megram - Index

megram - magazine - Index

Wines to Warm
Your Winter
Wines for winter fare
BY CAROL ANDERSON
As we squeeze every ounce of enjoyment out of the last days of summer, refusing
to think of the possibility of another long winter, we can’t deny the imminence
of certain seasonal rituals — ordering a cord of wood, wondering if all the family
will make it home for Thanksgiving, debating whether to head south at some
point in the next six months, getting skis tuned ahead of the crowd, recalling
where all the mittens and toques ended up….
This is also a great time to think about stocking up on some wines to warm
your winter. As the days get shorter and we start to crave casseroles, roasts and
big log fires, we need some weightier wines to complement richer fare. That’s
not to say that we’ll never eat a salad between now and next May or a light fish
dish, calling for a Pinot Grigio or a Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine. Indeed, I’m a
big advocate of keeping a stock of many different kinds of wine on hand that
work with the dishes you like to make. Your favourite wine might be a South
Australian Shiraz, but it won’t work with everything you eat.
If you love pasta with meat sauce, it makes sense to keep some nice
“Your Garage Door
and Operator Supplier”
Sangiovese on hand so that you don’t
have to run out to the LCBO every
time you feel like some wine with dinner.
If you like to cook Asian food
with a little spiciness, you might also
keep lighter beers on hand, as well as
off-dry wines like some Rieslings or
Chenin Blanc.
Winter food often calls for medium
to full-bodied wines and there’s a
vast selection to choose from, with
new ones being added to the LCBO
shelves every two weeks. However, a
richer food lends itself to a lighter,
crisper wine to cut through the fat.
For example, a slightly chilled and
fruity rosé can pair wonderfully with a
big turkey dinner with cranberry
sauce and all the other trimmings.
There are many lovely Ontario rosé
wines that you can serve with
Thanksgiving dinner — additional
bounty for a celebration of local fare.
Vineland Estates makes a Rosé from
100 per cent Pinot Meunier, one of
the grape varieties used in
Champagne. At just over $13 a bottle,
this one is great value and very tasty.
continues on Ottawa page 8
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Due West/Due East Magazine • Fall 2008 Ottawa Page 6