Wine Reviews

Cono Sur Pinot Noir Reserva Hot
Category: Red Tasting Notes
Editor rating
 
 3.0
User rating
 
 0.0 (0)
Viña Anakena Single Vineyard Viognier Hot
Category: White Tasting Notes
Editor rating
 
 3.0
User rating
 
 0.0 (0)
Quinta Das Baceladas Single Estate D.O.C. Hot
Category: Red Tasting Notes
Editor rating
 
 3.0
User rating
 
 0.0 (0)

Tags Cloud

award california cheese comfort convenience food essentials exotic farming food France fruit fun gourmet grapes health holiday how-to italian natural new world quick recipes reviews summer tasting travel vegetables wine wine pairing wineries

+ All tags

Tweets @QuenchByTidings

Featured Recipe

Cheese Soufflé
rmantini

A soufflé isn't as tricky to make as is often thought. It's true that it must be served immediately for all to enjoy the sight of that spectacular puffy top. But, it's actually very tasty regardless of whether its "breath" has escaped and deflated it.

Douro Days Print

Written by Evan Saviolidis | 03 January 2012

I am a devoted fan of Port, especially the vintage type. There is something undeniably passion-provoking about the combination of power, sweetness and elegance of a 20-plus year-old bottling. Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to participate in a tasting of VPs from throughout the 20th century, including the fabulous trio of 1928, ‘34 and ‘35.

So, when my travels brought me, this past summer, to the breathtaking Douro valley, with its picturesque quintas (vineyards/farms) climbing the incredibly steep slopes, I was expecting to be blown away by my favourite fortified. Yes, there were truly some impressive Ports to be had, but to my surprise, the wines that intrigued me the most were the Douro DOC dry reds.

Both Port and Douro wines are made from the same grapes. Over 100 are authorized. But after harvest, vinification diverges. Fermentation for Port wine generally transpires in a lagare — a low, granite (occasionally stainless steel) open-top trough. Grapes are either crushed underfoot or via mechanical paddles, which emulate the gentle treading of the tootsies. Port wines have only two to three days to acquire both colour and flavour via a fast and furious fermentation, before being hit with the aguardente (neutral brandy). The brandy eradicates the yeast, leaving natural sweetness and raising the alcohol level to 20 per cent. Aging then transpires in older barrels. Douro reds wines follow standard red winemaking protocols — 8-to 12-day fermentations to dryness in stainless steel tank or lagare, regular macerations, and then aging in new barrels.
Read more
Add comment (0)

No More Kitchen Nightmares Print

Written by the Tidings Staff | 28 December 2011

Do you feel sad every time you walk into your kitchen? You’ve probably been thinking about it for a while. Whether you inherited a gourmet kitchen from the owners before you or had the whole thing reworked five short years ago, it doesn’t mean you are happy. In fact, if you ask most people, they’ll probably say they were thinking about renovating, but — and this is a big but — it seems like too much work.

Now, there is some truth to the idea that renovating your kitchen (like any other part of your house) is a daunting task best left to an expert. Not many people will argue with me there.

You can easily Google “kitchen design” and find a myriad of companies ready to drop everything to gut your home. Then there are the DIY havens, like Home Depot, Lowes and Reno Depot — not to mention kitchen mecca, Ikea — who have staff on hand to help you map out your dream kitchen. But you need to know what you want (appliances, colour schemes, and so on) before going in. Arriving with a few important design concepts in mind will help drum up some good ideas while drowning the bad (useless and expensive) ones.

Read more
Add comment (0)

Spirits in the Freezer and Decanting Wine Print

Written by Peter Rockwell | 16 December 2011

Should I really put spirits in the freezer?

A better question is: Why would you want to? Assuming you’re not going shot for shot with the Russians over the title to some Siberian oasis there aren't too many good reasons I can think of for you to want your booze ice-cold.

