Whites
I’ve tried all of these wines, and they are all good and a deal as gifts.
Whites
Chardonnay
2006 La Chablisienne Chablis Les Venerables Vielles Vignes France
2008 Toasted Head Chardonnay California
2005 Meusault 1er Cur Les Poruzots Nicolas Potel CHardonnay France
2005 Mount Gisborne Chardonnay Australia
2008 Lindemman Bin 65 Chardonnay California
Sauvignon Blanc
2009 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand
2009 Errazuriz Estate Sauvignon Blanc Chile
Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat, Canelli, Chardonnay and Viognier
2007 Conundrum California
Riesling
2008 Yalumba Y Series Riesling South Australia
2007 Trimbach Riesling Reserve Alsace, France
2008 Tamar Ridge Devil’s Corner Riesling Tasmania
2007 Domdechant Werner Hochheimer Kirchenstuck Riesling Spatlese Germany
2007 Cave Spring Cellars Riesling Ontario
Viognier
2008 Cono Sur Reserva Viognier Chile
Gewurtztraminer
2007 Colio Estate Vineyards Gewurtztraminer Harrow Ontario
2007 Pierre Sparr Gewurrztraminer Alsace, FRance
2008 Louis Hauller Gewurtsraminer Alsace, France
Muscat
2007 Ottonel Serbia
Reds
Pinot Noir
2005 Manuel Olivier Pinot Noir Bourgogne Hautes Cotes De Nuits Cuvee de Garde France
2007 Maison Chanson Bourgogne Pinot Noir France
2007 Bell Glos Meiomi Pinot Noir California
2005 Irony Pinot Noir California
Grenache
2005 Sella & Mosca Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva Italy
Tempranillo, Granache, Mazuelo and Graciano
2005 Bodegas Muga Rioja Reserva Spain
Cabernet Sauvignon
2008 Sanata Carolina Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon Chile
2007 Penisula Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Ontatio
2006 Sumac Ridge Balck Sage Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon British Columbia
Cabernet-Merlot
2004 Chateau de Terrefort Quancard France
Merlot
2005 Chateau Laborde Lalande-de-Pomerol France
Zindfandel
2007 Ravenswood Zinfandel California
2007 Cline Zinfandel California
Primitvo
2005 Salento Primitvo del Salento Puglai Italy
Shiraz/Syrah
2007 Perrin & Fils Reserve Cotes du Phone Syrah France
2006 Plunkett Fowles Therite Shiraz Australia
2006 Kilikanoon Killerman’s Run Shiraz South Australia
2006 Elderton E Series Shiraz California
2008 Palin Syrah Chile
Malbec
2008 Kaiken Malbec Argentina
Sauvignon Blanc is one my favorite white wines, and I've found some great ones under $20; like the Oyster Bay from New Zealand. Depending on where it’s grown – cool or warm climate—the wine is marked with scents of grass, and can taste tangy with a hint of grapefruit, juicy peach or melon. Sauvignon Blanc is not subtle or delicate, it’s pretty much a big taste in your face.
The most pungent Sauvignon Blanc are from the Loire Valley of Pouilly-sur-Loire, known as Blanc Fumé or Pouilly Fumé. A good Pouilly Fumé with tons of intense oaky flavours is the 2008 Gilles Blanchet. One word: refreshing.
I’ve read, in California, Napa Valley, the plantings devoted to Sauvignon Blanc have increased from 600 acres in1969 to more than 5,000 today. According to a sommelier, the varietal probably owes its popularity to Robert Mondavi, who originated the Fumé Blanc in1967, to distinguish his dry Sauvignon Blanc from semi-sweet ones that dominated the market to the Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc wines. I tried the Robert Mondavi in a blind taste against a Sauvignon Blanc, and I really didn’t think there was a difference between the California wines. The two wines were crisp and dry. Was this a great marketing ploy? Maybe. You'll have to do your own research on this--try the 2007 Robert Mondavi Wine and compare it to the Pouilly Fumé and a Sauvignon Blanc, and see what you get. Cheers!
