Beef Stew

Two of our Hallowe'en pumpkins were stolen! STOLEN! Who steals pumpkins nowadays? It wasn't even the witty pumpkin (mine). We looked everywhere as it was quite windy on Hallowe'en night, so we thought maybe they just blew away. But they were not to be found on our lawn, on our neighbours' lawn, across the road... Not even smashed anywhere. Someone really liked our pumpkins, and decided they wanted to own them for the couple hours left on Hallowe'en. Desperate times call for desperate measures. 

We've had a few dinners out at friends over the past week. We went over to my godmother's on Friday, and then over to the Puddy's on Tuesday. Delicious food, and good times at both. It was also "Bring your grade 9 to work day" this week, so Nick joined us at work. 

We had a fantastic nibbly dinner last night, we got some cold meats, cheeses, sliced an apple, a glass (or two) of riesling, mmmm. It was awesome. And pretty! 

Unfortunately, the champagne part of Champagne Thursday was significantly less successful. 

November 5, 2015

This week we suffered through a bottle with a very pretty label. It was a bottle from Mexico, and I know what you're thinking: Mexico? World renowned bubblies come from Mexico! Well, I'm not sure that is true, but if it is, this was not one of those bubbles. 

Even Tyson was unimpressed...

Sala Vive is a sparkling from Mexico, made by a branch of the Freixenet estate in Spain. I didn't know this until doing a bit of research this morning. We quite like the Freixenet black bottle, so don't think that this is a review of all their wines. Some are quite lovely. To us, however, this was not one of them. 

It is advertised as an extra dry sparkling wine, which totally appealed to us. In the glass it's a beautiful straw colour with lots of bubbles making their way to the surface. We were excited about it. 

This is where it all started to go sideways. Well, "how did it smell?" you ask? It smelled delicious. But not wine delicious... Irish Beef Stew delicious... Pardon me? Yes. A lovely beefy stew. Specifically the gravy from a tin of beef stew. I got an essence of canned peas mixed in, but for Shane it was strictly stew gravy. It brought back childhood memories for him of his dad opening the tin for lunch... 

Now, I didn't want to write that in the book. I made us drink the whole glass, sniffing and swirling and bubbling before admitting defeat, yup, that's it. I can't put anything else in the book, because that's all it was. 

After we got accustomed to the taste and smell, we didn't hate it... I mean, we didn't like it, but we didn't hate it... it was just very very strange. Something just wasn't quite right... Hahaha, yes, of course we finished it. It would have been wasteful to pour it out. It was similar to the green pepper pizza bubbly we had a while back, we finished that one too, and that was a bigger struggle than the beef stew was.  

Verdict: No. Never again. If I want a beef stew, I'll make one, or open a can. Can't do this one again. But beautiful label. 

~S

• Brand: Freixenet de Mexico 
• Type of Grape: Not advertised
• Sweetness: 15g/L
• Price: $18.95 (Looking at the LCBO website, it was released on our wedding day! How lovely!)
• Tasting Notes: A strong essence of Beef Stew, with canned peas on the nose.

Pre-Hallowe'en!

He was so tiny! 

This was a pretty quiet week for us. The kids were over for the weekend, and I celebrated my 6th anniversary with Tyson. I remember bringing him home, an adorable 6 pound bundle of fur, skin and energy. He's now a handsome 95 pound bundle of cuddles and laziness. Ah, how times change as we age. 

We have a belated Thanksgiving dinner coming up this weekend, and so we've been preparing the turkey, defrosting, soaking him in his brine bath, getting ready to smoke... yum yum. He's going to be delicious. 

Back to the point. 

October 29, 2015

Happy lil' dragon

Being the Thursday before Hallowe'en, we decided it was most fitting for Tyson to wear his costume. He's a dragon this year (not to be confused with the dinosaur costume that he wore last year... which looks very similar... so similar in fact that some could be confused...). 

We celebrated with a bottle of Desiderius's Pongrácz, from South Africa. It had a very tart and dry aroma on the nose. A lovely straw colour, and lots of big bubbles in the glass. 

