Monthly Archives: July 2023

It’s My Birthday

61 years ago on July 22nd, my Mom gave birthday to a healthy 8 lb girl who loved to eat. I’m not kidding, from a young age, I loved to eat. The proof is in the pudding, or should I say the fat rolls

At 10 months old and weighing in at a whopping 36 pounds, my family doctor put me on my first diet. You can’t make this shit up.

In 1981, a shy young girl walked into a radio station to start a 2-week internship. 42 years later, I’m still in the business. I started out as an announcer and in 1990 started in the sales division.

Even though I work behind the scenes now, I’ve been known to help out with voicing every once in a while.

My love of wine is enhanced by my love of travel. I have been blessed to meet people from all over the globe in my travels. From Hawaii to Italy, from Aruba to France, travelling is a big adventure for me. I have also travelled across Canada twice, from St. John’s Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, and every where in between.

Also part of the adventure was becoming a Certified Sommelier in 2017. That journey started with my love of wine and wanting to learn more.

When I moved to Halifax 11 years ago, it was also a great way to meet new people, who like me, loved wine. Through my love of wine and doing wine tastings, I have met some amazing people.

Since it’s my birthday, I’m going to share my favorite treat wines.

A friend of my friend Angie, received a bottle of this wine from his son for his birthday. They wanted my opinion. I told him it was the best wine I’ve ever had from Napa Valley. I think it’s my overall favorite. My brother-in-law Craig bought a bottle when he was up in March, and WOW! Complex, full-bodied, hints of woodsmoke, I absolutely loved this wine. When you could get it here, it was about $75 a bottle. Worth every penny. This is the winery that won for best Cabernet Sauvignon in the famous 1976 Judgement of Paris.

My friends Shane & Ken had me over for dinner and introduced me to a couple of great wines. They have excellent taste in wine.

In addition to the Caymus Vineyards Zinfandel, I got to try this beauty.

The Austin Hope Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon by the Hope Family Wines, was a surprise treat. I love wines from Paso Robles, I think that part of California makes a great wine. Owner and winemaker Austin Hope says “The goal is simple: to make wines that express everything Paso Robles has to offer, with its pastoral beauty, perfect soils, maritime climate and limitless possibility.” It’s a treat at $75 a bottle here in Halifax, but so good.

And last but not least, again compliments of my brother-in-law Craig, Caymus Vineyards Zinfandel, which my Mom and I enjoyed Mother’s Day weekend, when she was up visiting.

I love Zinfandel. And Caymus makes one of the best.

Chuck Wagner, and his two children Jenny and Charlie are busy with many brands they are responsible for, including Conondrum and Mer Soleil. This full-bodied Zinfandel has been given ratings from 93-Points to 95 Points. Zinfandel, called the perfect wine for BBQ, won’t disappoint.

Although I am going through Cancer treatments, I find myself very grateful. I have a wonderful family, the most amazing friends, and my work family is just that, family. My last chemo pills for this round will be taken tomorrow. I have booked a trip home to Corner Brook, Newfoundland, leaving on August 3rd. I get a break from all treatments for a few weeks. Then there is more testing to see next steps. I’m looking forward to the break, and I’m looking forward to having an ice cream in this heat. The neuropathy makes it impossible to have ice cream while on chemo. I’m feeling great, and I’m very optimistic for the future.

Thank you everyone for reading. Till next week, Cheers

Darlene

Just Add Ice

Is it ok to add ice to wine? Absolutely! In Provence France, a rose wine topped over lots of ice cubes is called Piscine. You tend to see it more for white and rose wines, but with temperatures in the range of 35-degrees in Halifax, I added ice to my red wine last Saturday night. This is not the “room temperature” red wine or any wine should be served at. Keep in mind, ice will dilute the wine and change the composition and taste, especially in red wines. I always encourage people to put their wine in the fridge and take it out a while before serving, as opposed to adding ice.

From Wine Enthusiast:

Certain wines can handle ice more than others. 

“For a wine to taste good when served so cold, it needs a different flavor profile,” says Elizabeth Gabay, Master of Wine and author of Rosé: Understanding the Pink Wine Revolution. These include easy-drinking Pinot Grigios or wines with high sugar content and intense flavors, like a late-harvest Riesling or a dry rosé. 

My advice has always been, ‘drink the wine at the temperature you like’. You are, after all, the one paying for it.

A little update. I rang the bell Monday past. Ringing the bell in the Cancer clinic doesn’t mean you are Cancer free. It means you have completed your last IV chemo treatment.

I have to say I’m so happy those are over with. I would take radiation and chemo pills any day over IV chemo. The side effects are many. One of the hardest is not being able to eat or drink anything cold. No cold beverages, they feel like glass shards in your throat. Not fun during a heat wave. But I’m back on cooler beverages. I get a few weeks off treatments, which after 15 weeks, I’m really looking forward to. And I’m going to head home for a visit to Newfoundland.

Ok, this made me laugh because it is so me.

I’m sure with the heat waves happening all over, many people are grilling, because it’s so much easier than turning the oven on. Here’s an easy potato recipe that I’ve made several times.

Potatoes, butter, onions, olive oil and your favorite seasonings. I spray aluminum foil with Pam oil spray. Fold them up and put them on the grill.

I added some shredded cheese at the end, and they were a perfect compliment to BBQ burgers I made this past week.

My quest for a go-to red wine under $15 continues. I don’t drink wine the week of my IV chemo treatments, so I really don’t have a new wine to talk about.

I am getting together with friends this evening, and this is the wine I’m bringing to try. It’s an Argentinian red Malbec and it’s on sale for $15.51, so still a long way from my beloved Canyon Road which was regular priced at $12.75.