As every hippie health food restaurant menu knows carrot cakes are healthy. Sure at thousand calories a slice; they are great-- all that oil, butter, carrots, walnuts. Given the danger of over indulgence, I did a bit of liposuction on this classic recipe. The nuts are gone, I used way less butter in the cake and frosting, and added flavour, texture and volume using pineapple, coconut, cake flour, and noisette butter. But you would never know from the result it was easier on your waist line. The taste is rich, complex and comforting. So if you have munchies flashback, you'll find yourself rationalizing the third or fourth piece. Luckily you'll have a second cake, this recipe makes two --enough for when your guests arrive.
Cake
5 cups coarsely grated carrots (this is about 6 large carrots)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 2/3 cups cake flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
½ pound unsalted butter
1 ½ packed dark brown sugar
5 large eggs
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
8 oz minced pineapple, drained well
¾ cup raisins (or toasted walnuts or pecans)
2/3 cup unsweetened dried, flaked coconut
Frosting
16 oz cream cheese, softened
3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp sour cream
Garnish (optional)
Extra coconut
Directions
- Heat oven to 350F. Grease two bread pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Place the grated carrots in a large bowl and toss with granulated sugar. Transfer carrots to a colander and place over the bowl to drain. Sift, then whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Cook until the butter turns golden brown, about 10 minutes, and has a nutty aroma. You will smell it. Let cool.
- Pour the cool melted butter in a bowl and wisk the brown sugar and in the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and whisk for 10 seconds. Add the flour mixture and whisk until three quarters incorporated. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold in the carrots, drained pineapple, raising, and coconut until the batter is well mixed.
- Divide the batter evenly between two bread pans. Bake until cake feels firm in the centre or 40 to 50 minutes.
- Remove from oven and run a knife around the perimeter of each pan. Invert cakes onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
- For the frosting. Note: You can cut this recipe in half, and have enough for two cakes. Beat the softened cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on low speed for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar and sour cream and beat until well blended, up to 2 minutes longer. Frost the top of each cake. Garnish with extra pecans or coconut if desired.
On a blind wine tasting test it’s tough the to tell the difference between Zinfandel and new world Shiraz. They are both very similar in colour, very dark ruby red, but there's some debate which one is darker. Some say it’s Shiraz, I say it’s Zinfandel.
A good whiff of Shiraz gives off smells of dark jammy fruit, vanilla and spice. Zinfandel aromas are more on the fresh red fruit side – you will smell strawberries and raspberries. Shiraz is lush and heavy on the palette, more complex than a unblended Zinfandel. A Zinfandel has a big round taste where the Shiraz is little more complex. Like music, Zinfandel is a one major cord, and Shiraz cord is jazzed up with a few more notes.
You can try out the differences with these good quality inexpensive wines like:
- 2005 Cline Zinfandel California
- 2006 Kilikanoon Shiraz South Australia
2007 Meiomi Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
I’m not a big fan of Pinot, most of the time I find them a bit too astringent for my taste buds. But this one was surprisingly on the sweet side. It tasted and smelled like dark cherries and had a hint of oak and spice finish.
2006 Ravazzi Chianti Riserva
I really like Italian wines, and this one is at the top of my list. This one is bursting with red fruit mixed with molasses. What do you think of this combo?
Chardonnay, thanks to us, you’ve come a long way baby. What makes Chardonnay popular? It’s a chameleon. For a connoisseur, it’s a crisp, flinty wine of Burgundy; for your weekly circles, it’s a big fat white wine you can drink out of the bottle, okay maybe not out of the bottle.
The masses learnt to like wine via Chardonnays, that itself would be enough to make critics suspicious. The wine elite compared big flavours of Chardonnays to soda pop, and they went as far as saying it wasn’t food friendly. The masses answered who cares! They liked the rich-butter-oaked flavours with citrus or tropical fruits.