On first taste it was close your eyes tart-sour. Like you'd just had a super sour candy. Both Shane and I were a bit taken aback by how tart it was. No real flavours came through at first because of this. After a few sips, and a bit of air, the tartness subsided a touch. The main flavour was, well, white wine. There wasn't much in the way of fruit or outside flavours. It was nice, clean and well rounded, but nothing special. 

I think he was tired of
the photo shoot

Verdict: It was okay. The first sips might be off-putting for someone who doesn't drink much bubbly, but overall, nothing special. With all the other options out there, we probably wouldn't get this one again... This would not be suitable for someone who likes sweeter bubblies. 

~S

• Brand: Desiderius, South Africa
• Type of Grape: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
• Sweetness: 9g/L
• Price: $16.95
• Tasting Notes: Very tart, nicely dry, white wine flavour. Would go nicely with a creamy pasta. 

The Lonely Week is Over

I always knew I was meant to
be a pillow... 

And thank goodness for that! Shane was away on business from Sunday to Wednesday. Normally I'm the one who has left, and so it felt very strange to be in the house with just me, my thoughts and Tyson (at least he was there, couch snuggles are the best!). 

Before Shane left, we had a nice weekend: mom and I went for brunch while dad and Shane cleaned his closet. In a sense... a very loose sense... They built shelves. When we moved in, I picked the closet in our bedroom that had shelves and a bit of room for hanging, which meant that Shane got the closet with just a bar for hanging clothes. Unfortunately, that hasn't been working so well for t-shirts which seemed to be consumed by the growing pile of clothes on the floor. So, when our weekend cleared up, we decided that it was time to fix that. And then we ate wings. Yum. 

Fast forward to Thursday. 

October 22, 2015

Nope, he hasn't moved from that
spot all week

This was a great week for bubbly. Really great. It was an Ontario wine from the Niagara region, Vieni Estate's 2013 Momenti. We had to stop by the LCBO this week to pick up a bottle of Bailey's for a new dessert we're going to try, and saw this beauty in the Vintages section. It was new, the label was pretty, and the price, well, it was outstanding. 

In the glass it's a very pale yellow, but with more colour than the past couple we've had. Very pretty, lots of bubbles. On the nose it has a fruity, hard pear scent. On the palate, it doesn't have the expected pear taste, but Shane identified passion fruit with a bit of banana, which I thought was oddly specific. I didn't get that specific with my tastings but did notice it was heavy in tropical flavours. Shane said it reminded him of the Tropical Citrus Blend of the Five Alive juice. 

It was really good. Really good. Shane must have said "This is really tasty" about 17 times. It's not a super sweet bubbly, the label actually says "extra dry" which I disagree with. We do think though that with the level of tropical fruity flavours, it is one that even someone who prefers the sweet champagnes (like my mom) would enjoy. It's got so much fruity essence that it almost comes across as a fruit wine. 

Verdict: as if it wasn't obvious, yes, we will be getting this again. Heck, we may go pick up a couple bottles to have on hand because we expect it will sell out. 

~S

• Brand: Vieni Estates
• Type of Grape: Vidal & Pinot Grigio
• Sweetness: 15g/L
• Price: $13.95
• Tasting Notes: Very tropical flavours, light and fruity. Would pair well with eggs benedict and salty home fries. 

Hashtag: Thankful

This past weekend was Thanksgiving. A time to join together with friends and family, to celebrate the little things, to be thankful for all that you have. And to eat WAY too much. So, based on those criteria, our Thanksgiving was a huge success. We ate too much ham and potatoes on Saturday with the kids, on Sunday we enjoyed the Packers football game (big win!), and then enjoyed the outside tossing the ball around ourselves. After the kids went back to their mom's, Shane and I had dinner with my parents, where we ate too much turkey, stuffing, cranberries (me, not Shane), potatoes, everything, and then topped it all off with Pumpkin Chiffon Pie. On Monday, we were all ready to do a major houseclean... until we both ran out of steam by about 1:30, so we went and voted, then went on a nice motorcycle ride by the water, sat in the sunshine with a beer, then finished watching Suits (we've been addicted, so it's good to be done!). 


