Monthly Archives: October 2023

Spooktacular Wines for Halloween

Halloween is not until Tuesday this year, but this is the weekend many people tend to do their Halloween parties. I’m not a huge Halloween person, (Christmas is my time), however if I were to ever dress up, this would probably be my costume.

Before I give you a little update on my cancer, I have to share a picture of the wonderful group of people I work with who helped raise money for another form of cancer.

Q104, one of the radio stations I work for, have been raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for many years. We dedicate all the money from our Summer golf tournament to this cause and on Tuesday past was the first in person Light The Night since the pandemic hit. It was a great event, and I am proud to be a part of it.

So, I responded really well to radiation, chemo pills and IV chemo. The spot remaining was small. I have to have a scope and an MRI monthly to keep an eye on it. Well, the little bastard, who I call Adolf Shitler, didn’t take long to start changing. My cancer surgeon is putting a rush on the next MRI so he can take a really good look, but from the scope, it looks like it’s growing again. So, surgery may be in my future, much sooner than I expected. I’ll keep you up to date. Thanks for sharing my journey with me.

Now, let’s talk some wine. But first, I did small dry ribs last night in my air fryer, and OMG were they ever good.

My apologies for the dark picture. They are tavern ribs I buy at Gateway meat market. Cut them up in small bite size ribs, and coated with corn starch for a little extra crisp. Once they were cooked, I coated them with sea salt, pepper, and the garlic citrus Trader Joe’s seasoning my friends Arla & Fred bought back from their latest trip to the US. Yummy. Lemon pepper seasoning would be really good as well. So easy and so simple to make.

I’m funny when it comes to wine. As much as I love trying new wines, I also tend to migrate to a particular section of the liquor store. For months, I found myself constantly in the US section. I do really enjoy California wines. Now, I find myself in the Chile and Argentina sections. There are some great value wines in those sections. William Cole fell in love with the Colchagua Valley in Chile because of it’s fertile soil. This gorgeous rich Cabernet Sauvignon is $19 a bottle here, and what a great value. Full-bodied with hints of coffee, it’s a great dinner wine.

That’s it for me this week. I realize there’s only one wine this week, and I promise I’ll spend more time talking about wine next week.

Take care and stay safe this Halloween

Darlene

3 Things to Know About Wine

There’s lots to know about wine, but I think I will start with 3 basic tips.

  1. Price is not always an indication of quality

There was a time when I also thought that the higher the price, the better the wine. That’s not the case. As a Sommelier, I have had the opportunity to try some higher priced wines. I didn’t always favor the expensive wines. Now there are some pricey wines I enjoy, I’ve mentioned them in this blog. However, for the most part, I enjoy wines at an affordable price point. One of the things I learned along the way, was just because a wine has a higher price tag, doesn’t mean it suits your palate. When I started this wine blog, it’s goal was to let you know about great wines under the $25 range. With the recent price hikes in wine, we may have to move that gauge up to $30.

2. Labels can tell you a lot

Your wine label tells you more than just the alcohol content and the winery it came from. The grape varietal is important, because different wine regions tend to make that grape taste very different. Pinot Noir from Burgundy France will taste differently than Pinot Noir from California. The same would be true with the white grape Chardonnay. For starters, the California wine may have the oak more pronounced, whereas France tends to use oak in a more subtle way. New world wines (ie California) also tend to be more fruit forward, whereas old world wines (ie France) are more earthy.

3. The Majority of Wine in the store is mean to be consumed within 3 Years.

And that applies to both reds and whites. Not all red wines are meant to age. 90% are meant to be enjoyed right away. And if you find your young red wine is a bit sharp tasting, and those tannins are a little tight, aerate it. I had this issue with the new wine I tried last night. I did a lot of swirling in the glass to open up those flavors, and let the bottle breathe, and what a difference it made.

Here’s the wine I had last night.

So I was meeting up with several friends from my building in our common room, and I opened the wine before I went down. I guess I made a face, because one of my friends said ‘Not good?’ I replied, it just needs to breathe for a bit. It was sharp. This is a 2019 blend of Tempranillo and Syrah from Spain. It’s an intense old world wine, and old world wines do not tend to be as fruit forward as wines from California, Chile and Argentina. This was complex though and once it was aerated, some interesting tasting notes came through. It was a warm wine, that I feel would pair well with some of your favorite comfort foods. And it’s on clearance at my local store, selling for $17 a bottle.

Speaking of comfort food

Are you enjoying some of your favorite comfort foods. I am, and I’m trying to balance healthy and comfort. I have put back on some of the weight I lost while battling cancer, and with cooler temperatures, hearty meals and great wines, well, like I said it’s a balance.

