MARCHESI DE' FRESCOBALDI Chianti Rufina Castello di Nipozzano Riserva 2007

Rated 91 on wine spectator. "A burly Rufina, offering dried dark fruits and chewy tannins, with an aftertaste of dark chocolate and mineral. Full and satisfying, with fresh acidity on the back palate. A go-to Chianti. Drink now. 121,000 cases made. –JS"

Good.smokey, oaky peppery medium to full bodied. Has some cherry to it but overwhelmed by the alcohol... pretty acidic and has its share of tannins. Really, my tongue feels coated with them.... amazing with fatty foods but not a good sipping wine. It paired well with brie but it would be really good with red meats, especially prime rib.


I prefer more fruity wines but this is a decent wine for a steak dinner.

Mitolo Jester - Shiraz

I love this wine!!! I tried the Cab Sauv as well - also delicious!

Jester is always a great choice for a bold yet easy drinking wine to enjoy all on its own!

Nose- Vanilla, ripe fruit... cherry black and very ripe, black pepper.
mouth - delicious! cherry, juicy, sharp, spicy complex but so easy drinking. Very little dryness. Great wine.

Indian Fusion Red Lentil Soup

I made this soup when I wasn't feeling so well... It had the spicy kick and healthy ingredients that I needed!

Ingredients:
2 cups red lentils
3 leeks
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 small red chillies
1 and a half to 2 veggie boullion cubes (to taste)
1-2 tablespoon tomato paste

spinach - your call on how much

Spices:
Garam Masala
Cumin
Turmeric
Chilli Powder
Curry Powder
3 Cardomom pods
2 bay leaves

Boil the lentils in water with a couple of pinches of Turmeric, Cumin, Cardomom, bay leaves and 1 bouillon cube. Bring to boil, reduce and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain lentils reserving the liquid and removing the bay leaves and cardomom.

Add vegetables to liquid and simmer until tender. Blend all vegetables you will end up with a thicker base for soup. Add the lentils and season to taste with remaining spices. Leave on low heat to combine flavours.

Serve with a dollop of lime infused yoghurt or sour cream with paranthas - yum!

DOMAINE BOSQUET LATOUR DE FRANCE

Domaine Bosquet - Latour de France - 2009 $13.99 at the LCBO

Cotes du Rousillion

At first smell, it seemed i would not like this wine. It smells thin, strong in alcohol and an almost floral bouquet....

Then I tasted it. What a surprise! Great mouth-feel, creamy texture with almost no tannins! I'd buy this one again - nice easy drinking weekday wine.

http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/lcbo/product/details.do?language=EN&itemNumber=223479

Fleur Pinot Noir Rose

Fleur 2010 Pinor Noir Rose - North Coast California
Nose - Strawberries and cream with hints of melon - ending with citrus and alcohol.
Mouth - Definitely hits you with strawberries and cream but it is well balanced with a crisp feeling of citrus. A lingering taste of melon. A dry wine but still fruity at first sip... As you drink more it is a light and refreshing summer Rose.

I would prefer something with a bit more honey so I'm going to keep looking until I find one. If you like crisp roses with a lot of citrus and a good dose of fruit... this is for you.

QUINTA DA NESPEREIRA VINEATICU 2008

QUINTA DA NESPEREIRA VINEATICU 2008

Quinta Da Nespereira, Dao Vineaticu - 2008 

from Serra Da Estrela, Gouveia, Portugal

It is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Jaen and Tinta Roriz.

Rated 86 by Wine Spectator

Nose: peppery, chock full of a minerality with notes of vanilla and a hint of dried black fruit.

Mouth: a bit thin at first sip but definite taste of vanilla. Its fair share of tannins but the minerals and spice along with the hint of black fruit balance it nicely - the vanilla smooths out the finish.  

Decent wine especially since it is $18.95 at the LCBO.

http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/lcbo/product/searchResults.do?ITEM_NAME=vineaticu&ITEM_NUMBER=&language=EN

 I'd buy it again, a good light easy drinking red.

 

Grand Electric

We'd heard all the buzz about grand electric... Apparently you have to show up at 6pm if you don't want to wait an hour and a half. We ran late And got there at 6:30... Waited an hour and a half. We had a couple of beers at the Rhino, desperadoes really whet my appetite for Mexican.

We got the call and headed over. People were lined up and being told it was a two hour wait.

Tiny place. Great food. The tacos were amazing! We had fish tacos, a ceviche, pork tacos and the guacamole. The fish tacos were probably the best thing we had  - I'd love to go again to try some more food... if I can handle the wait.

Barque - yum

Sunday is family night at barque. $25 and you get a sampling of the menu - everything was amazing.

First we had some popcorn that seemed to have smoky BBQ flavour. Then had root veggie soup that was packed with spice. Then pulled brisket crostini with root vegetable chips. Amazing and still not done. On to salad with apples and almonds - pretty good - some of my salad had seen better days. I think this is more of a meat place.

Then the mains the best ribs I've ever had, BBQ chicken, and slow cooked chili. Served with two different and delicious barbecue sauces with individual basting brushes. Very comforting food, very tasty, and a great deal!

But wait there was still dessert. A coffee-chocolate cake, not that we needed it, also good- but who could taste anymore after all that.

Drinks were great too - I had a glass of negroamaro- so delicious. Then I had to order the caesar rimmed with BBQ sauce and bacon bits served with a pickled bean. Pretty crazy- but next time i'll stick with wine!

Great night, great deal, I'd go back!

10 dollar wines - Tasting Party!!

Since we were on a major hunt for 10 dollar wedding wines, we decided to host a 10 dollar wine tasting party. Next time I'd do a simpler tasting card... The one I did was a bit too much for a bunch of friends getting a bit tipsy. Don't worry though, we did small tastes of each first then finished all the bottles so everything was fair. We weren't drunk when tasting the last one... I think. Also, since it was a social event my notes aren't great.

We tried:

La Casona Monastrell
Nose - Cherry with a hint of acidity
Mouth - nice fruit but again has a bit too much alcohol...

This was my favourite of the evening (and I'd had it once before) but I was almost alone in this.




Misterio Malbec
Nose - pepper
Mouth - sweet, peppery but thin... it just fell flat.



Castillo de Monseran - Carinena Grenacha
Nose - Acid! Oak!
Mouth - Very thin and very oaky - surprisingly not too tannic.




Mezzomondo - Negroamaro Salento
This was the evenings winner!
Nose - Acid and cream
Mouth - Thin bodied but with a real creaminess, it did have the bitterness of a Negroamaro but it was well balanced in the wine with sweetness and cream.

Below are the nonsensical tasting sheets but there are some funny comments. Such as "homeless man's breath", "oily vaseline quality", "don't buy this, Boozy".  All around fun night, I'd do it again!!

Chateau de Luc

Chateau de Luc Les Murets Corbieres 2008

Delicious creamy yet fragrant wine. Ripe black fruit and a bit of spice. great mouth feel- minimal tannins.

Love it!!!