http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/home.aspxIf you're looking for that perfect wine to serve at tonight's dinner party or just something simple to enjoy on a night in with your significant other, Andre Proulx, producer of the Friendly Fire, has some great suggestions for you! en-usCopyright 2013, CFRB-AMSat, 25 May 2013 17:39:54 GMTTue, 21 May 2013 22:47:48 GMT1http://emmisinteractive.comToronto.com has recently called the iYellow Wine Club "Hands-Down the most fun place to learn about wine in Toronto".  Last Summer I had the opportunity to check out their Summer Solstice event.  Any event that exposes you to the best wine Ontario has to offer from the comfort of your own city already has my attention, but I can say that it was easily one of the most fun wine events I attended last summer.  Your 55$ ticket will grant you entry to the event and the opportunity to try 54 newly released wines in liberty village.  Tickets to the event are selling out quickly so make sure you get them soon. (Tickets available by clicking on the link).   Malivoire Musqué Spritz 2012 - Vintages 189670 - $19.95 - The Musqué Spritz from Malivoire is a true testament to great consistent wine making.  This is an essential patio sipper ...http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10547440aproulx@astral.com (Andre Proulx)http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10547440Tue, 21 May 2013 22:47:48 GMTThis past week I had a chance to meet up with Josh Bendahan from Halpern Wines at Rock Lobster (110 Ossington Ave) to discuss something I had not thought about... ever... Wine on Tap.  This isn't any sort of typo, Rock Lobster has a setup where they pour wine out of a tap just like you would beer at any Pub in the city.  I can hear the sound of many of you reading this turning your nose up at the thought of not pouring wine out of a bottle.  I must admit, I was a little skeptical at the thought of deviating from the tried and true way of serving wine, but I reminded myself of the fact that Screwcaps once looked down upon by wine snobs are beginning to be accepted.  When I am enjoying a bottle of wine it is easy to forget that the people who ...http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10544664aproulx@astral.com (Andre Proulx)http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10544664Tue, 14 May 2013 22:23:11 GMTWhen I'm describing wine I will talk about certain aromas that I detect in the glass.  Sometimes it's really easy to detect Cherry in a bottle of Pinot Noir... other times not so much.  For Mothers' Day I have selected a panel of Gewurztraminer.  It's hard to say (and spell) but very easy to enjoy!  The reason being that Gewurz generally has strong aromas of Roses.  You can often detect floral bouquets in wine (especially Musqué) but it can be difficult to pin what flower am I smelling here.  The bottom line is you can't go wrong with Gewurz for Mom... instead of buying her a dozen roses, if your mom is anything like my mom she will appreciate a nice bottle of wine.  Apart from the floral aroma you will get very tropical flavours including Lychee.  You will also find subdued Citrus Flavours.  Gewurztraminer is a very complex White ...http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10542151aproulx@astral.com (Andre Proulx)http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10542151Wed, 08 May 2013 22:22:07 GMTBurning Kiln Strip Room Merlot/Cabernet Franc 2011 - Vintages 327700 - $24.95 - Apassimento seems to be popping up all over the place in Ontario.  This is the method of allowing your grapes to dry before pressing them.  Apassimento really brings out a lot of fruit in thed bottle.  This wine is very intense fruit flavours with nice balance.  Because the fruit flavours are so intense this wine may taste sweeter than it is.  What is great about the Burning Kiln Wine is the finish.  I love it when Ontario Cabernet Franc leaves a taste of cocoa on the pallette.  This is a great wine to pair with your heaviest of beef dishes whether it's a steak or even some nice meaty long ribs off the barbeque. Hinterland Whitecap 2012 - Vintages 332809 - $22.00 - Hinterland is located in Prince Edward County ... this is a winery that has ...http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10537106aproulx@astral.com (Andre Proulx)http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10537106Wed, 01 May 2013 15:38:01 GMTWhen you see the VQA designation on a bottle of wine it means that 100% of the grapes have been grown in Ontario.  Some wineries have taken the idea of Canadian wine to the next level.  Most people don’t give a second thought to the actual process of making wine.  It goes beyond taking grape juice and turning it into alcohol, when you are making a Chardonnay or a Cabernet you are likely going to be putting your wine in a barrel to age and refine it.  Most barrels used in Ontario come from the United States, or France… you will also find some wineries using barrels from Hungary.  There are a small group of wineries that have turned to local barrel makers and are using Canadian barrels.  