tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992Fri, 24 May 2013 11:33:51 +0000Ontario WineRoséVideosRed WineCocktailsBordeauxOther BoozeRestaurantsDessert WineWhite WineTravelVintage ReleasesWordless WinoWino AlphabetFood Pairing TidbitsRecipesOrganicsWine MusingsSparkling WinePortNot just winehttp://www.hollybruns.com/noreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)Blogger340125WineOutLoudhttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-7900435340077754538Tue, 21 May 2013 11:34:00 +00002013-05-21T11:29:45.747-04:00White WineLast month I went to the California Wine Fair. All I have to show for it are a few scattered notes and some random photos. I'm not sure what happened. I think I was having too much fun and threw all attempts at seriousness out the window that day. Maybe the copious amounts of wine had something to do with it? That room was BIG. One thing I did was spend a lot of time standing over the table http://www.hollybruns.com/2013/05/birichino-birichino.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-1671755776651586850Mon, 13 May 2013 11:13:00 +00002013-05-13T07:13:40.416-04:00Ontario WineWine tasting events are a great way to: 1. taste a lot of wine; 2. try new stuff; 3. work on your palate because tasting wines back-to-back is the best way to compare and contrast; 4. talk to winemakers and learn a thing or two; 5. have some fun. I go to quite a few tastings every year for all of those reasons. Mostly I'm diligent and numbers one through four rule. I take notes, spit rather http://www.hollybruns.com/2013/05/tasting-wine-and-free-tickets.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-7116941489223408695Wed, 08 May 2013 12:32:00 +00002013-05-08T08:32:59.075-04:00White WineOntario WineI have been short on trips to the liquor store lately, which if you are me, is a good thing for both the liver and the wallet. When this inertia strikes - really I just don't want to get into the hot car and drive around in traffic - I raid the cellar. Last night, after a game of Eeny Meeny, this bottle of Chardonnay from Southbrook Vineyards went into my freezer for a quick chill. It's a 2011 http://www.hollybruns.com/2013/05/chardonnay-shucking-and-reading.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-5810303972275618069Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:31:00 +00002013-04-30T08:31:11.093-04:00Sparkling WineOntario WineSunday I opened the windows; I took off my socks; I turned off the heat; I cleaned windows. It was our first, glorious, day of unbridled warmth. While the weather seems like it's still just a kiss of a promise, I felt the day deserved a pink, frothy topping. This bottle of Cuvèe Catharine was perfect in it's sour cherry-ness, it's earthy body, and it's slightly bitter finish ($29.95). I had ahttp://www.hollybruns.com/2013/04/cuvee-catharine.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-2870978623796751755Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:28:00 +00002013-04-23T08:28:29.268-04:00Red WineRecipesEvery once in a while, Friday night is pizza night. The point is to use up leftover bits that are conducive to a doughy backdrop and a cheesy topping. Last week I had a bit of cooked chicken breast, some brie that I bought for my nephew when he came to visit, some slow roasted tomatoes, a bundle of rapini, and grilled peppers that didn't make it into a tortilla wrap lingering in the fridge. Ihttp://www.hollybruns.com/2013/04/pizza-night.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-1365069153155370431Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:32:00 +00002013-04-11T09:50:23.402-04:00White WineBlah, blahblah blahblahblah Winter!!!! Blahblah blah blah, blahblah. Blah blah blahblahblah. Spring, are you there? Blahblah blah blahblahblah, blah. Blahb - blahblah blah - blah, blahblah. Hello. Spring? Ah well, something to help with the latent Spring blahs. At just $9.45, it's not expensive. There's a plushy, medium-textured body which means it kind of rolls around in your mouth in a http://www.hollybruns.com/2013/04/spring.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-8137236665178381160Thu, 04 Apr 2013 10:41:00 +00002013-04-04T06:41:26.444-04:00CocktailsToday we have coffee breaks, but back during the industrial revolution it was called 'elevenses' and workers paused for a nutritious, and probably much desired sense-numbing swig of beer, at eleven o'clockish. By my rules, this means that it is perfectly acceptable to start drinking any time after 11am, though maybe not in the workplace. By doing so we are participating in a Northern European http://www.hollybruns.com/2013/04/the-breakfast-cocktail.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-4841566988292252126Fri, 29 Mar 2013 17:37:00 +00002013-03-29T13:37:34.852-04:00Ontario WineI have two free tickets to County in the City hosted by Savvy Company, Thursday, April 18th, 7pm at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. If you've been to a Savvy wine tasting event, then you'll know this is a great opportunity to chat with the people who make the wines, learn a little about the region, and bring home a few bottles if you like. E-mail me your favourite Prince Edward County http://www.hollybruns.com/2013/03/vinous-gratis-giveawayus.