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Travels, Wine

A Cuvée en Route Wish List

It’s that time of year again – time for my annual pilgrimage to the wine region in my own backyard. It’s time for Cuvée en Route!

What is Cuvée en Route again?

Dreamed up by the fine people at Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI), Cuvée en Route is an annual showcase of the fantastic wines this region has to offer. This year on March 22-24 wineries in the region will share special tasting menus designed specifically for passport holders, often sharing wines you can’t get at a normal tasting. Case in point – my first Cuvée year I had wines from as long ago as 1998!

Cuvée is a great opportunity to taste things you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere (or any time) else.

Beer Advent Calendar

Beer Advent Calendar 2018

I’ve been looking forward to this moment since the very first leaf began to turn. I’ve waited impatiently through PSL season and Halloween season and now – it’s time.

I’m sitting here with a little tipple (Dillon’s vermouth, if you must know). My tree is lit. The seasonal tunes are playing.

Holiday season I AM READY FOR YOU.

Let’s advent calendar.

Wine WTFs

WTF does traditional method mean?

It’s time for another edition of Wine WTFs! In this series we explore wine terms and ideas and try to figure out what the fuss is all about. Last time we figured wtf structure is all about.

This time around we learn about a term that gives you no help learning what it is. It sounds stodgy and snobby, exactly aspects of the wine world I try to avoid.

Still, once you know (or, better yet, taste) what this term means it’s hard not to fall in love.

Seriously, wtf does ‘traditional method’ mean?

Beer

Buck-a-beer – when things seem too good to be true

I try not to get too political here (I tend to save that pleasure for in-person hangouts) but the Ontario provincial government has been making waves in the craft beer world this week and I thought you should know about it.

Beer, Wine

Cannabis and alcohol – what’s coming?

This fall, recreational cannabis will become legal in Canada (medical cannabis has been legal since 2001). When I first learned about recreational cannabis becoming legal I thought of all the potheads I’ve known over the years and how happy they’ll be to bring their bongs out from the backs of their closets. Finally they can stop hiding their habit!

As I learned more about legalization I realized that there are way more people interested in it than I originally thought. From edibles to topicals to cannabis for wellness and stress relief, recreational cannabis has the potential to disrupt a bunch of industries – including beer and wine.

Beer

Sour beer, I wish I knew how to love you

I pride myself on my ability to adapt. To be able to appreciate everything, even when it comes to beer.

I’ve trained my palate to enjoy wine, olives, coffee, even super-hoppy IPAs. But I just can’t get my palate to like sours! And believe me, I’ve tried. I’m like Charlie Brown and the freaking football with sour beers, only sour beers are Lucy and my enjoyment is the elusive ball.

So, while other cool kids are diving right into this latest beer trend, I sit sadly on the sidelines, waiting for another fad to come along. Sigh.

Learning About Wine, Wine WTFs

WTF is Structure?

It’s time for another edition of Wine WTFs! In this series we’ll explore wine terms and ideas and try to figure out what the fuss is all about. Last time we discovered wtf the deal is with sweetness in wine.

This time around we tackle a concept that has confounded many, including myself, at one time or another. It’s a weird word for the wine world. It feels like it fits better in relation to sculpture or architecture.

Seriously, wtf is structure?

Spirits

Club soda vs Tonic water, what’s the difference?

Every year when summer rolls around my love of a good cocktail is rekindled.

Liquor and cocktails aren’t normally my thing. It’s not my preferred liquid to liquor ratio, it hits me harder, and for a long time buying it felt cost-prohibitive. But still, every summer I enjoy a handful of caesars and the occasional gin and tonic.

As my passion for all beverages alcoholic deepens it’s also expanded to include some of the more peripheral cocktail necessities. Bitters, vermouth, maraschino cherries – they’ve all caught my interest.

Then, last week, a friend asked me a question that stumped me.

“What’s the difference between club soda and tonic water?”

I couldn’t answer him. But now I can.

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