The short work week has certainly felt long enough though, and we're both looking forward to the weekend. 

October 15, 2015

This Thursday was celebrated after we watched the boys' high school football team smoke their competition.

We had been given a bottle of [Yellow tail] Bubbles. This is a nice simple bubbly, easy to drink and enjoy, we've had it a few times in the past (as recently as September). 

In the glass, it's very pale, almost colourless; it has a dry smell, but a sweeter taste. I'm getting a bit of a cold, so my taste and smell is a little off, but in my first sip I got a whack of vitamin taste. Shane did a bit as well, but he said it was more minerally than vitamin-y, which sounds way better :). Although I usually don't like minerally wines, I still enjoyed this one. 

We also noted that it was less sweet than we remembered it being, which, for us, was a good thing. We thought it was very sweet last time, but that didn't come through this time. There's a chance that's because we've had a few sweeter bubbles lately, but maybe just because we had it built up in our heads. Who knows. 

Verdict: Yup, we enjoy it each time we have it. 

~S

• Brand: [yellow tail]
• Type of Grape: Unknown
• Sweetness: 24g/L
• Price: $13.95
• Tasting Notes: Dry nose, sweeter on tongue, minerally flavours. Would pair nicely with a creamy rich pasta. 

Post-Head of the Trent

A lot has happened since my last post. So much so that this is late. Again. Maybe someday I'll learn, but I doubt it. 

Last weekend was my university homecoming, Head of the Trent. Unlike most homecomings, it isn't a football game, but a rowing regatta. But similar to most homecomings, it is usually a drunken fest, followed by more drinking. It was Shane's first time partaking in the shenanigans, but he fit right in. We made a vegetarian chili to have in the crock pot at the hotel for when it was supper time, which was a huge hit. We made it a little atypical in that we roasted squash and sweet potatoes and used cinnamon and nutmeg and harvest-y spices along with the traditional chili flavours. Yum. 

October 8, 2015

This week's Champagne Thursday was celebrated with a bottle from a friend from my university, seems fitting. Jenna got us a bottle of Yellowglen Pink. 

It was quite nice. It was dry on the nose, and wasn't as pink as some other blush bubblies we have had. It was more a rose gold colour, very pretty. 

The bubbles were great, small and plentiful and soft on the tongue. It has a sweet berry flavour, but it isn't a super sweet sparkling wine. (After note: I looked the sweetness level up after finishing the post for the short notes below and was surprised by the sugar content. It certainly has more than it would lead you to believe. Interesting. It comes across much more dry than it is.)

We noted that it had a pleasing yet unidentifiable scent. Later on we decided that it was like smelling a bag of Swedish Berries, yummy! Overall it was quite nice, nothing over the top, and an easy drinker. 

Verdict, sure, we'd get it again. 

~S

• Brand: Yellowglen
• Type of Grape: Variety of different grapes, not mentioned
• Sweetness: 26g/L (sweeter than I expected)
• Price: $11.95
• Tasting Notes: Sweet berry nose, dry on the tongue, nice bubbles, easy to drink. Would pair nicely with salty chips or grilled salmon.

Writer's Block

Another Champagne Thursday is in the books. I'm suffering from a bit of writer's block, so this week we're just going to get down to the nitty-gritty. 

October 1, 2015


This week we enjoyed a nice bottle of bubbly from our friends Lee and Ken: the Michelle Brut Sparkling Wine.  

In the glass it has a very very pale straw colour. It has a dry nose and smells a bit yeasty. Shane said he smelled field berries, but I didn't. 

Upon first sip, it tasted a bit dry, after a glass it mellowed out. It developed a sweet fruity taste, but we couldn't identify which fruit. It had plenty of bubbles, although it didn't have that creamy texture that we like. 

