What’s Hot? A Lot!

I read this past week there are almost 300 forest fires burning in British Columbia, and 85 of them are in the Okanogan Valley. The Okanogan Valley is home to some of Canada‘s greatest vineyards and wine producers. When wildfires were burning in places like the Napa Valley in the, I got asked by many people how that would affect the wine.

CTV ran this story this past week on how smoke affects wine and what winemakers can do to help alleviate the bitterness and smoky flavors that these wildfires can cause. You can read the full article here, but make no mistake, wildfires in any winemaking region will affect the taste of the wine.

Atlantic Canada is in the middle of an extreme heat wave, with high humidity. Not my favorite weather. 🙄 Yesterday saw temperatures of 29° and with humidity it felt like 39°. I’ve always said, extreme heat is no different than extreme cold, it makes it almost impossible to get outdoors and do anything, unless you have a pool in your backyard, which I do not.

Looking for something cool to drink? Let’s talk some beverages

On a really hot day, I like a cool drink, but I don’t like them sweet. This Summer I’ve discovered Black Fly coolers, I have Vodka Grapefruit on the right and Vodka citrus on the left. Decisions Decisions! I also picked it up in Vodka punch. I like the coolers, they are very refreshing but not sweet.

Did you know, for most of my 20’s, I didn’t like dry wine, red or white. So I drank white wine spritzers, basically red or white wine, with something fizzy added. It can be sparkling water, 7-up or soda water, and lots of ice. And you can include a garnish if you like. And that’s how I initially got introduced to wine. It is still a great cocktail on a Friday evening when it’s really warm out.

Before I tell you about a couple of great red wines I had this past week, I made a homemade peach BBQ sauce. I was at a Farmers market and they had baskets of peaches. So I picked some up and decided to try a peach BBQ sauce. Now the recipe called for bourbon, and I didn’t have any so I substituted tequila.

In a saucepan, I combined tomato sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, molasses and chopped peaches in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. I let that cook down for 10 – 15 Minutes. Added the tequila and some Frank’s hot sauce, because I wanted to make it with a bit of zip. Then I put it in the food processor to smoothen out all the chunks. You can also use an immersion blender, which I do have. Let it cool, and put it in a mason jar. It was my first time and it turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Now for a great wine I was given as a gift this past week. My friends Fred & Arla gave me this bottle of wine last weekend and what a treat. The only thing is, NSLC (the liquor store in Nova Scotia) stopped carrying it.

A blend of Grenache (90%) and Syrah (10%), it has an alcohol content of 15%, so be careful, it can knock you on your a$$! It was delicious though, but let me tell you about a wine you can actually get here.

This was an interesting red, from the Tuscany region of Italy. It’s a Super Tuscan because it’s 70% Sangiovese, and a 30% blend of Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot. A Super Tuscan is the name they put on wines from Tuscany Italy that are made with ‘non-Italian’ grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. This is under $20 a bottle and it was on sale recently so I picked it up. Let it breathe for a bit. You can get this wine across Canada including Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and to my Newfoundland friends, it’s on sale there too!