This wine is so easy to drink and enjoy that I highly recommend that you pick up more then one bottle when you head to your favorite wine store, as I think that you just might find added to your must have favorite list.

Pair this wine with grilled meats, hamburgers, ribs, BBQ’d chicken, chocolate desserts, stews, lamb, and anything other dish you can think of that a silky, ripe wine would go with. Also a great wine to sip on its own with good friends or enjoyed quietly with your favorite book.

Currently available in Alberta, British Columbia and around the world. This wine might be a bit of a search as it sells out very quickly but it is well worth the wait so keep searching.

Retails between 22.00 – 25.00

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (used a combo of Hershey’s dark and natural)
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted room temperature butter, cut into cubes
8 ounces dark bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup superfine or granulated sugar
1-1/4 cups (10 ounces) Guinness Extra Stout beer ROOM TEMPERATURE
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I like to add
1/8 cup (about) confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)

The event will run from 6 – 9 and will be a mix of a cocktail party and shopping experience with proceeds from the evenings raffle items supporting the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

Tickets for the evening are $50.00 and include to 2 drink tickets, fabulous gift bag, and passed hors d’oeuvres.

Please contact Il Sogno directly for tickets and I will look forward to seeing you there.

The first thing that you will notice when you open this wine is that it is sealed with a glass cork. If you haven’t run across one of these before all you have to do to open the wine is just use your thumbnail to lift up the cork from the bottle – it is that easy. Glass corks are an inert, airtight and fully recyclable closure so they are gaining the praise of wine makers around the globe.

In the glass this wine has a warm lemon colour and will greet you will aromas of tropical fruits on the nose such as mango, pineapple, and papaya mixed in with more subtle hints of peaches, warm lemon, thyme, and oranges.

On the palate all of the flavours that the nose alluded to will delight you as they are balanced with a medium acidity and fuller bodied mouth feel. This is one of those great wines that you can serve at a party and everyone will like it.

This wine is an excellent choice to pair with grilled scallops, halibut, grilled chicken, Mexican dishes, cheese plates, green salads, and pastas with seafood and olive oil based sauces.

This wine retails between $14.00 – 18.00 across the country

Next weekend will be filled with great seminars – I do one on pairing wine and chocolate, so I will see you there – amazing food, a Pajama Cocktail Party on the Friday night and a dinner/dance party on the Saturday evening so, to sum it up, it is just a fabulous girls weekend that everyone should enjoy. If you have been looking for a way to get the  girls away for their own weekend then look no farther, this is your weekend.

For more information on how you can hang out with me at the Pajama Party please click here. See you all there in Pajama’s!

This week on WG TV Erin shares tips and hints on how to create the perfect ice bucket for chilling wine.

Submitted by Kim

Wine pairing ideas: Insolia from Italy, Sauvignon Blanc from around the world.

Ingredients

4 ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 – 1 cup of your favorite salsa
¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
2 – 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or 1 tbsp garlic powder
hot pepper sauce (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Cut avocado into large chunks and mash coarsely in a bowl with a fork.

Add remaining ingredients and blend gently. Taste as you add the ingredients and adjust to suit your tastes. The guacamole does not have to be absolutely smooth. Leaving a few small chunks is fine and some people prefer it that way. Serve with chips and vegetables.

As you can see from the picture these are not just your ordinary onion rings. They come served  piping hot and stacked on top of each other  with a side of ranch-like dressing on the side for dipping. I should let you know that you will probably want to share an order with someone as the serving size is quiet large and I also highly recommend using a knife and fork to eat them with as there are big pieces of onion in the center of each one. The batter is cake-like and lighter then it looks and when dipped into the ranch dressing I have to say that these are some of the most decadent onion rings that I have ever enjoyed.  If you are an onion ring lover like me then these are ones that you will have to try the next time you visit a Cheesecake Factory restaurant.

After the onion rings and some fish tacos (which were also great) I unfortunately had no room left to try one of the amazing looking cheesecakes so I have no review on those but that leaves me something to try next time I visit The Cheesecake Factory.

If you happen to be visiting the United States then I suggest planning a visit  to the The Cheesecake Factory as I am sure their vast menu will have something to your liking – just be sure that you go when you have a hearty appetite. Enjoy.

The first thing you will notice when you pour a glass of this wine is it’s golden colour and lively bubbles and once you pick it up and smell it, you will be greeted with a wonderful nose filled with warm vanilla, butterscotch, ripe apples, pears, and a hint of lemon. On the palate this wine delivers all that it promised on the nose with each sip bringing all the rich flavours together mixed in with delightfully soft bubbles.

This wine is a fuller bodied style of sparkling wine and so it will pair wonderfully with heavier dishes such as, roast poultry dishes, eggs benedict, popcorn with butter, grilled cheese sandwiches and macaroni and cheese.

Retails between $22.00 – 28.00 across the country

Submitted by Sandy.

Original recipe sourced from www.myasiankitchenny.com

Wine Pairing ideas – Your favorite Riesling, Gewurzatramier, Prosecco, or Pinot Gris would all be great choices with this dish.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 small sliced shallot
1 pound 21/30 size shrimp, shelled, deveined and butterflied
1 pound snow peas, topped, tailed and de-stringed
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons dark Chinese cooking wine
1/4 teaspoon each of salt & ground white pepper, or to taste

Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add garlic, ginger and shallot and stir-fry until just beginning to turn color, about 15 seconds. Add shrimp, snow peas, cooking wine and oyster sauce. Continue stir-frying until shrimp are just cooked through and snow peas are crisp-tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Season with the ground white pepper and salt. Serve immediately along with jasmine rice.

Variations

This dish is very versatile. You can substitute the shrimps with chicken, beef or pork.  Vegetarians can omit the oyster sauce and substitute it with black bean sauce and add tofu and cashews as protein.