Here are three Chardonnays I tried this week:
2005 Meursault 1er Cru Les Poruzots Nicolas Potel. Lovely on the palette with caramel, buttery notes with a long acidic-citrus finish.
2005 Mount Gisborne. This wine starts off sweet and ends with an oak-acidic finish. The contrast striking, but satisfying.
2005 Lindemans Bin 65. This wine is pretty packed with cedar, spice and oak flavours from start to finish.
Out of the three, I like the first two, the last left a bad impression.
For my birthday I made this chocolate layer fudge cake. The recipe was given to me as a present from a friend, and there’s nothing like it. It’s moist, chocolaty, and this extremely rich cake makes you forever happy. Nice gift hey!
For the cake you will need these ingredients:
Fudge Cake
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cups sour cream, at room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
¾ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
½ cup corn oil
1 ¼ cups ice water
For the fudge frosting you will need:
Fudge Frosting
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter the bottom and sides of two 8-inch round cake pans. Dust the pans with flour and tap out the excess.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients together with a whisk. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla until blended. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the melted butter and corn oil on low speed until blended. Beat in the water. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix on low speed for about 1 minutes, until blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the egg mixture and mix for about 1 minute, or until blended. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans.
Bake the cakes for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick or knife inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 15 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the racks and cool down completely.
Assembly
Using a long, serrated knife, slice off the domed top of each cake layer until flat. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Using an offset spatula, scrape about ½ cup of the frosting over the cake, and spread it into an even layer. Top with the second layer cake. Frost the top and sides of the cake with remaining frosting. You can swirl the frosting or smooth it out, and pipe a decoration around the edges of the cake. You can also add flavour to the frosting, like coffee, and you can include nut, to give the cake a bit of crunch.
Serve the cake immediately, or refrigerate and bring to room temperature before serving.
2009 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, New Zealand. This is one powerful wine. Off the nose was gooseberries and cut grass. It tasted like citrus, tropical fruit with super zesty, mouth-watering finish. This is would be a nice with whatever you got, even with Jill, James and Sandra or whoever you have over.
2006 Sumac Ridge Black Sage Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. I was surprised by how good this wine was. Maybe this is a myth, but I have this idea you have to pay big for a good Canadian wine. The nose of this dark red wine offered a combination of vanilla, honey, banana, and all spice. It bursts with a number of interesting flavours--all spice, cinnamon, and red fruit. The wine had a nice finish-- smooth with a hit of tannins. I would like to try this with roasted or grilled meats, or even with a creamy pasta sauce.
You have 8 bottles of wines in front of you, all of which are covered up. Four reds, four whites. Your mission to drink very slowly until you can identify the grape varietals for each wine bottle or you pass out, which ever comes first. If you like wines you should be able to identify these wines before you keel over with these very general guidelines.
French Chardonnay--Chablis
Appearance: colourless with green hues
Aroma: citrus, apple, pear, tropical fruit
Taste: in general, mineral, citrus, thin
Sauvignon Blanc:
Appearance: almost colourless, green hues, deepens slightly with age
Aroma: citrus, apple, pear, apricot, peach, nectarine, tropical fruit, fresh/green, asparagus.
Taste: fresh, grassy, crisp, punchy, big round melon tastes
Gewurztraminer
Appearance: yellow pink/gold
Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, floral
Taste: rosewater, sweet, spice
Muscat
Appearance: deep yellow to deepest gold, age dependent
Aroma: tropical fruit, floral
Taste: orange blossom, sweet
Pinot Noir
Appearance: brick red
Aroma: berry, plum, cherry, prune, dried fruit.
Taste: tannic, acid
Cabernet Sauvignon
Appearance: blue/black
Aroma: berry, dried fruit, fresh (cut grass, bell pepper), green/black olives
Taste: fruity, crisp
Zinfandel
Appearance: deep black with purple notes
Aroma: berry, dried fruit
Taste: dark fruit , oak
Shiraz
Appearance: dark red
Aroma: berry, cherry, plum, prune
Taste: berry, dark fruit, spice