That’s it for this week. Till next week, Cheers

Darlene

October is Merlot Month

October is Merlot Month so you may be seeing the hashtag #MerlotMe all over the place. Throughout California, Merlot producers celebrate with special events all month long. Merlot is, after all, the world’s second most planted wine varietal. It is also used in many countries as part of a blend.

Originating in France, the Merlot grape is one of the five classic red varieties of the Bordeaux region. I have tasted Merlot wines and blends from Italy, Chile, Argentina, Canada and of course California in the U.S. The United States has become one of my favorite places to buy Merlot from. And J. Lohr makes one of the best. You used to be able to get it in Nova Scotia, and it was rich and yummy and the perfect wine for Fall comfort food.

#MerlotMe unites wine lovers to celebrate this richly textured, and versatile noble red grape varietal. Wine producers and consumers worldwide will celebrate Merlot during October with the hashtag #MerlotMe, sharing wines on social channels, at virtual events, in winery tasting rooms, restaurants, and wine shops, and at home.  

Some of your favorite blends probably contain Merlot. I know I love a blend when it contains Merlot. It adds a full plump juiciness to the wine.

The 90-Point Lui blend from Argentina features Merlot.

This blend from Italy, another great example of Merlot being used in a blend. And if you like a red blend from California, there’s a really good chance, Merlot is part of that blend.

Merlot took a little bit of a beating when the movie Sideways came out 19 years ago. That infamous line slowed Merlot sales around the world.

Merlot is making a comeback though with sales continuing to increase year over year. One of the reasons could be that Merlot is so food friendly. Full-bodied richness, with very soft tannins, Merlot makes it a great pairing for just about anything you are eating.

Before I go, I tried a new recipe this past week for lemon pepper chicken, that was so easy and so delicious, thought I would share. It literally took me less than 30 minutes. I sliced my chicken breast in thinner slices.

I didn’t even have to go to the grocery store, I had everything in my pantry. First I put lemon pepper seasoning (in the spice section of any grocery store) and salt in flour, and then seared in a frying pan for 5 minutes on each side. This is my lemon pepper seasoning, I like it because it contains no salt.

Once I seared the chicken, I put garlic and butter in the pan for a minute or two. Then added chicken broth and a little corn starch and simmered until the sauce thickened. Then I put the chicken back in and simmered it, then added a little parsley and a little more lemon pepper. Easy peasy and yummy.

Before I go, let’s feature one more Merlot.

I went looking for this last weekend and can’t find it. I only had it a couple of weeks ago. It’s Josh Cellars Merlot, it was amazing. If anyone sees it please let me know.

Have a great weekend everyone. Till, next weekend Cheers

Darlene

Thankful for Good Food, Great Wine and Wonderful Friends

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite long weekends. We are expecting some rain and wind on Sunday but we’ve had a great October, with lots of sunshine and cool crisp temperatures.

I had an appointment with my Cancer Surgeon on Thursday and received some great news. I don’t have to have surgery….. at this time. I responded so well to chemotherapy and radiation, the tumor, which was big, is so small, they can’t be 100% sure that the little spot left is actually cancer. So that’s great news, because if I have to have surgery it means a colostomy bag for life. So for now, I have to have a scope and an MRI once a month to make sure this spot doesn’t grow. I’m ok with that. I have been blessed with an amazing support team of friends, colleagues and family. So let’s celebrate!

This is my friend Joan, who bought that spectacular Orvieto a couple of weeks ago to my place. This time we got together in her place and she had this neat bottle of wine. Lady Lolo Pinot Grigio Moscato blend from Italy, was tasty, but we all agreed it wasn’t as good as the Casasole Orvieto. The Moscato contribution adds a little sweetness and the Pinot Grigio added the citrus notes. $18 a Bottle and would make a good turkey pairing this Thanksgiving weekend.

Don’t lower your standards Ladies. And speaking of good standards, I have tried a wonderful red wine from Argentina, and I bought it again yesterday.

There are 2 Lui red blends currently at our local liquor store. One is a Malbec Bonarda, and this one is a Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon blend. A 90-Point red wine for under $18? Yes please! This wine was fantastic. Fruit forward and notes of black pepper, I loved it. I love discovering new flavorful wines at a great price and this would pair so well with any grilled food or meaty dishes in general. This is the time of the year for comfort food, and this is your wine.

Remember Lexi, the puppy from the end of August, well she is growing fast. Here she is with Maggie. They love each other. This is Lexi the day Riley picked her up and came to visit. This was the end of August.

I have a new recipe to share with you. It was so good.

Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers. With a side Caesar salad. The recipe for the stuffed peppers is here.

I would like to take a moment to thank the wonderful friends and family that served as my support system over the past year of fighting cancer. I have the best, and I’m so blessed. I hope all my readers have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.

Till next week, Cheers