120 people participated in 2 hours. I felt like the Energizer Bunny, but had a wonderful time doing what I most enjoy - sharing wine with other people who are interested. The Charity raised more money this year than the last 2, so a great success all round. I have been invited back to conduct sessions next year, with a little fine tuning. There will be a more in-depth tasting session prior to the main event, as well as smaller sessions throughout the evening. I am looking forward to it already.
On April 18th, I am participating again in Spring Magic for Women, a day of seminars in benefit of the St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation. Last year was great, lots of fun and giggles as we tasted 4 wines per seminar.
Part of the reason I mention these things is to help promote local charities to Guelph. Times are tough, but Guelph is a great city, with wonderful support for charitable events. Did you know Guelph has the highest percentage of people who volunteer in all of Canada? As a local business, and citizen, I strongly believe in giving back to the community. All it takes is your time, and perhaps it will make a difference.
On a more personal note, I like finding wines and foods that match particularly well, and love finding dishes that can be prepared easily and economically, along with a well priced wine. Weekday meals need to be quick and easy, and the wine easily obtainable and reasonably priced (think cheap - but not cheap quality, therefore great value!). I bought some boneless chicken breast on sale - not something I normally buy, because it can be very boring and tasteless for a lot of money. I had leftover creamed spinach, bacon I also bought on sale, leftover boiled fingerling potatoes, and mushrooms from the "reduced for quick sale" section. I butterflied the chicken breasts and stuffed them with the spinach and some extra old cheddar cheese, wrapped them in bacon, and roasted them on a pan with the mushrooms strewn around. The potaoes, I tossed in extra virgin olive oil, and roasted as well. A few fresh green beans, and not a bad meal at all. The wine I chose is one of my bargain favourite - Cono Sur Pinot Noir from Chile. This is the best $10.95 Pinot Noir ever made! Don't get me wrong, it's not Burgundy, but it has all the true characteristics of Pinot Noir - light, fruity, very little tannin, a touch of earthiness, and a refreshing, too east to drink quality. Total cost for a great meal for 2 - about $23 including a bottle of wine, and it took about 15 minutes to prepare, and about 40 minutes to cook. Try getting that in a restaurant.
I've got some leftover lamb chops and steak from Monday that need to be dealt with today, so I'm thinking peasant food, stew, hearty, since the weather still is horrible. Perhaps if I boil them with onions until the lamb falls off the bone, add carrots, celery, garlic, and barley and simmer it for a while, it will make a nice satisfying meal. I think this calls for something heartier to drink as well. It's still only Thursday, so weekday budget rules apply - another old standby is calling my name - Marcus James Malbec from Argentina ($9.45). At that price, a little in the stew won't go amiss either.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Vitis Vitae Inaugural Posting
Welcome to my first blog posting! I am Jacqueline Brisley CSW, Certified Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers, and Certified Specialist of Wine from The Society of Wine Educators. I own a Wine Tasting, consulting, and education company called Vitis Vitae (Vine Life) based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The website is www.vitisvitae.com .
I started my company in 2008, and began running public Wine Tasting Events, each one focused on a different region. I also developed some corporate events for team building, ran private wine tasting events such as an alternative to a traditional cocktail hour, wedding shower, etc. I also chose to develop myself as a corporate citizen by donating my time and skills to various local charities.
But - welcome to 2009. The economy has gone down the toilet, and people from all walks of life are choosing to scale back their discretionary spending. Have I chosen to be associated with a so called "luxury" item? This is not what I am finding from my students and clients. There is a strong demand for accessible, easy to understand, fun ways to learn about wine!
Since I am based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada the only retail outlet for wine is the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario). Wine can be bought through brokers, but only in full cases, at prices set by the LCBO. I don't have a problem with this system, as it does generate a huge amount of income to help finance essential programs like universal health care, but there are flaws. The selections available are carefully chosen to fit specific niches in the marketplace, with the first thought being the mass acceptance and profitability of the product. Wine is not made to fit into specific niches like this. It is a living product of the association of man and vine, as much art as industry, crafted with love and passion, and it changes each year based on what nature determines, not a marketing CEO.
What I plan on sharing with you is my travels around the world of wine, all experiences both good and bad, and let you decide for yourself if a particular wine is worth trying, or coming to the realization that perhaps a friendly, easy to understand Wine Education Course would benefit you in making these travels with me.
Comments, questions, and opinions are welcome, but keep in mind that the perception of wine is completely subjective. There are no right or wrong answers when it comes to taste. I hope to develop new ideas and opinions as well, as I am always learning.
Please visit my website www.vitisvitae.com for upcoming events and courses.
I started my company in 2008, and began running public Wine Tasting Events, each one focused on a different region. I also developed some corporate events for team building, ran private wine tasting events such as an alternative to a traditional cocktail hour, wedding shower, etc. I also chose to develop myself as a corporate citizen by donating my time and skills to various local charities.
But - welcome to 2009. The economy has gone down the toilet, and people from all walks of life are choosing to scale back their discretionary spending. Have I chosen to be associated with a so called "luxury" item? This is not what I am finding from my students and clients. There is a strong demand for accessible, easy to understand, fun ways to learn about wine!
Since I am based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada the only retail outlet for wine is the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario). Wine can be bought through brokers, but only in full cases, at prices set by the LCBO. I don't have a problem with this system, as it does generate a huge amount of income to help finance essential programs like universal health care, but there are flaws. The selections available are carefully chosen to fit specific niches in the marketplace, with the first thought being the mass acceptance and profitability of the product. Wine is not made to fit into specific niches like this. It is a living product of the association of man and vine, as much art as industry, crafted with love and passion, and it changes each year based on what nature determines, not a marketing CEO.
What I plan on sharing with you is my travels around the world of wine, all experiences both good and bad, and let you decide for yourself if a particular wine is worth trying, or coming to the realization that perhaps a friendly, easy to understand Wine Education Course would benefit you in making these travels with me.
Comments, questions, and opinions are welcome, but keep in mind that the perception of wine is completely subjective. There are no right or wrong answers when it comes to taste. I hope to develop new ideas and opinions as well, as I am always learning.
Please visit my website www.vitisvitae.com for upcoming events and courses.
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