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-1971104008097708066Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:01:00 +00002013-03-25T11:47:41.340-04:00Ontario WineRecipes Last weekend I left Prince Edward County with a bag of delicious goodies. One of those things was a jar of mostarda from The Hubb at Angèlines. These are the good people who also fed us the most amazing doughnuts and croissants and a sparkling wine mimosa that I still think about when I get up in the morning. Mostarda is a melange of sugared fruit preserved in a contrasting, tart mustardhttp://www.hollybruns.com/2013/03/mostarda-di-frutta.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-9155214498165316054Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:27:00 +00002013-03-21T12:27:58.241-04:00RestaurantsAnd there was food... You can be sure that wherever there is a bottle of wine, a plate of food is soon to follow. Wine is a fermented beverage. Fermented products help digest food. In the same way that sauerkraut and olives and kimchi and miso help to enhance the flavours on a plate, they also aid with nutrient absorption, as does a glass of wine. Which is why you need NEVER feel guilty about http://www.hollybruns.com/2013/03/prince-edward-county-part-three.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-4856278397366853151Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:18:00 +00002013-03-20T16:18:55.421-04:00White WineOntario WineRed WineWhere the wine is good... really good. Currently, there are thirty-seven vineyards in Prince Edward County with four more set to open soon. The first time I went to The County there were eleven. It was not so long ago that there was only one vineyard, Waupoos Estate, on the site of an old apple orchard overlooking lake Ontario. Undeniably, the landscape in Prince Edward County is changing. If http://www.hollybruns.com/2013/03/prince-edward-county-part-two.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-1703265566516615594Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:50:00 +00002013-03-19T12:57:53.761-04:00Ontario WineLast weekend I made a dash trip to Prince Edward County with a contingent of like-minded bloggers. We tucked ourselves into our cars and converged at Angéline's, a tastefully renovated inn that manages to creatively balance the opulence of Victorian architecture with a more modern, sparse touch. I was in some great company, along with Nita and Bethany; two smart wine minds with whom I benefit http://www.hollybruns.com/2013/03/prince-edward-county-part-one.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-4117044642368095690Sat, 16 Mar 2013 10:10:00 +00002013-03-16T06:11:06.424-04:00Not just wineLast week was precious-seeming. Not really precious because, of course, spring weather is coming. Last week wasn't the end-days, just the beginning. But sitting in the midst of a mid-March snow squall now makes last week feel as though it was precious. There were a few days when, standing with the door open it was possible to actually watch snow in the backyard shrinking away; the air smelled of http://www.hollybruns.com/2013/03/aprils-happening.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-9186974399709070064Mon, 11 Mar 2013 21:14:00 +00002013-03-12T09:15:30.854-04:00White WineI had good intentions. Company was coming for dinner. I took a first time crack at Pommes Anna, and cooked up my favourite chicken: lemon roasted as per America's Test Kitchen. I had a great idea to try a few bottles of white wine with that meal; and I did. We did. I had every intention of getting out the camera and documenting the meal, and sharing some notes here, maybe even a recipe. But I gothttp://www.hollybruns.com/2013/03/leftovers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-7299610854679094969Tue, 05 Mar 2013 13:47:00 +00002013-03-05T09:47:00.145-05:00Not just wineLast week, Dave and I were lucky enough to graze our way through a lovely meal at Petit Bill's in snowy downtown Hintonburg, where it feels like winter is never going to end. The meal was carefully prepared to match with a tasting of Macallan Scotch(s). Dave likes Scotch. We have a growing collection of amber coloured bottles in our liquor cabinet that threatens to spill out and take over the http://www.hollybruns.com/2013/03/eat-something-with-that-scotch.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-6651655998535881563Tue, 26 Feb 2013 20:12:00 +00002013-02-26T15:24:12.335-05:00White WineOntario WineThere's soft, unctuous cheese that'll run down your chin if you're not careful. There's aged, sharp cheese with little crystalline jewels secreted inside; there's blue, veiny wedges that look like the stuff of cheap horror films and powdery, spreadable, white cheese that leaves your palate clean as snow. From the earthy and nutty to the down right stinky - when my German father peeled away the http://www.hollybruns.com/2013/02/the-cheese-platter.