Celebrate Mother's Day with Top Picks from 13th Street Winery

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and the best possible gift you could give is time. The scarf, sweater or piece of jewelry might end up forgotten, but the laughs and stories shared over a few glasses of wine will be in your mom’s memories forever. 13th Street is one of my long-standing favourite wineries in Ontario. This week if you order 6 bottles or more from 13th Street Winery, you get FREE SHIPPING. Why not order a case for mom? Here are three of my top wine picks, and a delicious homemade meal that you can make with each one. It's a fabulous recipe for time spent together. Santé Maman!

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RECIPE - Homemade Wine Ice Cream for Mother's Day!

Today, we have UK photographer and foodie Veronica Shah sharing a special ice cream recipe that you can make yourself – oh, and it’s made from wine. This is a recipe that is sure to impress any wine-loving Mom!

This ice cream is simple to prepare and can be made in the comfort of your own home, without using an ice cream maker. It’s the perfect treat for celebrating Mother’s Day! All you need is a good wine (today we're sampling some gems from Sperling Vineyard - offering you free shipping all week long), some basic ingredients that you can find at your local grocery store, and a few common kitchen utensils. 

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Top Wine Picks! Annapolis Highland Vineyards

Nova Scotia continues to be Canada’s hidden gem when it comes to wine. Producers in the Annapolis Valley and beyond are making reds, whites, rosés, bubblies, dessert wines and fruit-based bevvies that bring a unique sense of place.

Among the province’s best producers is Annapolis Highland Vineyards. Using grapes that are both estate-grown and sourced from throughout the region, they’re creating some of Nova Scotia’s most compelling and food-friendly wines.

See below for thoughts on their delicious wines and the food pairings that immediately popped to mind when enjoying a glass. (Sunny backyards, relaxation and enjoying with friends are also a must.)

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Pair It Up! Food & Wine Resolutions

If you’re one of those people who starts a detox and renews their gym membership on January 1^st, by now you might be thinking: enough already! I read once that it was better to minimize alcohol consumption to a couple nights a week, instead of cutting it out cold turkey. I am not sure if it’s true but it certainly makes sense! I, personally, have never believed in extremes BUT….. I am on a cleanse too!! This is what I propose: let’s get back to real life in a way that’s slow and smart. Below are 4 healthy dishes that you can enjoy with a delicious glass of wine and have the bottle sent right to your door. It’s all about balance, isn’t it? Santé!

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Pair It Up! Upper Bench Wines & Barbecue

I love this point in the summer, when farmer’s markets are right at that sweet spot with an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruit, and it seems like there’s more selection than ever. One thing we’ve been gorging ourselves on as of late around our house are fresh B.C. blueberries.

Now, there’s a bit of a caveat with this.

My wife owns a PR and communications company, and one of her clients is the B.C. Blueberry Council. One of the perks of her having this client, besides the wealth of blueberries we always have around, is that she works with them on recipe development. Continue reading →

Pair It Up With The Grange of Prince Edward

The Grange of Prince Edward's wine portfolio is perfect for summer drinking. Whether white or red, the wines express the cool climate of Prince Edward County with high acidity and innate freshness. Even Cabernet Franc, a grape often vinified into a full-bodied, structured wine, is medium-bodied, vibrant, and extremely elegant in the hands of the Grange. In honour of the drinkability of these wines and the fact that they're featured this week for FREE SHIPPING, I've paired a few of them up with recent summer recipes from Western Living Magazine. Continue reading →

Pair It Up! The Rare Wines of Moon Curser

Moon Curser does off the beaten track varieties very well. Calling these grapes off the beaten track isn't exactly true—they're highly planted in other parts of the world, just not the Okanagan. For over a decade, the folks at Moon Curser (previously Twisted Tree) have been experimenting with plantings in the South Okanagan and they've got great wines to show for it. Here are a few summer food pairings to serve up with their unique Okanagan wines. Continue reading →

Pair It Up! Daydreamer Wines

I never would have thought that I’d be championing a wine and food pairing post that incorporated the word “nacho.”

Now, don’t get me wrong; I enjoy a good plate of nachos as much as the next guy, and any nacho-flavoured snack is certainly welcome in my home. Generally, though, the nacho realm is viewed as being pretty lowbrow, and not really something one associates with the world of wine.

In saying that, I’m indeed sharing a nacho recipe in this post, and not only is it delicious and (Yup!) healthy on its own, but it’s actually fairly wine-savvy, too! Continue reading →