Stay tuned, I’ll tell you about it next week. Have a great week, stay cool and add ice when needed.

Some Like It Hot

I am not one of those people. It’s here, the heat & the humidity. Here’s a picture of the temperature from yesterday here in Halifax

I’m not a huge fan of temperatures this high and I’m definitely not a fan of humidity. Enjoying my week off of cancer treatments, last IV chemo treatment is this coming Monday (fingers crossed) . Two more weeks of chemo pills and on July 23rd I get a break. Then a few more tests to determine next steps. Send a positive vibe that the chemo annihilated this tumor and I won’t need surgery. Thank you

Back to some wine. It’s the perfect time for some rose wine.

One of my favorite rose wines comes from the Rhone Valley in France and is called Rhone to the Bone. Rhone to the Bone is made 80% from the Grenache grape, which is the same grape used in making Chateauneuf du Pape and 20% Syrah. Two full-bodied red grapes, with limited skin contact, because that’s where all the color in red wine comes from. If it’s not available where you live, here’s another favorite of mine.

Also from the Rhone Valley, this blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah is a dry crisp Rose wine. It comes in a gorgeous bottle that makes a great gift.

Here’s another great Summer wine. Pinot Grigio.

Pinot Grigio is a zesty white wine that’s as refreshing as a glass of lemonade on a hot Summer day. Great acidity and citrus flavors of lemons, limes and green apples. And they are all reasonably priced.

Doesn’t that look yummy. That is a homemade pizza I made last weekend. So I bought the pizza dough and when I was preparing it, I forgot to take a fork and poke holes in it. This stops the pizza from ‘fluffing’ up. I like a more thin crust pizza but I have to admit this was good. BBQ chicken breast, bacon, peppers, red onion, cheese and a balsamic glaze over it. So simple when you buy the pizza dough.

I have a little bad news. The NSLC here in Nova Scotia has discontinued my go-to staple wine. This Canyon Road Cabernet Sauvignon is hands down, my favorite red wine under $15.

And we can’t get it anymore. When I started buying this it was $10.95, and the price started going up, and at the end it was still only $12.75. Everyone liked it. I’m sad. So now I have to try to find a replacement. Here’s my first attempt.

The Frontera Cabernet Sauvignon has a small bit of Syrah (Shiraz) in it. It’s a great wine for just $12.75, but not quite as good as the Canyon Road. However, it was a great little wine. And in Quebec it’s under $10 a bottle. I call them the ‘second’ bottle. You always open the best bottle first, and then when you want a little more wine, or you and your friends are on a second or third bottle, you want a great tasting wine that doesn’t break the bank. That’s what Canyon Road was to me. I always had a couple of bottles in my wine rack. So my search continues. Let me know if you have a favorite wine under $15. I would love to give it a try.

Well that’s it for me for this week. A big welcome to the over 700 new readers who read my wine blog. I love feedback on the wines and the food.

Have a great week, till next week, Cheers

Darlene

Happy Canada Day

It’s July 1st and the day we celebrate Canada day. Originally called “Dominion Day,” Canada Day commemorates the unification of the three North American British colonies into one confederation: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the Province of Canada (which was made up of parts of modern-day Ontario, Quebec, and Labrador). And that happened on July 1, 1867, which makes us 156 years old today. Cheers

Canada Day weekend brings Ribfest to Halifax and I went yesterday with some of my work family.

Nothing like good friends, a good feed of ribs and a Radler beer to kick off the long weekend. It’s a great fundraiser for Rotary Club and a great family event.

Speaking of friends that are like family, remember the birthday party I had to miss last weekend, because I wasn’t feeling the best because of chemo.

Well that birthday party was a surprise wedding that these two cool cats had been planning for a year. Congratulations to my good friends Anthony and Veronica on their beautiful wedding. You’d be hard to find two people more meant for each other than these two. Beautiful couple, I’m so sad I missed it.

This is the wine I gave the Newlyweds and they enjoyed it this past week.

Anthony drinks both red and white but Veronica is not a huge wine drinker, but willing to try anything. So I went local and gave them the Benjamin Bridge NV Brut, a sparkling wine crafted in the image of France’s best bubbly wines. I’ve bought this wine to several wine tastings and people are always amazed at the quality of the sparkling wine that comes out of this province and this vineyard.

This past week my friends and I went to one of our favorite restaurants, Martin’s Kitchen. The food is out of this world amazing. I didn’t even get a chance to take a picture of my Mushroom Truffle Ravioli, it was so delicious, I couldn’t stop eating long enough to take a photo. So I took a picture of my friend’s dessert. The pasta is made fresh, my group had everything from Seafood Linguine to the Atlantic Salmon. My friend Fred and I were saying what a dream it would be to spend an afternoon with Martin in his kitchen learning how to make his sauces. With all our dishes, we were commenting on the delicious sauces, that man can build flavors. And their wine list is quite impressive.

I tried a new Cabernet Franc, which was amazing, and I just looked and it’s not listed on their wine list on the website. Our wonderful server Moira suggested I take a picture, but I left and didn’t get the picture. Stay tuned, I’m searching different wine stores in Halifax, to try and find the name of this wine. Moira, if you’re reading, can you send me a photo?

So, I tried a new wine recently. I like a California Red Blend and I smile at this bottle every time I see it. I also love the face Snoop’s picture is on the cork. This is the 19 Crimes Snoop Cali Red blend, a really full-bodied red wine. It’s 65% Petite Sirah, 30% Zinfandel and 5% Merlot. So it’s not only full-bodied, but juicy and rich on the palate. I liked it. It’s on for $20 a bottle right now and I enjoyed it with a t-bone steak and it was a great pairing.

Well that’s it for me. Have a wonderful safe long weekend.

Till next week, Cheers

Darlene