We did notice that we were a bit burpy after this one :)

Verdict: Yes, it's good. It's pretty safe. It doesn't taste dry, but it's not sweet either. 

Sorry for the lack of enthusiasm in this post, it's been a long, exhausting week. 

~S

• Brand: Domaine Ste Michelle
• Type of Grape: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris
• Sweetness: 15g/L
• Price: $16.95
• Tasting notes: Nice bubbles, berry essence, neither sweet nor dry. Would go nicely with poutine or salty fries. 

Lost and Found

Wing Night Sauce Selection,
feel free to mix'n'match!

 So there is a moderately good excuse for this post being late. Not a great one, mind you, but oh well. This past Thursday we celebrated Champagne Thursday and Wing Night simultaneously. I forgot my journal for tasting notes, and so used a piece of paper. I then proceeded to lose said piece of paper until Sunday. 

Wing night was a success, we had it at the farm, and Drew and Sarah joined us. Shane won (did you know that Wing Night is competitive? Yeah, some of us make ourselves sick trying to win...), he had 21 wings, 3 pepper poppers, and a self proclaimed although unverified 8 cookies. Drew was a close second with 20 wings, 3 poppers and 3 cookies. 

In any case, the bottle chosen was the bottle that Drew and Sarah gave to us for our wedding. We thought it would be a nice treat for everyone. 

September 24, 2015

This week we had the lovely Veuve Clicquot Demi-Sec Champagne. This bottle is sweeter than the Brut we had a few weeks ago. This made it a big hit with the guests of Champagne Thursday. 

Off the top, it has a sweet smell, like ripe yellow apples or a over ripe pear. It has a dark straw colour, and a moderate amount of bubbles. 

In first tasting, the apples are still there, as are the ripe pears. Shane and Sarah also tasted oranges, almost reminiscent of triple sec. 

It's wing night, gotta bring the
reaper sauce

My mom, who doesn't drink much champagne, and really can't do much in the way of bubbles or dry wines, weighed in with "That's nice", which is a bigger deal than it seems. When we've celebrated with her in the past, she has a few sips from one glass and then goes back to whatever she had been drinking before. She said she could drink this for an evening, finished her glass, and had another! I think given the sugar content, drinking this for an evening would leave you with a wicked hangover in the morning... 

I found this one didn't quite have the volume of bubbles I'd have liked, which gave it a smoother mouth feel. As this is a sweeter champagne, the lack of bubbles, although smooth, also gave it a somewhat syrupy mouth feel. 

Because who doesn't want to say
they've drank Veuve straight from
the bottle? Class it up, folks!

Drew and Sarah had tried the brut a while back, and found it very dry. They didn't like it, even with orange juice (I know! The sacrilege!!). They quite enjoyed this one, so that leads me to make the following statement: If you aren't sure that you like dry champagnes, and want to try a Veuve Clicquot, go with this demi-sec rather than the brut. It pains me to say that, because Shane and I both preferred the drier variety, but I think if you are trying to appeal to the greater population, the demi-sec is the way to go. This isn't to say that we didn't enjoy this bottle. The atmosphere was primed to enjoy the bubbly, and we thoroughly did. It was lovely, and I would argue that, for our amateur palates and noses, it has more depth of flavour that the brut, it was easier to pick up on the different fruity notes and aromas than the brut. 


Tyson was absent from the Champagne Wing Thursday, so sad, I know. He and Magic (my parents' dog) don't get along very well, and so he stayed home. That didn't stop us from bringing him his cork though, so don't worry. He enjoyed it briefly, chewing it in half quickly and then discarding it. 

Verdict: Yes, it was a big hit with the guests of Champagne Thursday, it went over better than the brut would have with this crowd. That being said, Shane and I prefer our bubbly a bit drier. 

~S

• Brand: Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin S.A.
• Type of Grape: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay
• Sweetness: 45g/L
• Price: $74.30
• Tasting Notes: Hints of yellow apples, ripe pears and sweet oranges. Pairs quite nicely with medium spicy wings which cut through some of the sweetness.