I originally planned on talking about the Featherstone Canadian Oak Chardonnay (Vintages 149302), as I have seen this label in your local ...http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10536900aproulx@astral.com (Andre Proulx)http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10536900Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:08:13 GMTThis week I had a chance to speak to Jane Dietl from Peninsula Ridge to talk a little about pairing wine and food as I continue to talk about Get Fresh in the Valley.  Peninsula Ridge is serving a Sauvignon Blanc with a Sweet Potato and Clam Chowder.  Sauvignon Blanc and Seafood (in general) are usually a pretty great match and I can't wait to try it when I go down next weekend.  Tickets are still available at http://www.20valley.ca/page/store .   Wildass Red 2011 - Vintages 086363 - $19.95 - This is a great wine from premium winemaker Stratus.  A blend of several grape varieties with a long finish.  This Red wine strikes a great balance between juicy red fruit flavours and subtle smokey oak on the finish.  This is a great wine to be paired with more casual foods such as Pizza or Burgers.  This vintage is significantly better ...http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10535250aproulx@astral.com (Andre Proulx)http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10535250Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:36:26 GMTGet Fresh in the Valley starts this weekend!  This is my favorite wine event of the year and I am always looking forward to it.  You get wine and you get food matched up at 24 different wineries.  Tickets available here: http://www.20valley.ca/page/store .  You also get Recipe cards at each of the participating wineries.  This is fantastic because we all fall into the habit of drinking the same thing week in and week out ... Stop it!  Buy your passports and discover ... and re-discover some great wines. Union Rose - LCBO 275685 - $13.95 - Spring is in the air... err the bottle.  I am very excited about the warmer weather as most people switch to lighter wines.  Rosé is the swiss army knife of the wine world.  Serve chilled, but it is still very good as it warms up in the glass.  Whether you are cooking lighter fare ...http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10528736aproulx@astral.com (Andre Proulx)http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10528736Tue, 23 Apr 2013 21:21:46 GMTApril 16 is World Malbec Day!  You have the opportunity to sample wines from Argentina at Roy Thomson Hall in an event that has been celebrated in over 40 countries.  Tickets are $65 a person and can be found here:  www.vintages.com/malbecday Why am I talking about Malbec day?  Every week I feature two wines from Ontario.  I have been thinking something a lot lately.  If you get the chance to go down to Niagara you are going to find more wineries making fewer different varieties of wine.  This isn’t a bad thing.  If you get the chance to stop by Southbrook for example you will find some of the best Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc in the province… but you will find Riesling, and Pinot Noir missing from their impressive lineup.  The simple reason is that you have wineries that are now focussing their energies on what the signature wine of ...http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10528734aproulx@astral.com (Andre Proulx)http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10528734Tue, 09 Apr 2013 23:53:45 GMT2010 Rosewood Natalie's Sussreserve Riesling - Vintages 258806 - $14.95 - If you are one of those people who say they don't like sweet wines, I have a challenge for you ... try this one!  There is nothing wrong with a little sugar left in the bottle as long as it's balanced with good acidity.  There are lots of apricot flavours in this wine as well as typical citrus notes however they lean more towards lime.  This is a very easy sipper you will want to pair with lighter dishes such as cod or haddock or simple chicken dishes.  2011 Featherstone Cabernet Franc - Vintages 064618 - $16.95 - It will be interesting to see how good the red wines from 2011 will be as they are starting to make their way to the LCBO shelves.  I say interesting as this vintage is right in the middle of two that ...http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10524589aproulx@astral.com (Andre Proulx)http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10524589Tue, 02 Apr 2013 23:52:03 GMT2010 Stoney Ridge Excellence Chardonnay - VINTAGES 254243 - $24.95 - If you are reading this and live in midtown Toronto you will want to write down the Vintages number (254243) and get the LCBO before I DO because there is a good change I will buy every bottle they have in stock!  Last year the 2009 Excellence Chardonnay was (in my opinion) the best in the province... this vintage is even better.  The aroma on this wine is just like toast popping up.  A perfect balance between buttery toasty barrel flavours and powerful fruit flavours.  Even at $24.95 it is still fantastic value, and you will have a hard time finding a Chardonnay of this quality at this price.  I could probably suggest a few food pairings with this but suffice to say this is one wine that was meant to be enjoyed on it's own.  2010 Malivoire Guilty ...http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10520270aproulx@astral.com (Andre Proulx)http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/andreproulx/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10520270Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:36:56 GMT