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-3279674059604626925Thu, 14 Feb 2013 22:51:00 +00002013-02-15T06:17:26.560-05:00BordeauxRed WineRecipesBordeaux has always confused the hell out of me. Left bank/right bank, the variety of quality and styles of wine for a region with a whopping 54 appellations (or sub-regions), the classification system that can vary in differing appellations, the naming conventions... even Italy with all of its foreign sounding grapes to memorize seems less intimidating than Bordeaux. So where to start? http://www.hollybruns.com/2013/02/back-to-bottle.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-8536977001826901409Wed, 06 Feb 2013 21:25:00 +00002013-02-06T16:31:02.817-05:00Red WineI had a different post planned for today, but then something happened to me over the weekend... I fell in love. I fell in love with my new... oh wait, I think that was last week's post. Sigh. After living in raw, drafty, dirty and completely undone spaces, after seven years, I am now just coming around to loving my house. Sure, we still have to parge and insulate the basement, that's not pretty http://www.hollybruns.com/2013/02/love-love.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-6443735051052139716Tue, 29 Jan 2013 22:16:00 +00002013-01-30T12:42:37.680-05:00Recipes I had a different post planned for today, but then something happened to me over the weekend... I fell in love. I fell in love with my new, end-grain, butcher block, island top, and it's all I want to think of right now. Look at it. I mean just look at it. It’s all smooth, and big, and warmish red, and filled with interesting patterns, and just look at it! My friend Dan made it, which makeshttp://www.hollybruns.com/2013/01/love.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-7355685736253176264Tue, 22 Jan 2013 21:55:00 +00002013-01-23T09:35:55.559-05:00White WineRed WineRecipesLast week a box of wine arrived at my doorstep. This week I drank that box of wine. Well, not all of it, and not all by myself. I had a little help from Nita, Julie and a few others... nothing wrong with celebrating a little West Coast sunshine in a bottle, on a cold Ontario winter's night. Here's a line up of what we tasted, in no particular order: 2010 Quail's Gate Chardonnay $20.95 -ripehttp://www.hollybruns.com/2013/01/drinking-some-bc.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-5205777598546710383Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:49:00 +00002013-01-19T08:52:37.979-05:00White WineWinter is a good time to be a wine lover in Ottawa. I suspect it is some kind of strategy to combat the short days, the long nights, and the cold weather. Whatever it is, January is in full swing with lots of wine events to warm the cockles of your vinous heart. Savvy Company is hosting a Wine Appreciation Class on January 26th and then in February, Taste Ontario, my favourite winter wine eventhttp://www.hollybruns.com/2013/01/wine-happenings.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-6278517937490214769Sat, 12 Jan 2013 19:01:00 +00002013-01-12T14:01:08.203-05:00Ontario WineRed WineI thought that after periodontal procedures, tooth extractions, and a year of wires on my teeth that I had weathered the worst of what the dentists were conjuring up for me. Then I got elastics. Do you know about orthodontic elastics? They are innocent looking rounds of rubber that sit meekly in the palm of a hand, dwarfed in size. There is absolutely nothing about them that says I could ruin http://www.hollybruns.com/2013/01/wires-and-rubbers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-4448551587256351119Sun, 06 Jan 2013 15:51:00 +00002013-01-06T10:51:44.747-05:00Red WineThe holidays and that much anticipated time away from work. Where did it all go? I look over my shoulder and the last two weeks seem a bit of a blur. I know there was a house full of friends and a little singing along to disco in the dark of the night. There was holding my nephew in my arms while he ogled and touched all the flashy bits hanging off the tree, his eyes big with glee. Oh, that Ihttp://www.hollybruns.com/2013/01/it-gets-away-from-you.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-3482061893029148056Wed, 19 Dec 2012 11:42:00 +00002012-12-19T06:42:50.060-05:00White WineOntario WineRed WineThe holidays, the holidays, the holidays, and what to drink, what to drink, what to drink. It's all I seem to read these days. I guess I could be reading about cookies, cookies, cookies and shopping, shopping, shopping, but I can't drag my ass off the couch to shop or bake these days. I think I slept for ten hours last night. Doing a little booze window shopping via my laptop seems to be just http://www.hollybruns.com/2012/12/house-wine.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4637234317125636992.post-5405719430401039728Tue, 11 Dec 2012 11:36:00 +00002012-12-11T08:31:46.340-05:00Red WineRecipesChipotle Chile (via Rick Bayless): "A smoke-dried jalapeno, quite spicy, backed up with welcome sweetness." What better thing to smother over a turkey in these cold, dark days than a heat infusing chile? Feeding a craving for turkey left-overs - we were lucky enough to have Thanksgiving dinner gifted upon us by friends - I pulled out the big roasting pan on the weekend. Whenever you throw a http://www.hollybruns.com/2012/12/chipotle-turkey-and-red-wine.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Holly Bruns)0