Most hard liquor is drunk mixed, and a well made cocktail (no matter how simple) is the liquid equivalent of a fine tuned recipe at your favourite resto. If the balance of ingredients and temperature go north or south, what should be an act of brilliance could become an epic fail. A straightforward shaken not stirred martini aside, too cold hooch will only disrupt the subtleties that make a classic cocktail, well, classic.

Sure, any spirit worth its 40 per cent alcohol by volume can stand the strain of the icebox without fear of freezing. That said, while gin and rum gain nothing whatsoever from time in the deep freeze; whisky (no matter how you spell it) can earn a hazy hue when exposed to even the main body of a refrigerator. (Though still fine to drink, they won’t look as pretty in the glass.)
Read more
Add comment (0)

Mav Wine and Spirits Awards Print

Written by the Tidings Staff | 06 December 2011

The Mav Wine and Spirits Awards have a great tradition of choosing the most interesting bottles to be released in recent years. This year brought us to the Old World and the resurgence of unique spirits from around the globe. Collated and tasted by Tony Aspler, Evan Saviolidis, Tod Stewart, Sean Wood, and Jonathan Smithe.

Read more
Add comment (0)

Tasting Down The Danube Print

Written by the Tidings Staff | 05 December 2011

I love to travel, but I sometimes crave something unique. This past year I managed to visit, learn more about and taste the wines of Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary. All this without a rental car, train tickets or even getting lost. Almost a first with my lack of map-reading skills. I didn’t even have to pack and unpack constantly, the bane of many holidays.

How did I accomplish this amazing feat? It was simple: I booked, and very much enjoyed a river cruise along the Danube. The ship, the Avalon Tapestry, was, as is typical, smallish. It offered buffet breakfasts and lunches, but featured served cuisine as well as dinner wines, not to mention the bar wines from some of the regions I cruised though — a must, in my opinion. One plus is that the package included three days in Prague, a beautiful city full of wonderful architecture, and of course sidewalk cafes offering interesting Traminers, Pinot Blancs, and even a variety of wonderful Czech beers.

Aboard the ship, I explored (which admittedly didn’t take long), and found the bar. While the cabins, and alas, the dining room, are on the smallish side — read, crowded — the ability to watch vineyards glide by while tasting Sylvaners from the nearby Main Canal area helps make up for the crowding at dinner. Similar Franken wines were served that night, complimentary and generously. As I sailed through this part of the Danube, the evening wines naturally were predominantly German. The first night our dinner included a Müller Thürgau and a Dornfelder, a red typically on the lightish side. The next evening featured a halbtrocken Riesling from the Rheingau and an Austrian Merlot. The Merlot went well with the Muscovy duck, and my notes suggest it was a pleasant dinner wine with nice cherry and plum accents.
Read more
Add comment (0)

Travel to Czech - Stramberk Print

Written by Rosemary Mantini | 01 December 2011

Recently, a friend of mine followed a job opportunity to the Czech Republic. Moving there didn't require a stretch of the imagination for her. She's actually originally from there. In fact, much of her family still resides there.

Except for some basic information, like the fact that Czech and Slovakia split years ago and that the country was once a communist state, I really didn't know very much about it. Before she left, my friend showed me brochures of the area around Prague where she will be living. Have you ever been bowled over by the ingenuity and creativity of a people? That's how I felt poring over those pictures. That taste inspired me to do further research. It's nice, too, that my friend provides me with up-to-the-minute happenings in the country.

In the first weeks after arriving, my friend embarked on a tour of re-acquaintance. She travelled over much of the country before settling into her new home. Of all she saw, the mountain town of S̊tramberk managed to pull at her heart strings. This little town sits off the beaten track in the eastern corner of the Czech Republic. It borders Poland to the north and Slovakia to the south. As a result, the region shares certain delicious aspects of the other countries' cuisines, like S̊tramberk ears (ginger cookies in the shape of ears).
Read more
Add comment (0)

More Articles...

Related Articles