New Friends & New Favorites

Starting this week’s wine blog with some serious cuteness! 2 of my loves, my nephew Riley and my sister’s Bernadoodle puppy Maggie. Yes, she is a puppy, about 8 months now.

Something exciting happened to me in the past week. I got to meet one of my readers that lives in Ottawa. When you’ve been writing a weekly blog for several years, no matter what the topic, you always question yourself and “are people reading”? That’s why I really appreciate any comments and feedbacks, and the friends and readers that share my wine blog with their family and friends on social media and through email.

This is Jean from Ottawa, and when I met her I had to give her a hug. I felt I knew her through our mutual friend Angie, and she said she felt she was getting to know me through my wine blog. That’s why I’ve always felt wine is so much more than just a beverage. It helps make a good time even more special and brings friends, old and new, together.

Jean was visiting so my friend Angie decided to open a special bottle of Champagne that she received for a very special birthday. The above picture is of my friend Judy, who I also met through Angie, enjoying the special champagne.

I love a good dry not sweet Champagne, and this one was damn near close to perfect. When you see the word ‘Brut’ on a label, you know the wine inside is not sweet, it’s dry. Champagne is made with 3 grapes, 2 of which are red. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier with no skin contact. Sparkling wines are made worldwide, but you know when you see the word ‘Champagne’, it came from Champagne France. No other sparkling wine is allowed to use that word, even if it’s made in the same traditional way, using the same grapes. The winemaker, also called the Blender, has the job of combining grapes and vintages so that the ‘House Champagne’ tastes the same year after year.

I tried another awesome white wine this past week.

This is my friend and the Director of Fun for Atlantic Tours, Richard. Richard came to my building last week and did a talk to some of the residents about upcoming trips. We enjoyed a glass of wine, and one of them was a white Bordeaux. Go to http://www.atlantictours.com and find out about our River Cruise to Bordeaux France in 2022. This fantastic blend consists of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillion and Muscadelle. The 2018 we enjoyed received the honors of Best Value Buy of 2019 by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. With its gorgeous bright flavors, I think Richard told me it’s on sale right now for $15 or $16 right now. Still just around $20 a bottle, it’s a great wine.

Before I get into my new red, and I have tried a couple of new ones recently, I have to tell you about a pork tenderloin recipe that changed my mind on pork tenderloin. Pork tenderloin it’s like a blank canvas, and really needs a lot of flavour thrown at it. If it’s overcooked, it’s pretty boring. I have found a fabulous pork tenderloin recipe.

It starts with butterflying the pork tenderloin. My stuffing was simple. I sauteed onions and apples in butter and oil, with a dash of cinnamon and a drop of maple syrup, and salt and pepper of course. I added that mixture to the bread crumbs and stuffed the tenderloin.

I’m not usually one for bacon wrapped meat, but my friend told me about this recipe and I decided to try it.

Then I put that on the grill.

I used a meat thermometer to bring it to a medium, 145-degrees. Then I covered it in aluminum foil and let it rest.

Oh. My. God. It’s like the bacon became part of the tenderloin, and was so moist and tasty. I’m addicted.

Now, The new red wine…..

Richard bought this red to our event, and I really enjoyed it. it’s a fantastic value at $16.99 and it’s a red blend that consists of Merlot and two indigenous grapes from Italy, Teroldego and Lagrein. it’s medium to full bodied, it has been aged in oak, but the fruit definitely shines from the wine. It’s plump and juicy with subtle hints of coffee, vanilla and chocolate, and a perfect wine for meat.